Perfect French Country: Inspirational interiors from rural France
£19.30£33.30 (-42%)
In Perfect French Country Ros Byam Shaw celebrates relaxed rural France at its finest, visiting timeless and beautiful French country homes that feature ancient beams and stone fireplaces, panelled rooms and attics under steeply-pitched pantiles.
In a busy modern world that seems increasingly fast-paced, overcrowded and monopolized by technology, the allure of the ‘good life’ is more potent than ever. As an antidote to texts and tweets, traffic jams and queues, additives and packaging, we seek out the simple and the wholesome, and long for the luxuries of space, a leisurely pace of life and fresh air. France can offer all these things, with its traditional farming methods, its authentic regional cuisine, and its low population density. Add to this the inimitable French sense of style and joie de vivre, and you have all the ingredients for an enviable way of life. Perfect French Country revels in the timeless and authentic beauty of the French country home.
Perfect French Country is a fantastic new edition of the previously published title by the same name.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Ryland Peters & Small, Illustrated edition (25 Aug. 2020) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 208 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1788792874 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1788792875 |
| Dimensions | 24.38 x 2.54 x 29.21 cm |
by Twinkle
Having bought all of these books over the years this one did fall short somehow. What I would like to see Ros do is explore truly ordinary peoples homes and lives. And… please go to the North of England more not just the South or France.
by Mandy S
This is the first one of these Ros Byam Shaw books I have purchased. I have now put all these books on my wish list and hopefully this Christmas I will have a bumper stocking!
I have only just started to read it but it is wonderful just for the pictures. Well worth purchasing, especially for someone who likes the French look, even as a present.
Excellent quality used book as well from this supplier thank you.
by Antonia R.
This book definite captures the essence of the different aspects of the French country styles through a few contrasting stories. Great photos.
by MRS T.
I am so thrilled I bought this beautiful book! The photographs themselves inspired me before even reading the fabulous lives of the owners. During a particularly difficult illness with this wretched virus, this book allowed me to escape into a France fantasy dreamworld and it worked a treat! I felt I was actually there! A must for any interior enthusiast. Such a beautiful read and I’m only still halfway through. Ros Byam Shaw, you may have just saved me!!
by E
No written review. Just a nice looking book.
by MRB
Have only read the first chapter of this book but it is one of the nicest books I have ever come across. There are lots of detailed photographs & it is beautifully written – informative & very interesting, giving you a real feel for the houses & the life style they support. Being a large format book it will look perfect left out for others to browse through. I actually live in France & buy lots of home design magazines so am used to pictures of French interiors, this beats them all (& the added bonus is that it’s written in English !).
Update: have now read a lot more of the book & still enjoying it. However, I have to say that many of the houses are rather bizarre to say the least. Great fun to read about but if you are looking for ideas for your own property it is probably not the right book for you. Unless of course you are into bizarre !
by Karen
I have long been a fan of Ros Byam Shaw’s writing and her “Perfect English” was a revelation when I bought it ten years ago, it being the first book of its kind that I had devoured from cover to cover. Her latest book, “Perfect French Country”, does not disappoint. Her writing is poetic and evocative – “rich with the texture of gentle decay” – and her knowledge of curlicues, enfilades and countless other architectural details adds substance to an already beautiful text and stunning photographic images. Even her descriptions of the various occupants of these delicious dwellings lead you to believe that you have just been introduced, so palpable is their presence. I would not hesitate to recommend this or any other book that Ros has imbued with her particular brand of magic.
by Hywel James
The photography is the chief glory of this book and there are many stunning interior and exterior shots of a variety of beautiful rural properties in different parts of France. Whether the pictures will serve as inspiration for one’s own attempts at decoration will depend on your taste and your bank balance. I bought the book largely to remind myself what summer holidays in France used to feel like before the Covid emergency. It served that particular purpose well. The text is, however, virtually beyond parody but I’ll have a go – “Anita Babington-Chorley trained as a stylist before marrying a lawyer and deciding to buy a street of tumbledown cottages in a deserted village in the Dordogne. Fifteen years and two divorces later she spends part of her life in her exquisite retreat near Sarlat, enjoying the company of artists, writers, international bankers, and members of the local aristocracy”. But apart from that, the book is a treat for anyone trapped in the UK by gales, pandemics, and Brexit.