subject: Creating the English style home [print this page] Creating the English style home Creating the English style home
Our perception of the traditional rural English style home is based on that chocolate box cottage with a white picket fence and roses around the door.
Although most of us aren't fortunate to live in such an idyllic rural location, it can still be very easy to transform the interior of our home, even if we don't have the sweeping grounds and birdsong to accompany it.
With this style of interior, you should avoid too many clear spaces and clean lines. "Cosy" is the key word, with personal memorabilia, flowers and mix & match fabrics all playing a key role.
Regardless of the time of year, rose prints are eternally classic and always give a strong English theme to any room. Sofa covers, patterned tea sets or cushion covers are an ideal focus.
Avoid introducing any contemporary pieces into the theme of the room; classically designed homeware items (even if they are modern or not produced in England) will sit beautifully on any dresser, sideboard or shelf. Classical style vases especially will come into their own when filled with fresh English flowers.
There is still a huge demand for country style kitchens which are of course, the heart of any English home, complete with range cooker, wooden table (and very often, a dog basket in the corner!) Fill your kitchen with farmyard-inspired accessories hens, pigs and cows are always firm favourites. Any reference to the changing seasons is appropriate too, so choose relevant calendars and seasonal prints which you can hang on the walls.
Bedrooms should be either rustic or feminine. Patchwork quilted bedspreads or white linen and lace will give your room a cosy or cool feel, depending on how much light it receives. Candles too can provide some warmth and colour, as well as subdued lighting.
Overall, the English home should look lived in and comfortable. The interior should appear completely unplanned and uncoordinated the English version of "shabby chic". Some country-style magazines lying in piles next to the fireplace or on the coffee table will add to the ambience of your rurally themed room.
Regardless of whether you live in a cottage in the Cotswolds or a town house in Chelsea, you can easily achieve this comfortable, ageless look. There are plenty of resources on the internet which can give you some ideas, but don't be afraid to mix pieces together, to create that welcoming feel.
