Product Description

The English style in interior design is admired and copied the world over. At its grandest, it is a stately home furnished with antiques, but the houses featured in this book are country cottages, farmhouses, townhouses and flats. What links them is as much an attitude as a look. The English style of decoration is practical and informal, designed around the people who occupy the rooms rather than to impress. These houses are lived in and loved, with interiors that are relaxed and not afraid to be pretty. The book's chapters, 'Plain English', 'English Eccentric', 'English Rose', 'English Country House', and 'Classic English' reflect the many facets of English style, and each section ends with pages devoted to ideas for furnishing a house in all these versions of English style.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22829 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
English Home, House & Garden, World of Interiors, BBC Good Homes, Livingetc.

About the Author
Ros Byam Shaw is a former Features Editor of The World of Interiors. She is now a freelance journalist and writes on design and interiors for House & Garden and the Telegraph, among others. She is the author of Interiors by Design and Old House New Home (both published by Ryland Peters & Small). She lives in Devon.

Customer Reviews

Inspiring and practical
Ok I know this is just a pretty pictures, shallow kind of book and it's not going to change the world. But as far as these kinds of books go, I think this is a pretty good one. I wouldn't hesitate to give as a gift. The images are elegant and inspiring, the editorial is nicely written and not at all twee, and there are some good practical tips and supplier lists. All the houses used as examples are quite unique and eccentric, not "chocolate box" type houses. If you're debating whether to buy it - go ahead. It's satisfying, practical and inspiring.

Essential English
I'd vowed not to spend any more money on interiors books, but I just couldn't resist this one. It's delightful and inspiring. The interiors featured here are a welcome relief from the impersonal, 'hip hotel'-style designer rooms which fill most interiors magazines and estate agents' brochures these days. The personalities of the owners shine through.

Perfect!
This is a lovely book. But it is more than just a 'lovely book', delightful though it is to look at and handle. Nor is it just a parade of 'aspirational' interiors beyond the pockets of most of us - though there are some pretty sensational houses here. It's more a celebration of English individuality - that you can do what you like with your own space - mad colour and piles of stuff if that's your bag; or restrained colour and pared down decor if that's what you want. To guide you, there's a gentle categorisation of the different types of English house and a neat summary of the essential elements of each. But there's nothing prescriptive here - and uniformity is told to take a running jump. The message, really, is have faith in what you love and surround yourself with that. All these interiors are totally at ease with themselves - not concerned with keeping up with anybody, or 'making a statement' - except to say: 'Welcome and enjoy'. Congratulations to Ros Byam Shaw for reminding us that in making a home, as in living our lives: 'To thine own self be true'.