René Stoeltie Knihy

Country Kitchens & Recipes features the most charming and romantic country kitchens throughout Europe and America. Based on the simple, age-old concept of the kitchen as the center of the home and family life, this book is a veritable wellspring of ideas on how to decorate and cook like our ancestors did. Atmospheric photographs of the very best examples of classic kitchens, furniture, and kitchenware are accompanied by a detailed list of shops where inspired readers can find such period accoutrements. In this age of microwaves, genetically-modified "Frankenfood", and sterile, minimalist décor, Country Kitchens & Recipes presents a wonderful alternative: cozy kitchens with character in which pure, wholesome meals are prepared with love.

This work depicts Holland's country houses, both old and new, showcasing a variety of structures from castles and windmills to historic homes and reed-thatched cottages. Featured are Tsaar Peterhuis' cottage, where Peter the Great resided in 1697, and the antique Far Eastern themed farmhouse of painter Cornelis Le Mair.

Another book on Tuscany? Is it still possible to discover something new there? Barbara and Rene Stoeltie prove that it is. They have found the most beautiful country houses in the remote towns of Chiusi and Montalcino and in the Chianti and the wild Maremma region. These romantic farmhouses and isolated villas have been photographed exclusively by Rent Stoeltie for the third volume in the successful \"Country Homes\" series. Rene is a master at capturing the soft light of Tuscany which, once seen, is never forgotten. It Floods the interiors and paints cryptic messages on the uneven terracotta floor tiles. In a corner, bathed in the famous \"sfumato,\" a timeless still life consisting of a picture of the Virgin and a kitschy infant Jesus. Barbara Stoeltie writes consummately on the landscape and its inhabitants, on the hermitage in a hidden river valley near Arezzo, the \"fattoria\" with its award-winning wine, the palazzo in the moon-like landscape of Siennese Crete and the Renaissance villa near Sienna, formerly the country home of the Chigi family. She also managed to entice from the owners of these houses their favourite recipes for classic Tuscan dishes such as \"fagioli\" or \"ribollita,\" wholesome food that is quick and easy to prepare. A tempting invitation to rediscover Tuscany!

Under the burning Tuscan sun roll marvelous hills, vineyards, olive groves?all postcard-perfect landscapes nestling medieval towns, rural villas, and contadino farmhouses, endless niches of dreamy dwellings exuding all the charm for which the region is revered. We?ve tracked down the best examples of such havens?from the typical to the surprising?to paint a warm-hued picture of the look and feel of Tuscan living. Inspiration abounds from these pages of achingly beautiful homes; who knows?maybe you can bring the magic of Tuscany to your corner of the world.