Classic Design Styles

Classic Design Styles is a beautifully illustrated chronology of European and American period styles from the medieval to the end of the nineteenth century. Top interior designer, Henrietta Spencer-Churchill shows us room-by-room, how elements of classic decorating styles can be adapted and used in the home today. Over 200 new photographs of previously unseen interiors accompany insider decorating tips and practical advice on how to recreate period living in your own home.

In Classic Design Styles well-known author and interior designer, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill turns her attention to the history of American and European classic interior design traditions including: Victorian, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Colonial, Federal Style, Queen Anne, Georgian, Empire, and Arts & Crafts. Spencer-Churchill outlines the enduring decorating movements of these classic styles, explaining and illustrating the distinguishing characteristics of each one. She show how elements of these classic decorating styles can be adapted and used today to recreate period living in your own home.

The first section is a richly illustrated chronology of period styles and a guide to the history of European and American interiors from the medieval to the end of the nineteenth century. In the second section, Spencer-Churchill takes us on a room by room tour of one spectacular house decorated in each style. She explains in detail the theory and methods behind each look, how to interpret traditional styles for your own home, and the enduring value and allure of each period. Illustrating how to work with an existing room, Spencer-Churchill includes a section on architectural and furnishing details like walls, windows, fabrics and paints. Beautiful and practical, Classic Design Styles is an insider's guide for decorators and enthusiasts of period living.

Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill is the elder daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, whose family home is Blenheim Palace. Her interest in interior design began when at the age of 16 she traveled to study fine art and languages in Florence and Paris. Later she returned to England to finish her formal studies at the world-famous Inchbald School of Design.