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.
