Living in Scotland

This luminously photographed book will dispel forever the notion that the typical Scots home is cheerless, dark, and forbidding. To the contrary, Living in Scotland bears witness to the Scots genius for timeless architecture and a vivid palette of rich colors and fabrics. For while the landscape is sometimes harsh, the interiors and gardens presented in this handsome volume offer an inviting tapestry of infinite variety, unexpected and constantly dazzling. Over the centuries the Scots have been great travelers and, consequently, great collectors. Their homes reflect an innate ability to blend the old with the new, the curious with the conventional. This splendid book transports the reader behind the facades of stately homes, small castles, fishing lodges, and inner-city apartments. With the exception of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's masterful Hill House, all the properties are private residences. Some, such as the Queen Mother's Glamis Castle, are well known; others, such as an astonishing Art Deco flat in Glasgow and Ian Hamilton Finlay's garden in Lanarkshire, are unexpected treats. The result is an absorbing view of the customs of Scotland and the Scots way of life.