Perfect English Townhouse

Continuing her exploration of English interiors, Ros Byam Shaw visits 14 distinctive townhouses full of charm, character and style. In Perfect English Townhouse, Ros Byam Shaw examines the timeless English style of decoration in a variety of Georgian, Victorian, and contemporary townhouses. Architecturally, these tall, narrow properties present challenges. How do you make the best of a basement kitchen with a low ceiling and little light? Or allocate space effectively when you live across five floors? And how do you maximize any outdoor space? Perfect English Townhouse features case studies of such homes, not only in London but also in the provincial towns and cities of England. Some feel like little corners of countryside surrounded by sidewalks, others have a more sophisticated urban allure; some are endearingly quirky, others more classical. All the interiors featured are interesting, inspiring, and reflect the personalities of the people who live in them. These are the kinds of spaces that most of us are familiar with, and that many of us occupy. What is unusual is how cleverly and creatively these examples have been decorated and designed, in the Perfect English style.

The English style in interior design is admired and imitated the world over. The English style in interior design is admired and imitated 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 apartments. What links them is as much an attitude as a look. The English style of decoration is practical and informal, designed around the inhabitants of the rooms and their lifestyles rather than to awe or impress. These houses are lived in and loved, with interiors that are comfortable, relaxed and not afraid to be pretty. All are perfect in their own way, and all as endearingly English as saying sorry when someone treads on your foot. The book’s chapters—Plain English, English Eccentric, English Rose, English Country House and Classic English—reflect the many and varied facets of English style, and each section ends with pages devoted to suggestions and ideas for furnishing a house in all these versions of English style. At the back of the book, there is also a comprehensive listing of suppliers to help readers create their very own take on perfect English style.

Perfect English Farmhouse celebrates the characteristic style and fascinating history of the classic farmhouse and shows how to turn your own home into a similarly welcoming retreat. Farmhouse is a word that conjures an array of appealing associations: fresh eggs and baby lambs, chunky wooden beams and stone floors, cream teas and harvest suppers; a place of welcome and plenty. With their generous kitchens and meandering layout, the architectural informality of the farmhouse suits modern lifestyles. In Perfect English Farmhouse, via a series of case studies, Ros Byam Shaw explores both traditional and contemporary farmhouse style. The book is divided into chapters according to style: Organic, Traditional, Fresh, No Frills, and Funky, and at the end of each chapter a spread highlights the key elements of that particular decorative look. At the back of the book, there is also a comprehensive listing of UK and US sources to help readers create their very own take on perfect farmhouse style.

Some styles of decorating have a longer shelf life than others. One of the most durable is what has come to be known as English Country Style, which works just as well in a city apartment or suburban home as it does in a rectory or manor house. We may recognize an interior as archetypally English, but putting a finger on exactly what makes it so can be tricky. One of the strengths of English style is that it isn’t prescriptive. In fact, quite the opposite. It is relaxed, laissez-faire, and endlessly adaptable—all reasons, no doubt, why it has enjoyed such longevity. You may know it when you see it, but what are its essential ingredients? In Perfect English Style, Ros Byam Shaw looks at a range of rooms with a strong English feel to them. As it happens, almost all are in England, although this is a look that travels the world, from the Americas to the Antipodes, still predominantly English in flavor even when spiced with foreign ingredients. She explores the main rooms of a house, their characteristics and furnishings, and how they achieve that mix of comfort, informality, and visual charm that is the hallmark of English style. Ros also homes in on specifics: the qualities of patina, the important role of fabrics, how to buy and include antique and vintage furnishings, and how a collection, whether of pebbles or 18th-century glass, adds individuality and character.

Perfect English Cottage explores 18 inspirational homes that celebrate the best of cottage style in the English countryside. Perfect English Cottage explores 18 inspirational homes that celebrate the best of cottage style in the English countryside. The book explores the decorating and design solutions that make the cottages as attractive inside as out, as well as practical and comfortable to live in. Bestselling author Ros Byam Shaw takes a fresh look at this perennially appealing style, which she divides into five chapters: Character, Holiday, Romance, Simplicity, and Elegance. The featured homes are incredibly varied, from a tiny house with exposed beams to a pared-down Georgian gem, to a picture-perfect cottage with roses over the door—and plenty more adorning the interior. Each section ends with a Get The Look page devoted to ideas for recreating the style in your own home.

Internationally acclaimed interior design sensation Miles Redd is known for his quirky brand of cozy glamour. His unique aesthetic vision is characterized by playful mélanges of high and low, invigorated with whimsical splashes of color and modern gestures. Drawing on inspirations ranging from Richard Avedon fashion photographs to Rene Gruau illustrations, Redd has crafted interiors for a wide array of venues. His Trademark approach to design has brought to life rooms infused with boldness, fantasy, and sophistication. This lavishly illustrated volume will be an inspiration to anyone interested in spirited, eclectic design.

The Cotswolds (Gloucestershire, West Oxfordshire, and parts of North Wiltshire) have a rich history, stunning architecture, and glorious countryside. English Country Interiors features 18 specially photographed Cotswold homes, all with classic and singular charm. Each house belongs to a person with a particular trade, from bee-keeping and bookmaking to carpentry and cooking, and reflects the owner's work and interests. Many period-style buildings are showcased, including a mill house where an artist finds her inspiration; a 17th-century hunting lodge; and a terraced cottage where a farmer follows age-old agricultural traditions. Mark Nicholson's stunning photography brings alive this beautiful section of England-a favorite of both British and foreign tourists-capturing the essence and feel of each individual property.

In Perfect French Country Ros Byam Shaw celebrates relaxed rural France at its finest, visiting timeless and beautiful French country homes that feature ancient beams and stone fireplaces, panelled rooms and attics under steeply-pitched pantiles. In a busy modern world that seems increasingly fast-paced, overcrowded, and monopolized by technology, the allure of the “good life” is more potent than ever. As an antidote to texts and tweets, traffic jams and queues, additives and packaging, we seek out the simple and the wholesome, and long for the luxuries of space, a leisurely pace of life and fresh air. France can offer all these things, with its traditional farming methods, its authentic regional cuisine, and its low population density. Add to this the inimitable French sense of style and joie de vivre, and you have all the ingredients for an enviable way of life. Perfect French Country revels in the timeless and authentic beauty of the French country home.