Discover design inspiration as a photographer and blogger details the story of her renovation of a 1940s cottage in the California countryside. A little, abandoned vacation house that could, set in the center of rolling fields and trees becomes the cottage home of her dreams. A French country–style cottage filled with original elements and an exquisite mix of rustic and refined. The years of renovation allowed Courtney to create a lifestyle that is fueled by inspiration and beauty, a touch of whimsy, and an abundance of everyday elegance. The journey has been shared on her popular blog French Country Cottage, and now, through the publication of her first book, her readers will experience a reveal of more of her home and property and the inspirations behind her beloved style. Courtney's inspiring photography reveals every nuance of her style and home including a muted color palette, old brassy door knobs, chippy paint, antiques, her greenhouse and garden, and an abundance of entertaining and holiday decorating style. Blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor and embracing well-worn as well loved, French Country Cottage is a style that celebrates simplicity, indulges in romance, cherishes pieces with history and believes a chandelier and fresh flowers belong in every room.

Entertaining at home in gracious French style. Born from her experience of everyday living in France, Sharon Santoni reveals the gracious, easy French way of entertaining guests at her countryside home, year-round. Personal stories evoke the spirit of the French lifestyle, while gorgeous photos make us feel right at home. Santoni creates lush bouquets from her garden and utilizes resources from surrounding nature to lay gorgeous tables both indoors and outdoors. Venues range from a Sunday morning breakfast on the patio, to a ladies lunch in her lush garden, a formal dinner in her dining room, and a picnic by the river. Santoni also shares 15 favorite recipes utilizing seasonal foods. Find inspiration for your tables throughout the seasons, and discover the simple pleasure of entertaining friends and family. Sharon Santoni writes the popular blog My French Country Home. She is the author of My Stylish French Girlfriends (Gibbs Smith). She resides in Normandy, France.

Celebrating the distinctive interior style inspired over many centuries by the French countryside, this book if an invaluable resource for anyone who has ever longed to bring home a piece of France.

Looks at the atmosphere, interior design, and decoration of fine houses and traditional village dwellings that depict the best in French country living.

Wonderfully accessible ideas for maintaining a stylish home, drawing on the ways French mothers and grandmothers manage their households. French houses ooze with charm—and their inhabitants, despite busy schedules, regularly entertain at home. What are the secrets for leading such a chic lifestyle? In this insightful tome, lavishly illustrated with images of a country residence in a romantic French town, de Dampierre shares her knowledge of ways to achieve a warm and inviting home. Her continental traditions make beautifying your house a joy. Household chores—from stocking the pantry to washing and storing delicate linens to cleaning wooden and stone surfaces—are discussed. Tips for adorning your home range from lining dresser drawers with pretty papers and enhancing them with homemade scents to creating delicate floral arrangements of fresh-cut blooms for pleasant accents throughout your rooms. Basic instructions are also provided for designing a simple and attractive aromatic kitchen garden full of herbs, fruit, and vegetables, whether on a plot of land or in attractive containers; its produce then becomes the basis for preparing fresh, seasonal recipes to share with family and friends.

An intimate tour of quintessential Provencal style, featuring chic homes and interior details inspired by this picturesque region Thirty years after the publication of Peter Mayle's bestselling memoir A Year in Provence, the sun-drenched southern French region continues to excite home decorators with its combination of rustic charm, elegant details, and historical influences. Provence Style showcases the best of the region, with Shauna Varvel's quintessential 18th-century Rhône valley farmhouse--Le Mas des Poiriers--as its centerpiece. Named for the working pear orchard on the grounds, the property was reimagined by noted local architect Alexandre Lafourcade, who transformed a rough structure into a luxurious expression of the Provençal aesthetic, referencing historical influences, rural traditions, and Parisian taste. Set amid a garden of allées, arbors, and terraces designed by the architect's mother, renowned landscape designer Dominique Lafourcade, this exemplar of Provençal style is the starting point for exploring the region's characteristic interior details and exterior features. The book includes chapters on the public spaces of the home, from entrances to living rooms, the private realm of bedrooms and bathrooms, and outdoor areas including patios and kitchen gardens, transporting the reader on a captivating stylistic journey.

This enchanting volume unlocks the door of French homes tucked away in the country, from a farmhouse in the Cévennes to a castle lost in the heart of the Morvan mountains. The writer and photographer Sébastien Siraudeau has already uncovered home inspiration from France’s guesthouses, antique shops, and flea markets in his previous books Vintage French Interiors and French Style at Home. Now he turns his experienced eye to the hidden gems of interior design in the French countryside and unveils the wealth of decorative inspiration they have to offer. The vibrancy of these hidden retreats is demonstrated beautifully and, as the pages unfold, the reader is struck by a wealth of inspiration from the colors, seasons, and stories that have formed these subtly elegant creations. Siradeau has a rare talent for finding homes that combine gently aged vintage pieces in a contemporary and relaxed atmosphere. Siraudeau masterfully shows how true style can be discovered in the most unexpected destinations, his chapters ranging from seemingly humble hamlets or farmyards to the flickering of candlelight in the Château Jacquot. Inviting the reader in over the threshold of these inherently picturesque households is a temptation no design enthusiast could refuse.

Meet 20 beautiful, creative French women who live with passion; work every day; and love to take care ot their homes and families. Visit them in their grand chateaux or charming little country cottages or Parisian apartments. Learn where they shop, where they work, where they play, how they dress, and how they entertain. Absorb each girlfriend's style and joie de vivre. Santoni's affectionate writing, along with gorgeous photography, tells each woman's story with an intimacy usually reserved for the closest of girlfriends. SHARON SANTONI-SMITH grew up in England but married a Frenchman and has raised her family in Normandy, France. Her blog, My French Country Home, is read daily by thousands all over the world. She writes about life in rural France; the ups and downs of family life; her inspiring French girlfriends; the intricacies of village life; and her love of searching for brocante treasure in the flea markets of Paris and the countryside.

Carolyn Westbrook brings you her first-hand knowledge, acquired through years of combing French flea markets for unique treasures, of what makes a beautiful French interior. Designer and decorator Carolyn Westbrook’s love affair with all that is French inspired began long before she ever traveled to France. Growing up in the US, her Southern heritage was infused by French influences—from the chic elegance of New Orleans to the romance of southern plantation houses. Subsequent travels to France filled her with a passion that has influenced her designs and interiors ever since and “The French Inspired” has become her own signature style. Immerse yourself in her own beautiful plantation house, a sleek urban apartment, or a classically elegant town house. Each home featured has its own distinctive style, but all are essentially “French” in their inspiration, whether it comes from a distressed, gilded carved mirror, or a faded, frayed rug that exudes age in just the right places and could never be purchased from a department store. Carolyn Westbrook prides herself on these French-inspired interiors that are classic and timeless but never stuffy. These interiors are not about the latest trends, but meant to inspire longevity and a true romance with your own home. The French have mastered the art of this time-worn yet sophisticated style of living, and you too will fall in love with the colors, the textures, and the inspiration that is truly French.