Author(s): Linda Dannenberg

CALENDARS

Building on its yearly sell-out international success, French Country Diary, one of the most beautiful and sought-after engagement calendars, is back in 2014 with an elegant slipcase of its 26th edition. The diary features a vibrant French blue and white Proven al fabric pattern called Mazan,o a contemporary take on a classic motif, with a contrasting blue and yellow border fabric from the venerable Olivades textiles company in Saint-R my. Within the slipcase lies a linen-textured hardcover book with a red floral design that displays the year '2014' in a decorative medallion. Vintage typography and fifty-eight evocative new photographs by Guillaume de Laubier enhance the captivating design of this unique engagement calendar. Each of the week-at-a-glance spreads offers a vignette of the French countryside, including gardens, private homes, villages and inspiring landscapes. In this year's Diary we visit the posh resort of Biarritz, poised on the shores of the Atlantic in the Pays Basque; stroll through the romantic gardens of Eug nie-les-Bains in the Landes region; explore the palm decked harbor town of Villefranche-sur- Mer on the Mediterranean, with its pastel-hued hillside homes; glory in a springtime morning on the terrace of a trend-setting Paris florist; and enjoy a pre-Christmas evening on the Left Bank at the Deux Magots caf . Design elements are as handsome as ever. Lush four-colour endpapers, generous space for jotting daily notes, a ribbon stitched in to mark each week, and end matter that includes decorative address pages are what the Diary's worldwide legion of fans have come to expect.