Being "in the Country” is as much about a state of mind as it is a specific place—and maybe even more so. It’s escape, freedom, room to move and dream and the presence to hatch plans that would otherwise be suspended in incubation. And that impulse is nothing if not universal. Just ask Brit Nick Ashley-Cooper, the 12th Earl of Shaftesbury, who revived his family’s ancestral home with the help of a world-class band of creative experts who also sought clarity in the open English countryside near St. Giles. Or the Italian families behind Mangani and My Light, whose legendary Tuscan studios and workshops capture the power of land-fueled luxury and artisanship.

Closer to home, we recognize the lure of nature through self-contained places, as well, from Tink’s Cottage in the North Carolina mountains, to a mid-century Lowcountry compound with a visionary aesthetic and an enduring legacy.

The point is this: It takes restraint to preserve the untamed, and purpose is often found when we are least purpose-driven. When you connect and create without distractions, it’s easier to tap into something elemental and to experience a sense place—any place—on a much deeper level.