Take classic country and combine it with modern urban interiors—and you have a fresh style that works anywhere. “Stylish yet livable country looks. Whether you are an eclectic city slicker or live in a traditional Maine cottage, you can create your own melting pot of styles. Learn to combine old with new, and how to mix and match classic patterns and colors.”— Bridal Guide Magazine. Many people dream of the perfect country home: inviting and bright, imbued with a warm sense of comfort and a timeless simplicity. In Country Chic , authors Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell show how to mix and match different colors, materials, and furnishings, combine fine antiques with inexpensive "finds," and blend old with new to create today's fresh and modern country style. The authors present myriad ideas for using country style to turn any space into an airy and comfortable place to be. They include information on how to bring various specific country styles--such as New England, Shaker, and "Modern Ethnic"--into a decorating scheme. The chapter on simplicity shows how to create a sense of freedom and an uncluttered lifestyle by reinterpreting how traditional materials and patterns are used. For instance, a spare room with sophisticated gray-tinged white walls maintains the original rough floorboards and fireplace bricks as a contrast to the sleek modern lines. The chapter on decorating with color and pattern shows how to create an eclectic atmosphere by borrowing from old-fashioned traditions and giving them a modern twist. Mismatched wooden chairs around a rustic kitchen table, for example, give a room a relaxed and informal feel. Juxtaposed with a marble fireplace that would be more expected in a formal dining room, the scene takes on an appealing air of faded grandeur. More than 200 color photographs will certainly provide plenty of inspiration to those hoping to manifest their dreams of the perfect country home--wherever that may be. --Robin Donovan There are about as many decorating styles as there are designers--and home magazines. No rooms of the rich and famous appear in this book, though. Furnishings mix vintage flea market with white-hued home offices. And the country style itself is upscale, streamlined, and broad enough to accept a Moderne Airstream trailer as an appropriate decorating channel. Color pictures are sharp enough to emulate--and words enhance, but don't overwhelm. Barbara Jacobs Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Liz Bauwens is a freelance stylist who works for a number of magazines as well as Ikea and Habitat. Alexandra Campbell is a writer whose work appears in the (London) Independent, Financial Times, and (London) Times newspapers. They are the co-authors of Spaces for Living. Country Living magazine, with a circulation of nearly two million readers, captures the country lifestyle and covers decorating, cooking, entertaining, gardening, and travel. Used Book in Good Condition