The Way We Live

‘Provides a truly international vision in which lifestyles are reflected in colour’

– Bthere

‘Gilles the artist was blessed with an extraordinary sense of colour and composition; he always sought to innovate and to capture beauty’

– Tricia Guild

Colour directly affects our mood and wellbeing

This visually thrilling book showcases the telling use of colour, not only in interior design but also in natural and urban environments in a host of places and cultures.

In monochromes, white, black and neutral shades of grey are used for their own qualities or as backgrounds for splashes of colour. In the blues, colours are used to create a particular ‘feel’, and, combined with white, express a whole culture – that of the Mediterranean. Reds and pinks appear as the colours of luxury and fine living. Yellows and greens bring light into the interior. The feast is completed by a section on colours derived from natural materials.

Stafford Cliff was formerly Creative Director of the Conran Design Group in London. He is the author of many books, including The English Archive of Design and Decoration and The French Archive of Design and Decoration, both published by Thames &  Hudson. The late Gilles de Chabaneix was one of France’s most prominent photographers of design and lifestyle, and his work appeared in all the leading style magazines, including Elle Décoration and Marie Claire. He was also the principal photographer of Thames &  Hudson's Style books series.