Provence Style: Decorating with French Country Flair

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 centrepiece. Named for the working pear orchard on the grounds, the property was re-imagined 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 amidst a garden of allées, arbors and terraces designed by the architect’s mother, renowned landscaper Dominique Lafourcade, this exemplar of Provençal style is the starting point for exploring the region’s characteristic interior details and exterior features. The book continues with 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

"Beloved around the world, Provence's spirit is humbled and pure. In a visual compendium of this region's most charming interiors, readers find inspiration for decorating with the tastes of the French countryside. . . . Using her luxurious dwelling as an archetype and other noted interiors as visual examples, the author depicts how the region's iconic style balances rusticity and refinement."-- "Victoria"

"When Shauna Varvel and her family bought an 18th-century estate on a 65-acre pear farm on the Rhône River, their lives turned into a romantic fantasy fit for a Hollywood movie."-- "New York Post"

Shauna Varvel began her career in public relations with Estée Lauder in New York, continuing with the brand to Tokyo. After many years of renting summer homes in Provence with her family, Shauna finally chose one to call their own, taking on the renovation of a 200-year-old farmhouse outside Avignon, France. The project has been celebrated by numerous publications, including Veranda, Town & Country and Fortune magazines, and visited by celebrities and an American president.

Alexandra Black has written widely on cultural and material history. She is the author of Living in Cuba, Tuscan Elements, Ski Style, The Japanese House, Dusk Till Dawn, and The Fashion Book, and has contributed to Elle, Vogue Living and Gourmet Traveller.