Perfect English – serie

‘Ros Byam Shaw does a very good line in…exploring how exactly people live in their particular type of house and advising the rest of us how to achieve a similar decorative look in our own homes’  House & GardenClassic English style is comfortable, timeless, and informal. But it can also be seen as rather grand – most appropriate for rambling rectories, manor houses and country house hotels. This book sets out to show that Perfect English style can be scaled down to work in a home of any age, size or shape. Ros Byam Shaw visits 12 pint-sized homes that are perfect examples of this ever-popular look, including a terraced townhouse in Ludlow, a gardener’s cottage in Kent, a tiny London flat and a perfect Cotswolds country cottage. At a time when sustainability and environmental concerns are at the top of the agenda, Perfect English style prioritises reuse, recycling and upcycling, and happily accommodates objects that are worn, faded, and mended. As the inviting, characterful and compact homes that fill these pages demonstrate, Perfect English Small and Beautiful reveals how to downscale with perfect English panache.

Some styles of decorating have a longer shelf life than others. One of the most durable is 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 recognise 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 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, they are all in England, though this is a look that travels the world, still predominantly English in flavour even when spiced with foreign ingredients. Ros explores the main rooms of a house, from hallways to bedrooms, 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 and fresh flowers, how to buy, use and include antique and vintage furnishings, and how a collection, whether of pebbles or 18th century glass, adds individuality and character.

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 limited light? Or allocate space 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 pockets of countryside surrounded by pavements, others have a more sophisticated urban allure; some are endearingly quirky, others more classical. All the interiors featured are interesting and inspiring and reflect the personalities of the people who inhabit them. These are the kinds of space 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. First published in 2018, this is a new edition.