Scandinavia, Living Design: Living Design

This refreshing survey of Scandinavian architecture and interior design guides readers through rural localessnowy Norwegian forests, rugged Icelandic coasts and lush Danish farmlandand picturesque cities like Oslo and Helsinki. Gaynor, a contributing editor of European Travel & Life, explores a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary styles with special emphasis on the fertile, land-wed culture in which they are rooted. An 18th century slate-and-grass-roofed log cabin is naturally integrated into its mountain setting. Similarly, an innovative Danish architect literally buries his coastal home in the dunes, creating giant, multifaceted glass domes that protrude toward the sea ""like large, unblinking eyes.'' In concert with Haavisto's 400 tranquil, full-color beckoning images, Gaynor pays thoughtful tribute to the Nordic ``fingertip-feeling for wood''expressed in romantic ``dragon style'' carvings and in the sleek, modern simplicity of stripped and oiled fir. This delightful volume celebrates a prolific tradition of domestic craft, perfecting a classic symmetry of form in functional design. First serial to House & Garden, European Travel & Life, House Beautiful and Home; Interior Design Book Club main selection. (September 21)