A Review: Perfect English Style By Ros B. Shaw; British Country House Interior Design & 1886 Garden

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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.

Many of us 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.
Interiors influenced by designs from Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler.

Airlie Gardens’ history dates back to the early 1700’s. The gardens you see today are the vision of Sarah and Pembroke Jones. The Jones purchased the property in 1884 and transformed it into a picturesque garden. In 1999, a commitment from the New Hanover County Commissioners, along with a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the support of local residents, made possible this county’s purchase and restoration of Airlie’s 67-acres of gardens.