ELLE Decoration Country No. 12

Simple is beautiful, and pared back is the way forward. This was our philosophy when compiling volume 12 of ELLE Decoration Country. As a result, we give you an uncomplicated edit of 15 glorious rural escapes, all brilliantly inspirational in their own unique way. There’s also an uplifting essay about a country hero who has created an entire career based around the concept of simplicity, plus 51 of the newest, most covetable products, each one chosen to bring a little bit of contemporary country style into your home. So dive into these pages and drink in the uninterrupted views, clear horizons and effortless interiors, all guaranteed to soothe your soul. I hope you love them as much as we do.…

‘SEEING THE SUN MAGICALLY COAX TINY SHOOTS FROM THE GROUND HAS ALWAYS INSPIRED ME, AND THE CHANGING SEASONS PLAY A HUGE PART IN MY WORK’ ‘HERE THE TEMPO OF LIFE SLOWS DOWN AND WE CAN RECHARGE OUR BATTERIES’ ‘THE EVENINGS IN MALLORCA GO ON AND ON, AND THE WARMTH AND PEOPLE MAKE FOR A SPECIAL ATMOSPHERE’ For Danish chef Mikkel Karstad, there’s something very special about summers in Mallorca. Not just the talcum powder beaches, the fragrant, pine-covered mountains and sweeping views over the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, but also the abundance of flavourful, local ingredients, all ripe for the picking. As former gastronomic advisor to Claus Meyer, culinary entrepreneur and co-founder of iconic Danish restaurant NOMA, Mikkel played an influential role in the New Nordic Cuisine movement, which champions unpretentious, seasonal produce,…

‘WE WANTED TO EMBRACE THE LANDSCAPE. WHEN YOU’RE INSIDE, IT FEELS AS THOUGH THERE ARE NO BOUNDARIES, WHICH MAKES IT AN AMAZING SPACE TO BE IN’ ‘WE LOVE HOW SERENE IT IS. YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, YET IT’S STILL ONLY A 50-MINUTE DRIVE FROM THE CITY’ Celebrations for New Year’s Eve 2011 were in full swing when Cliff de Wit and his wife, Elsje, made the decision to build their dream home. Having spent a blissful vacation with Cliff’s parents, who had retired to a farm in the South African bush, they knew it was the right thing to do. ‘We were visiting all the time, and we wanted the kids to be near their grandparents,’ explains Cliff. Fewer than two weeks later, the hunt for a plot was…

THE STRONG ARCHITECTURAL LINES ARE SOFTENED BY CUT-OUT TERRACES THAT BLUR BOUNDARIES BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUT A MINIMAL PALETTE OF MATERIALS, SUCH AS TEAK, CONCRETE AND MARBLE, WERE CHOSEN AS THEY WILL AGE WELL IN THE HUMID CLIMATE ‘WE FELT IT WOULD BE A GIFT FOR OUR SON TO GROW UP IN A PLACE LIKE THIS. SOMEWHERE HE COULD EXPERIENCE NATURE FIRST-HAND’ Having lived in Sydney for 14 years, French fashion designer Emmanuelle Flahault and her partner, Austrian-born advertising executive Johannes Weissenbaeck, were ready for a new adventure. The tranquillity of Bali had always been a draw, and it was here they decided to build a new home. Led to a pocket of land on a riverbank near Canggu by young Balinese architectural consultancy Word of Mouth, Emmanuelle and Johannes were…

‘Light was a pivotal principle in the build,’ says interior designer Martha Perez, explaining her home’s vast, full-height windows, all angled to make the most of the Mexican sun’s rays at different times of the day. ‘My favourite is the low morning sunshine, which streams in through the east terrace.’ Surprisingly only half an hour away from the busy, in-your-face metropolis that is Mexico City, the modern lines of the weekend retreat that Martha shares with her partner Adam are easy to spot within the lush landscape around Tepoztlán – officially designated a Pueblo Mágico (or magical village) by the Mexican tourist office. The sycamore seed-shaped home is the work of local architectural studio Cadaval & Solà-Morales, and is split into three areas, with an office/studio, laundry and playroom at one end…

Set on a leafy hillside above Lake Maggiore in Switzerland, the home of Jann and Karin Casty blends effortlessly with its mountainous surroundings. ‘We had been looking for a house in the southern part of Switzerland for a long time,’ remembers Jann. ‘Then, five years ago, we had the opportunity to buy a not-so-nice 1960s property in a very beautiful location.’ Situated close to the town of Ascona, an ancient fishing village on the lake’s north shore, the small villa was nestled among lush foliage overlooking the rooftops below and the stunning vista beyond. Having fallen in love with the spot, the couple enlisted local practice Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti to transform the existing house into a contemporary residence in keeping with the local vernacular. Almost everything on site was…