Finding Home: The Houses of Pursley Dixon, by Ken Pursley

The Country House Remembered, Recollections of Life Between the Wars by Merlin Waterson. London: Rutledge & Kegan Paul. First edition hardcover with dust jacket, 1985. 256 pp. The bo...

The English Country House: An Art and a Way of Life, by Olive Cook. New York G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1974 (Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1974.) First Edition hardcover...

Author Ken Pursley and Jacqueline Terrebonne, Foreword by Suzanne Kasler In their first book, acclaimed architects Ken Pursley and Craig Dixon explore how to create gracious homes with welcoming entryways, soulful interiors, inviting porches, and ebullient gardens. Founded on the simple principle “Build beautiful things,” the architectural team of Pursley Dixon, like populist architects Bobby McAlpine and Jeff Dungan, is known for blending elements of tradition with a modern lifestyle. In Finding Home, they share 15 stunning houses in three distinct styles: rustic mountain escapes, dreamy retreats by the water, and elegant houses in town. Each house has its own thoughtful visual narrative, but all are connected on an innate and authentic level by their sense of proportion, attention to detail, and a marvelous affinity with nature, displayed in their soothing neutral palettes, oversize windows that bring the outdoors in, and natural materials such as rough-hewn stone and unfinished wood. Little touches of humanity await discovery, such as a sleeping nook perched right out into the highest branches of a tree. These eccentricities and secrets add to the distinctly Southern sense of warmth and refuge these homes provide, homes whose open interiors and majestic porches easily accommodate family and gatherings. Featuring their own interior design work as well as that of acclaimed decorators such as Suzanne Kasler, Phoebe Howard, and Circa Interiors...

Nora Murphy’s Country House Style Making Your Home a Country House By: Nora Murphy with Deborah Golden Photography by DuAnne Simon “Nora Murphy is in a country state of mind. The founder of Connecticut Country House, a venture that encompasses an online magazine and blog about all things country, her dedication goes way beyond milk paints and Americana crafts. Instead, the former Executive Vice President of Style at Ethan Allen has built a business and a lifestyle around embracing the concept of the country house.” —Connecticut Cottages & Gardens Nora Murphy has turned her passion for country house style and its embodiment—her own home in Newtown, Connecticut—into a multimedia juggernaut. Her blog, website, e-magazine, strong presence on social media, and increasing visibility in print media and on TV have earned her a devoted following all over the country and around the world. And now she has distilled the essence of her knowledge about the fundamentals of country house style and how to achieve it in this irresistible volume. In the introduction, Murphy lays out the universal elements of country house style: creating a place where everyone is always welcome; where comfort is always in style; where there’s always room for our favorite things; where there’s always a reason to celebrate; where we honor tradition by changing it up; where home extends well beyond our walls. The body of the book shows how the elements of this comfortable, comforting, easy aesthetic and approach to life can be applied in different ways and in different locations to striking, individual effect. Murphy features six homes, beginning with her own, each of which expresses a unique take on the style, from elegant country to English cottage country to vintage farmhouse country to historical country. Part primer, part wish book, Nora Murphy’s Country House Style, illustrated entirely with specially commissioned photography, is all inspiration. Nora Murphy studied interior design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and founded her own interior design and architectural and product illustration...