Though Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergleyen's French bulldog Jack, who graces the cover of Susanna Salk's At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and their Dogs, would not be my choice for a canine companion (too precious), the pooch does illustrate the thesis of the book, namely that dogs have the ability to tie a room together in a way that a Ming vase can't quite. Through seventeen chapters, each featuring a famed British interior designer and his or her dogs-from Labradors to lurchers, Jack Russells to jaunty spaniels-Salk demonstrates how both canine art, and the dogs themselves, can alleviate the frightful grandeur of certain country homes, humanizing us in the process. -NEW CRITERION
Much to our delight, Salk is back with a follow-up that is sure to have Anglophiles and their canine compatriots drooling. For At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs, out last week from Rizzoli, the author set out with photographer Stacey Bewkes on a road trip through rural England to visit 19 designers, their sprawling estates, and their resident pups. The residences-which range from stately Queen Anne mansions to Tudor farmhouses-are escapist treats on their own, of course, but they are made even more delightful by the four-legged friends who animate their well-appointed interiors. The book captures scenes of levity and grandeur: leggy whippets lounging on chintz cushions; a dachshund trotting down a hornbeam tunnel; a pug posing on a vintage Persian runner. Here, we present a few of our favorite tableaux. -ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
Celebrating British country life, At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs (Rizzoli; $50) offers charming design ideas on how to live stylishly with canine companions. From rose bushes to Retrievers and antique porcelain to Cavalier King Charles spaniels, some of Great Britain's best-like Paolo Moschino and Kit Kemp-take readers on romps all around their dog-friendly abodes. -ATLANTA HOMES & LIFESTYLES
You will see that even the most elegant, stylish, and well-appointed house is nothing but a shell without its inhabitants, especially the canine kind. At Home in the English Countryside features over 200 pages of beautiful images offering readers a personal, guided tour into some of England's most spectacular homes and grounds. While we're all grounded and sheltering in place in our homes, there's never been a better time to get lost in a gorgeous book such as this. -THE ENTERTAINING HOUSE
