The Way We Live with Color

The Way We Live... series of books celebrates environments and styles of living that are parallel around the world yet somehow stylistically distinct from place to place. Proceeding from the general to the specific, the book begins with different styles and forms of housing and how these are affected and influenced by color. For example, the simplicity of white clapboard New England colonials lend themselves to formal approaches to layout and landscaping, while the lighthearted pastels of the Caribbean invite informal juxtapositions of style. The meat of the book focuses on how color influences the way we live room by room and how color is greater than just paint on the wall. Bright and unusual accents on floors, furniture, ceilings, and windows add to the total effect. The book then explores how varying materials and texturesmetallic surfaces, colored glass, stone, brick, or wooden ceilingsopen up new areas for exploring color and mood. The concluding section of the book is a rich sequence of images depicting how color is used differently around the world. Taken together, this book is sure to be a source of inspiration for anyone interested in interiors or decorating.

Stafford Cliff was formerly Creative Director of Design at the Conran Design Group in London. Gilles de Chabaneix was one of France’s most prominent photographers of design and lifestyle. Together, they have co-authored The Way We Live… series including the most two most recent books, The Way We Live by the Sea and The Way We Live in the City.