Celebrating the distinctive decorative style inspired over many centuries by the French countryside. French Country Living is an invaluable resource for anyone who has ever longed to bring home a piece of France. Combining evocative photographs with elegant and illuminating text by Caroline Clifton-Mogg, the book argues that the familiar romantic landscape is still a vital part of France, and that the roots of most French people lie firmly in the rural way of life. The first part, The Elements, explores the ingredients that make up the whole: the subtle color palette of soft warm grays, cloudy pinks, and misty greens, the traditional materials, the furniture, and the textiles. Then there are the distinctive, often unchanging, objects and accessories, from ceramics to silver to pictures.

The second part. The Spaces, looks at the overall style. It begins at the heart of the French home, in the kitchen and dining area -- where wood, stone, and tiles are often combined in imaginative and practical ways -- before moving on to explore living rooms, halls and corridors, bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as that most vital of country spaces, the terrace or "outdoor room." The book ends with an invaluable directory of resources. French Country Living distills the natural comfort and easy charm found in all aspects of French country style -- and in every room, from the kitchen to the bedroom -- showing how to translate the particular elements into your own setting, whether rustic or urban.