6 charming country homes from around the world

From a cosy cottage in rural Ireland to a large estate in the rolling hills of Tuscany, Living in the Countryside celebrates the very best of rural life in Europe.

Rustic retreats from Britain, Ireland, Sweden, France, Greece, Italy, Majorca and Greece have been selected by the book publisher for their unprecedented style and character. Each home offers a unique sense of tradition and culture based on the region and country it inhabits.

You will be transported from a higgledy-piggledy fairy-tale house in England, to an idyllic artist's retreat in Majorca, via a rustic farmhouse in Normandy. The ways in which creative individuals have found refuge, tranquillity and inspiration away from city life will become apparent and are enough to lure any city-dweller into the heart of the countryside.

From fresh garden flowers to crisp white bed linen, each of the 400 photographs included in Living in the Countryside offer a bounty of inspiration, whether it's for sprucing up your country home or injecting an air of the countryside into your town house. Highlights include properties such as the French artist, Le Corbusier's holiday home, Le Cabanon on the Côte d'Azur and the family home of the beloved Swedish painter, Carl Larsson.

Here are a few of our favourites...

1. Varpet, a turn-of-the-century home on a Swedish island Southeast of Stockholm

2. A bath at La Commanderie de Lavaufranche, a hospital turned country ch

âteau in Limousin, France

3. The guest room at Tenuta di Trinoro, in Sarteano, Tuscany - sparse but inviting

4. The pink stucco salon at Le Mas d'Esto, a proven

çal home owned by Princess Siki of Somalia

5. The vaulted kitchen in Tuscany's Villa Belsedere has been meticulously preserved

6. Tomatoes, cheese and local wine spread out in the kitchen at Il Belvedere, a Certano, Tuscany, home

Living in the Countryside is available to buy on Taschen and Amazon.

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