Coming Home to Nature

"""We look to the French to guide us on the latest trends—from layering mirrors to Baroque mantels for way less. So it’s no wonder they were early adopters of abandoning busy cities for the calmer countryside, long before the pandemic spurred a mass exodus in the U.S. In a new book, Coming Home to Nature: The French Art of Countryfication, authors Gesa Hansen, Estelle Marandon, and Charlotte Huguet interview a handful of transplants on why they left the City of Light—and why they haven’t looked back. In an excerpt, below, a different Charlotte (this one a lifelong Parisian) and her partner, Emiliano (from the hills of Tuscany), admit their fair share of hesitation over moving into the “near ruin” structure they now call home, about an hour outside the city. And for urbanites who haven’t taken the leap just yet, read on for eight crucial questions the authors suggest you ask yourself before you do."" —DOMINO"