The Book Club | Country Style Homes by Victoria Carey

Linen as a textile should have its own fan club – soft, breathable, eco-friendly, timeless… so when it’s partnered with a beautiful book, it goes straight in my shopping basket. On the spine of Country Style Homes is a decadent bolt of linen, holding together weighty pages and photography that echoes homely love. The author has pitched it perfectly with this one – think rural charm meets intelligent story-telling.

Country Style Homes is crammed with stories of Australian rural homes, pulled together from past issues of an Aussie favourite, Country Style magazine. While the featured homes are across the ditch, it’s very relatable to our own country lifestyle here in NZ.

What I love about this book is how the stories are less about the architectural features and more about the people who live in them. Within the rooms are a treasure trove of curios and family heirlooms, all conveying unique personalities and history.

The kinfolk inside the pages are a mix of artists, cooks, gardeners, collectors, historians and farmers - all with a tale to tell. The history, admiration and respect for their land is both heart-warming and fascinating. You’ll read about a 17th Century Farmhouse, a colonial homestead, enchanting architecture and grand old dames beautifully restored. 

From quaint pastoral hideaways to grand rural mansions, from off the grid coastal cottages to converted churches, from romantic retreats to everyday family nests - this book makes country living look so damn good. Of course, property names like Cherry Tree Cottage, Belgrove and Brockley Estate just sell it for me!

Enjoy a grand tour of the outdoors too, because a life on the land means wide open spaces. Many of the gardens in this book are not a supporting act, they are just as critical to the overall aesthetics of a property, matched with a thriving vegetable patch.