Cottage Look

Mountian Lodge

Cowboy Chic

English Country

French Country

Hacienda

Walls: Wood paneling, stained or painted, up to 3/4 height; crown and baseboard molding; chair rails.  Plain plaster walls with molding.  Wall colors are generally pale: cream, dusky rose, sage or pea green, powder blue, gray-beige.  Florals are fine, particularly Chinese motifs like peonies and chrysanthemums. In grander houses, antiqued wall finishes, gold, wallpaper and murals can be used.

Furniture:  Delicately carved, graceful furniture in walnut, mahogany and pine.
 Include spindled or ladder-back chairs; Chippendale lowboys, highboys, secretaries and sofas; Queen Anne dining tables and wingback chairs; and Sheraton sofas and tables. Most prized are woods that have developed the patina that comes with decades of dusting and polishing.  Traditional should dominate. Oriental influences may exert themselves strongly, either in the style - as with turned-bamboo wood spindles - or with lacquered Oriental finishes. Rustics or hand painted furniture is also favored. The tables can be mismatched. A drop-leaf table can be pushed against the wall as a console or look great in a bay window.   Fabrics should be luxurious -- brocade, damask, and tapestry -- and colors and patterns subtle.  Polished cotton and chintz, perhaps with a small flower pattern, will work.  Sofas and easy chairs tend to be generously stuffed and upholstered in classic fabrics such as floral chintzes, sun-faded fabrics or slipcovered.  Sofas and chairs can be mismatched.  Ottomans are a must.

Todays Feature:

English Country Style

The English countryside’s rolling hills bring one cobbled street village after another lined with quaint shops, historic town centers and cottages.    These  English County homes define “comfortable” and have the layered feeling of many generations.  They bring the outside in with flowers, stone and windows that open onto gardens or views. Old roses wrap around carved oak doors and pergolas, perennials spill out along walkways that chance upon inviting garden rooms or corners.  Whether  the country home is a charming attached cottage lining a village side street or a grand country manor in the midst of a manicured parkland there is a feeling of permanence and a celebration of life.   .  

English country interior decorating colors are natural and subtle: dark wood, gray or beige stone, warm ivory walls, perhaps a dark red or green accent wall.  Furniture and wainscoting are carved wood, with Victorian lines.  All colors are “worn down” and muted; a faded gold, pea green, pale blue, faded rose.   The mix of furniture styles and periods, may include some Asian influences, wicker pieces and an occasional French or Italian antique. Pieces should look as though they've been collected for generations, not bought off a showroom floor. Collectibles are displayed in abundance and "pleasantly cluttered". Traditional English collectibles include old blue china, lead crystal, silver and an abundance of framed pictures.  Lamps are key, with wall sconces or perhaps a rustic iron chandelier creating intimate pools of light and making hand-rubbed wood carvings gleam.  A rug in a nineteenth-century floral pattern can add color.  Fresh or dried flowers grace rooms along with bowls of fruit. 

In the summertime, the all-important cottage garden serves as an "outdoor room" where tea and lunch can be served.  The lawn or stone courtyard is surrounded by clipped hedges, perennial borders, climbing roses, peonies and bluebells.  A low stone wall, or an arbor covered with vines and clematis adds architectural interest. Planted wicker baskets, Stone Balls, sundials and paths that curve out of site are hallmarks of the garden.   A secluded nook or bench at the end of a path is a reward for the curious. 

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More Elements of English Country Style Interior Decorating:

Windows: Dramatic draperies: swag, rope tassels, fringe, backed with sheers, wood blinds or shades. Choose window treatments that are gathered and full, possibly ruffled. Valances and tiebacks are prominent accents.  Curtains may match the chintz on the sofa, chair or bedspread, or part of a  complementary fabric palette of 3-6 fabrics - stripes, or a calico with tiny bouquets. Mix and match your fabrics on all the window accents, lampshades, pillows and slipcovers or accents.