English Country Style the French Way

I may be French, but I've always enjoyed decorating in the English Country Style. While it allows for a variety of interpretations, from formal to more relaxed, and can include furnishings from a assortment of different eras, the overall emphasis is firmly on a traditional look, which is in keeping with my personal taste. English style transcends fashion, creating interiors that stand the test of time. My first choice in English Country Style can combine furniture from Chippendale to Queen Anne, in woods as variable as mahogany walnut and pine. These dark woods dominate, but it is also possible to paint the wood or otherwise use distressed effects. Chairs and sofas can flying shark be overstuffed. Down feathers cushions and pillows should give a well-worn, shabby elegance. Decorative pillows are added in profusion, especially on those seating areas that are without pleasant upholstery, like window seats, banquettes or open-back chairs. Oriental edge can also be included in the mix, as the English went through a mania for Chinoiserie in the 19th Century. Architectural features may include exposed beams and an oversize fireplace, in addition to chair rails and dados, and raised panels either wood finish or glazed strie English homes are notoriously drafty and window treatments are critical furnishings: panels lined and interlined give a grand look as well as providing meaningful insulation. If the look is exacting, particularly in a dining room or living room, then damask fabrics or silk fabrics are the ones I would select. If the look is more informal, for a great room, sitting room or bedroom, then bountiful flowered linen prints are my favorite choices. The colors should mirror the rolling hills of the English countryside, from the greens of the fields to the yellows and reds of a proper English garden. When you add patterned wallpaper and well-worn oriental rugs the effect can be quite intrusive, but this only adds to the cozy, lived in look that angry bird results. Walls should be garnished with portrait paintings or bucolic landscapes, or perhaps antique prints with country themes such as hunting, fishing, birding or the coats of arms of the landed gentry. The English love dogs, gardens, and horses, so you can't go wrong roaming antique centers in search air swimmers of these objects with these themes. To achieve the decorative clutter that is a hallmark of the English country style, it is necessary to furnish the bookshelves, display cabinets and counter surfaces with family heirlooms, perhaps tea sets in silver, pewter and china, framed photos of your loved ones, correspondence or other mementos with special significance. Dried or fresh flowers always have a place on an English mantel. Wool or cashmere blankets on a sofa or chaise lounge in a corner further complete the comfortably lived in look. So when you have your friends over for high tea with crumpets and scones, using your Herend china, peering over your charmingly disarrayed parlor, you'll enjoy the full effect of the English Country style.