Catskills Country Style [Anglais] [Relié]

Catskills begins with an evocative introduction by author Francine Prose that reflects on the area's timeless quality and the "reckless (yet tasteful) disregard" for a single historical style as seen in the book's range of humble cabins, rambling farmhouses, stark contemporary structures, and wildly ornate mansions--rusticity and elegance combined. Gillian Engberg
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The Catskills is the favored new retreat for New Yorkers. Only ninety minutes from the city, it's closer than the Hamptons and much more affordable. As a consequence, this once thriving area is having a huge revival as a weekend-vacation place. Catskills Country Style, the first book of its kind on the Catskills and its new style--what might be called urban-country-folk design--showcases this new style in the cottages and cabins of the region. Intriguing historic houses are included as well as a collection of more contemporary homes. Among these is Olana, the 1860s Moorish-style country estate of Frederic Church, the great American landscape artist and leading figure of the Hudson River School of painting. Also included is Pennyroyal Cottage, the 1880s first American woman to have her own design firm. These historic houses are the forerunners of the retreats of many current New York City-based artists, bohemians, designers, and stylists.

Current owners of Catskills country style houses are instrumental in shaping trends of today's look. These stylish innovators are creating an aesthetic with a new twist, recycling ideas as well as furniture with an individualistic philosophy that features an eclectic mix of flea market, yard sale, antique and handmade furniture, sometimes peppered with the latest international high-design avant-garde furnishings. This is a book in the tradition of Rizzoli's Charleston Style and Santa Barbara Style, and give us a glimpse into the homes and lifestyles of an influential and fascinating group of people.

Steve Gross and Sue Daley have been traveling extensively, shooting photography for books and magazines, for the past fifteen years in an effort to bring together the worlds of art, architecture, preservation, and design. Their previous books include At Home with the Past, Old Houses, and Old Greenwich Village. Gross and Dailey live in a midtown-Manhattan loft/photo studio. They escape to the Catskills as often as they can.

Francine Prose is the author of many books, including Blue Angel, Primitive People, and Household Saints, which was made into a movie with Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Lili Taylor.