Escapology
Modern Cabins, Cottages and Retreats
Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan’s Escapology is a showcase of rustic architecture and interior design.
You may want to pack your bag—or even call a moving company—before you read this book. It will lure you away from modern, urban life with its gorgeous photographs of out-of-the-way homes and will grow your longing for nature and a slow, quite way of life.
The book features rustic homes across the globe—including sites in Mexico, South Africa, and Canada—and across design styles, with log cabins, Scandinavian styles, and modern minimalist homes included. Each home is covered with focus on interior and exterior details that are only rivaled by their natural surroundings.
The AirShip 002 is a tiny home, 388 square feet large, that manages to be both futuristic and retro (it looks a bit like an Airstream trailer landed in the Scottish countryside); The Bunker is a 10,348 square foot mansion in Montana, whose stone and reclaimed wood ooze rustic elegance. Most of the properties are quite small, though, catering to the longing for simplicity. While each is unique, they have common themes: stunning windows, intimate outdoor dining, fireplaces, beautiful fabrics and textures, and well-appointed kitchens and bathrooms. Some are on the grid, some are more primitive; all are luxurious in their own ways.
These are homes all about “architectural assimilation,” or respect for the landscape. And because the book is for dreamers and doers, its stories include a glimpse of what it’s like to own a rural retreat, rather than just vacation there, including the challenges of renovation and upkeep.
Escapology is an enchanting invitation to leave urban life behind.
Reviewed by
Melissa Wuske
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
