French Chateau Style: Inside France's Most Exquisite Private Homes

"French Chateau Style" has a lovely mood that make this volume particularly appealing. Many of Marie-Pierre Morel's photos have perspectives and angles that are unusual, inviting you into the spaces shown. The writing by Catherine Scotto is thoughtful, with intriguing little stories about the buildings, gardens, owners and what they are experiencing in these extraordinary places.One of my favorite chapters is a visit to the Château d'Écrainville in Normandy, lived in by Arnold van Geuns & Clemens Rameckers, a design team known as 'Ravage'. The house has a sense of celebration via the photos as well as fascinating stories about these occupants and their strikingly unique creations. Over the years I have seen and enjoyed many articles and books about ‘Ravage’ and this particular home... "French Chateau Style" certainly has produced one of the most appealing and captivating interpretations.Another dimension of interest is the book's emphasis on rural French properties that are being saved and preserved by their caring owners. Not all the homes are ultra-grand, some are smaller scaled but just as beguiling to view, to read about.There has been a trend in recent years for interior design books to use matte finish papers.I think this can sometimes be a detriment if you are expecting or wanting to get a precision and sharply focused photograph. However, with this book the matte paper seems to work perfectly. It is part of the overall spirit. When I look at the kitchen on the glossy book jacket (as shown on Amazon) and then compare it with the same photo inside the book but on matte paper, I see slightly less detail. But what I see more of, on the matte paper version, is an image that conveys a mood and intrigue that draws me into the scene.Also worth mentioning – layouts and type fonts, along with lovely soft color backgrounds, that indicate the book designer was especially tuned in to enhancing the photos and writing.

The front cover ‘ ..most exquisite..’ is an overstatement. I found the images dreary and the descriptions uninspiring. I didn’t learn anything from the text, and feel the book is pointless as I didn’t get what the author was trying to convey. It’s like she had a bunch of chateaux owning friends that wanted to show off their artwork. I feel the intrinsic elements of the chateau’s displayed were seemingly ignored.

As the title says, not great productions of the pics at all. Paper is not glossy, it almost looks "textured." This is a lower quality paper than you usually find in this kind of book. Because of it the pics are almost a bit blurry or they printed the pics at a lower resolution than you typically find with this kind of book. If the pics were clear I'm sure it would be a lovely book.

Considering this is basically a "picture" book the quality of the paper detracts from the quality of the photographs. The paper should be glossy to enhance the photographs but instead there is no definition and all the colours blend together. Avoid this book if you want to see good pictures and look for an alternative of which there are many. Shame as could be so much better.

So disappointing - dark and murky photos, the front cover and page 39 show what a difference a coated paper could have made. I am returning this.