"Country Living": Floral Interiors (Country Living)

by Judy Spours (Foreword)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $9.93

  The image of a country garden, with unruly flowers growing where they seed amongst the fruit and vegetables, honeysuckle, roses and wisteria scrambling over walls, has always been in part a reality and in part a decorative myth. What is certain is that the garden has had an enormous influence upon the designs inside the country house, which have developed into a whole style of decoration. This book celebrates the country garden as it appears inside the home, in natural arrangements of garden flowers as the inspiration for fabrics such as chintz and for painted ceramics, in the colours used to decorate walls and furniture and in numerous decorative accessories. Traditional fabrics use naturalistic patterns drawn from the garden, of peonies, roses and tulips, for example; kitchen curtains even depict the produce of the vegetable plot. The cups and saucers and plates in everyday use are brightly painted with the nasturtiums or poppies growing outside; and even furniture is decorated with stylized garden flowers. The country home's most important accessories are gathered straight from the garden - vases full of lilac or blue cornflowers, bowls of ripening fruit or dried pot pourri, smooth pebbles or textured branches used as ornamentation. Country garden style is at home with the natural world, in harmony with its colours, forms and textures, and a decorative reflection of its beauties.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $4.00

  Country Living: Household Wisdom guides the reader through the home, stopping off in each area to offer advice, tips, traditional recipes and stylish tricks that will help keep good order and create pleasant surroundings. The aim of the book is to offer the reader a useful and attractive work of reference that can be dipped into as the need arises. Scattered through the book will be tip boxes with quick tricks to instantly create a sense of old-fashioned order in a room.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2005

  $3.45

  Country Living Household Wisdom is a treasure trove of the best of traditional skills that still have a relevance for the homemakers of today. Our homes have always had a great influence on our wellbeing and, at a time when many of us lead fast-paced and stressful lives, it is particularly important to live in a calm, ordered environment that provides peace and tranquillity without making demands on our time with lengthy housework routines. In this book you will find tips on how to get the most out of labour-saving machines and modern cleaning products, combined with tried and tested, old-fashioned remedies and recipes that are as effective now as they were a century ago. There are instant tricks to prevent windows steaming up, for making cut flowers last longer and for removing stains from fabrics and carpets. There is practical advice on caring for floors and furniture, cleaning the bathroom, storing china and glass, and managing open fires. Quick recipes are given for making jams and jellies, fruit cordials, remedies for coughs and colds, and facial cleansers and moisturisers. Each area of domestic routine is covered comprehensively, with handy shortcuts to achieving instant order and atmosphere in the midst of chaos. Country Living Household Wisdom is a book for real people who lead busy lives with advice that is clear, easy to follow and achievable by everyone.