A new look is emerging in France’s apartments as well as its imposing chateaux and country manors. Along with signature pieces of national identity—such as finely crafted wood pieces, splendid mirrors, and grandmère’s well cared for linens—European mid-century modern furnishings also adorn settings in this age of merging sensibilities. Homes photographed in France and the U.S. show abstract works of art mingling easily with painted furniture, budget-friendly finds from assorted cultures—such as wool rugs and handembroidered linens from India—and pottery, artisan-made pillows, throws and vintage textiles from remote markets in Morocco. BETTY LOU PHILLIPS, ASID, is the author of a dozen books on French design, including her most recent, The Allure of French and Italian Décor, French Impressions and Inspirations from France and Italy. Ms. Phillips lives in Dallas, Texas.

Room by room, French By Design reveals the secrets to creating a contemporary French-country look, including textiles, furniture, floor coverings, window treatments, accessories, color palettes, wall treatments, and lighting.

Simplicity is the new era of chic. Despite the grandeur in which Louis XIV and his descendants Louis XV and Louis XVI lived in the magnificent Château de Versailles, extravagance rarely suggests elegance these days. Befitting spaces less assumedly scaled than the vast palace, alluring, of-the-moment interiors exude a more discreet cachet. Clean, not stuffy, reflects our culture and the times. Betty Lou Phillips is the author of fourteen books on French and Italian design, including the award-winning Villa Décor. A professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers, her work has been featured in countless magazines and newspapers. Additionally, she has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

An intimate tour of quintessential Provencal style, featuring chic homes and interior details inspired by this picturesque region Thirty years after the publication of Peter Mayle's bestselling memoir A Year in Provence, the sun-drenched southern French region continues to excite home decorators with its combination of rustic charm, elegant details, and historical influences. Provence Style showcases the best of the region, with Shauna Varvel's quintessential 18th-century Rhône valley farmhouse--Le Mas des Poiriers--as its centerpiece. Named for the working pear orchard on the grounds, the property was reimagined by noted local architect Alexandre Lafourcade, who transformed a rough structure into a luxurious expression of the Provençal aesthetic, referencing historical influences, rural traditions, and Parisian taste. Set amid a garden of allées, arbors, and terraces designed by the architect's mother, renowned landscape designer Dominique Lafourcade, this exemplar of Provençal style is the starting point for exploring the region's characteristic interior details and exterior features. The book includes chapters on the public spaces of the home, from entrances to living rooms, the private realm of bedrooms and bathrooms, and outdoor areas including patios and kitchen gardens, transporting the reader on a captivating stylistic journey.

"Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together—at home, at work, in our communities, and beyond. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive--which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker takes us inside events of all kinds to show what works, what doesn't, and why. She investigates a wide array of gatherings--conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp--and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience. The result is a book that's both journey and guide, full of exciting ideas with real-world applications. The Art of Gathering will forever alter the way you look at your next meeting, industry conference, dinner party, and backyard barbecue--and how you host and attend them.

At home with modern French families . . . Si Mazouz, curator of the popular blog FRENCHBYDESIGN, introduces a dozen sophisticated French families in her debut book, How the French Live to engage and inspire. Si shares each family’s personality and values through the lens of their uniquely styled homes. The aesthetic is clean and unpretentious; décor elements are eclectic—reflecting each family's Frenchness regardless of where they live. Each chapter closes with a family recipe to prolong the warmth of the hospitality they've shared. This is the new paragon of a generation living the French lifestyle in France, Morocco, and the U.S. Si Mazouz is a French girl expatriated in San Francisco. She is the curator of the FRENCHBYDESIGN blog, where she compiles daily a selection of interiors, house tours, or DIY projects. She is also a strategic marketing and social media consultant.

Basic principles, techniques of stained glass design. Topics include design sources, enlarging and reworking, flat and three-dimensional projects, drawing techniques, computer technology, more. 84 projects included. 209 illustrations.