Christiane de Nicolay-Mazeray, furniture and antiques specialist for Christie's of London, invites us into the heady luxury of various distinguished French residences. Classic hotels particuliers in the Marais, Colette's former apartment overlooking the Luxemburg Gardens, a stately residence in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, even a surprising isba--a traditional Russian-style log house in the heart of Paris--feature among the interiors that will inspire readers. Most of these private residences are home to the world's leading designers including the late Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Jacques Grange, and the late Madeleine Castaing. Persian carpets mingle with contemporary art and lush velvet armchairs cohabitate with delicate hand painted tableware in these extraordinary and diverse interiors. From the classicism of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, to the creativity of the nineteenth century and the fusion of tradition and modernity in the twentieth century, ten sumptuously illustrated chapters pay homage to the timeless elegance of French design style.