Classic English Interiors

Filled with hundreds of ideas drawn from tradition, this work is both a confident style statement for the enthusiast of English design, and a reference work for the home decorator.

"Classic English Interiors is a sumptuous showcase for a distinctive style that is now as popular in Manhattan as in the country houses of England." "Written by The Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the book is divided into two parts. The first half reveals the private and the public side of Blenheim Palace, her ancestral home, explores the country houses of Oxfordshire from which Lady Henrietta drew much of her inspiration and features selections from Woodstock Designs portfolio. Her fascinating text reveals life behind the scenes in some of Britain's most beautiful country houses. Hundreds of specially commissioned photographs show how she has translated the confident sweep of classic English style to produce homes of great elegance; comfortable family spaces; fresh, simple schemes and smart, stylish ones." "Classic English Interiors is also an immensely practical book. The second part is an extensive Designer's Lexicon - an inspirational pictorial survey of halls and stairs, windows of all shapes and sizes, seating areas, fireplaces, dining areas, kitchens, walls and floors, beds and bedding, bathrooms and lighting. Here one will find hundreds of ideas for everything from wallpaper friezes to dried flower arrangements; from choosing rugs to displaying cherished collections." "Classic English Interiors is both a confident style statement and an invaluable reference work for the home decorator."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Discover the world of decorating in the classic English style as revealed by Roger Banks-Pye, one of Colefax & Fowler's most innovative and talented designers. Roger Banks-Pye was one of the most sought-after interior decorators of his time. Design director at the doyen of interior decoration Colefax and Fowler, his work appears traditional at first glance but is in fact spiced with innovation, originality and irreverence. This classic volume shows the decorator at work in a selection of the private homes he transformed with flair and panache, from a London studio apartment decorated on a shoestring to a Scottish hunting lodge where money was no object. This book is a record of the spaces he created and there are accessible, practical and creative ideas to be picked up on each and every page. Inspirational Interiors allows a privileged glimpse into his unique world of style.

Having worked in period interiors for all her successful transaltantic career, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill turns to her key area of expertise: architectural detail and how to incorporate period details into your own home. This comprehensive guide to the best of three centuries of the most enduring decorating styles, explains and illustrates the distinguishing characteristics from both the European and American periods, and from the Baroque through the end of the nineteenth century. Henrietta shows how architectural elements of these classic decorating styles can be adapted and used in the home today to produce her trademark understated grandeur. Divided by period, each section begins with a beautifully illustrated introduction and chronology of interior styles, with a guide to the history, nature, and the most enduring aspects of the time. Covering both architectural and furnishing detail, photographs illustrate the best of period features and schemes from real homes, and Henrietta shows how to use influences from the past to create a period feel.

Published on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the dealer Hyde Park Antiques in New York City, this illustrated volume celebrates the sophistication of classic English antiques and interiors. The more than 150 exceptional objects featured here come from Hyde Park Antiques' collection, which are showcased among scores of illustrations of period interiors, drawings from cabinetmakers' pattern books, as well as contemporary interiors from the world's luminary decorators. Recommended for both the serious collector and the more casual admirer of traditional English style and design.

For Alessandra Branca, living means living comfortably. Growing up in Rome, Branca was always surrounded by exquisite art and architecture. She learned early on that beauty is meant to intermingle with everyday life, and to this day her interior designs, while abiding by classical principles, comfortably accommodate her clients’ lifestyles. “You can’t just do something that looks pretty,†? she says. “It has to work.†? In this book, the designer—based in Chicago—generously reveals her step-by-step creative process, offering invaluable guidance to anyone who wants a home that is both gorgeous and livable. Beginning with her own Chicago townhouse and interweaving insights drawn from several other prominent projects, she shows how she assesses each space’s form and function, selects foundation elements, chooses furniture and lighting, and, finally, incorporates decorative elements that reflect the resident’s personality. Illustrated with 200 lush photographs, the book offers a welcomes introduction to Branca’s enchanting and livable interiors.

A highly detailed look at the English country house interior, offering unprecedented access to England’s finest rooms. In this splendid book, renowned historian Jeremy Musson explores the interiors and decoration of the great country houses of England, offering a brilliantly detailed presentation of the epitome of style in each period of the country house, including the great Jacobean manor house, the Georgian mansion, and the Gothic Revival castle. For the first time, houses known worldwide for their exquisite architecture and decoration--including Wilton, Chatsworth, and Castle Howard--are seen in unprecedented detail. With intimate views of fabric, gilding, carving, and furnishings, the book will be a source of inspiration to interior designers, architects, and home owners, and a must-have for anglophiles and historic house enthusiasts. The fifteen houses included represent the key periods in the history of English country house decoration and cover the major interior fashions and styles. Stunning new color photographs by Paul Barker-who was given unparalleled access to the houses-offer readers new insights into the enduring English country house style. Supplementing these are unique black-and-white images from the archive of the esteemed Country Life magazine. Among the aspects of these that the book covers are: paneling, textile hangings (silks to cut velvet), mural painting, plasterwork, stone carving, gilding, curtains, pelmets, heraldic decoration, classical imagery, early upholstered furniture, furniture designed by Thomas Chippendale, carved chimney-pieces, lass, use of sculpture, tapestry, carpets, picture hanging, collecting of art and antiques, impact of Grand Tour taste, silver, use of marble, different woods, the importance of mirror glass, boulle work, English Baroque style, Palladian style, neo-Classical style, rooms designed by Robert Adam, Regency, Gothic Revival taste, Baronial style, French 18th century style, and room types such as staircases, libraries, dining rooms, parlors, bedrooms, picture galleries, entrance halls and sculpture galleries. Houses covered include: Hatfield - early 1600s (Jacobean); Wilton - 1630/40s (Inigo Jones); Boughton - 1680/90s (inspired by Versailles); Chatsworth -1690/early 1700s (Baroque); Castle Howard - early 1700s (Vanbrugh); Houghton - 1720s (Kent); Holkham - 1730s-50s (Palladian); Syon Park - 1760s (Adam); Harewood - 1760s/70s (neo-Classical); Goodwood - 1790s/1800s (neo-Classical/Regency); Regency at Chatsworth/Wilton/C Howard etc - 1820/30s; Waddesdon Manor - 1870/80ss (French Chateau style); Arundel Castle -1880s/90s (Gothic Revival); Berkeley Castle - 1920/30s (period recreations and antique collections); Parham House - 1920s/30s (period restorations and antique collections). The range is from the early 17th century to present day, drawn from the authenticated interiors of fifteen great country houses, almost all still in private hands and occupied as private residences still today. The book shows work by twentieth-century designers who have helped evolve the country house look, including Nancy Lancaster, David Hicks, Colefax & Fowler, and David Mlinaric