A renowned photographer focuses his lens on characteristic period homes and modern residences amidst the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley in New York. The majestic panoramic images, lush vegetation, and rural atmosphere of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley have long proven irresistible for city dwellers seeking refuge from urban life, as well as for insatiable lovers of the countryside.

Their houses, whether hundreds of years old or entirely new, all resonate with their natural surroundings, as demonstrated by each of the 20 homes captured by photographer William Abranowicz for this volume. They range from historic houses of Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, characteristic landscape painters of the Hudson River School, to the rustic wooden and stone house of a merchant dealing in 20th-century furniture, art, and jewelry, where the clean lines of Frank Lloyd Wright and other mid-century modern tables vividly contrast with embroidery and contemporary ceramics.

Browsing through the pages of Country Life is equivalent to taking a holiday and extends a warm invitation to step into the homes of artists, writers, architects, museum curators, dancers, photographers, impact traders, set designers, a social worker, a yoga instructor, and even a Hall of Fame BBQ chef.