English Living Style We Love- Plus, Five Pointers on How to Bring a Little English Style Into Your Home
English Style captured by VSP Interiors via
showcasing the client's Majolica plates
Why We Love
English Living,
an eclectic and curated style
Helen Mirren portraying the Queen in
Buckingham Palace with her infamous Corgis via Vogue
ENGLISH STYLE is hard to articulate precisely but we know it when we see it, and it's often wonderfully layered with antiques and pieces from various time periods combined together, a touch of baroque, dramatic details like plates hung on the wall, wallpaper everywhere, rose cabbage chintz, and seemingly family heirlooms passed down through generations in the mix, and if you look closely all of it a tad worn in the corners since it's not trendy and they don't replace and renovate very often. The tad worn part is what I love as it shows an ease of living and not meticulously put together but instead, curated from years of living in a home, showing collections from travel, heirlooms and a passion for life and leisure.
The English love to decorate, set and enjoy a beautiful table and host gatherings. An attention to classic design is important since it's often added onto rather then replaced with something new. English Style loves formality but with ease. The quintessential English lifestyle is captured in these homes showing also a love for nature, animals and outdoor activities. Speaking of animals no matter the extravagance of an English home you will often find a gaggle of dogs running about. England's Queen Elizabeth herself has had a life-long love for dogs (Corgis) and they followed her everywhere throughout her homes and palace and properties. She loves Corgis so much and took care of them herself until recently after her last one passed away, and sadly she no longer has a dog in her life since she's getting older.
English Style has a special affinity for horses and the "barn life" as well. When I showcased the typical French Style in the last post, I wrote about the FRENCH STYLE placing an exquisite attention to editing, however, in contrast the English tend to pile it on- more is more seems to be their motto. But quality is of the utmost importance in an English home since everything in an ENGLISH STYLE home needs to stand the test of time. Other hallmarks of English Style are shocking and unexpected bursts of color, whimsical design, outdoor garden urns and orbs brought indoors, and lots and lots of antiques hinting of pedigree.
fashion designer Tory Burch's home in Southampton, Long Island shows a typical English Style of living with a mixture of items from travel (rattan, wick and Chinoiserie), floral wallpaper and English antiques via Vogue'
Plum Sykes English Farmhouse via Vogue
former horse stable turned- Dorset, England via Elle Decor
Amanda Brook's Cotswold Country retreat has a modern, English Style showcasing classic toile prints and botanicals against plaids with an eclectic nature, via AD magazine
5 Ways to Bring a Bit of
English Style To Your Home...
1. Invest in a few interesting avant garde art pieces- whether you pick them up at a local art show or from a gallery, or even a weekend flea market, these mingled in with traditional, classic designs and modern designs will bring an English sensibility.
2. Hang a grouping of plates on the wall- make them vintage plates and mix and match then arrange them on your dining room or kitchen wall.
3. Layer at least a few fabric patterns in one room- a woven plaid, another woven solid or textured, a large printed linen floral (the star of the room) with a small geometric printed linen. Combine these four designs onto your dining chairs, upholstered wing chair, pillows and drapery for a lovely medley of English Style
4. Little bursts of color- English Style loves color whether it's a painted ceiling or walls, some colorful accessories or vibrant colored fabric on a chair or sofa or shocking red painted pieces of furniture, English Style loves unexpected color.
5. Invest in quality made drapery- the difference is huge, and once you hang lined and well made floor-to-ceiling length drapes to a room, you'll never be the same.
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
