Some styles of decorating have a longer shelf life than others. One of the most durable is English Country Style, which works just as well in a city apartment or suburban home as it does in a rectory or manor house.

We may recognise 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 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, they are all in England, though this is a look that travels the world, still predominantly English in flavour even when spiced with foreign ingredients. Ros explores the main rooms of a house, from hallways to bedrooms, 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 and fresh flowers, how to buy, use and include antique and vintage furnishings, and how a collection, whether of pebbles or 18th-century glass, adds individuality and character.

About the Author:

Ros Byam Shaw writes on design and interiors for The World of Interiors, House & Garden and the Telegraph, among others. Ros is the author of Perfect English, Perfect English Farmhouse, English Eccentric, Perfect French Country, and Perfect English Townhouse, as well as the bestselling Farrow & Ball Living with Colour (all published by Ryland Peters & Small). Ros lives in Devon with her husband and dog.

Farmhouse' is a word that conjures an array of appealing associations: fresh eggs and baby lambs, chunky beams and flagged floors, cream teas and harvest suppers, a place of welcome and plenty. With their generous kitchens and meandering layout, the architectural informality of the farmhouse suits modern lifestyles. Through a series of case studies, Perfect English Farmhouse explores contemporary farmhouse style. The book is divided into chapters according to style: Organic, Traditional, Farm Fresh, No Frills and Funky, and at the end of each chapter a spread highlights the key elements of that particular decorative look. There is also a comprehensive listing of suppliers to help readers create their very own perfect farmhouse style.

The English style in interior design is admired and imitated the world over.

At its grandest it is a stately home furnished with antiques, but the houses featured in this book are cottages, farmhouses, townhouses and apartments. What links them is as much an attitude as a look. The English style of decoration is practical and informal, designed around the inhabitants of the rooms and their lifestyles rather than to awe or impress. These houses are lived in and loved, with interiors that are comfortable, relaxed and not afraid to be pretty.

The book’s chapters – Plain English, English Eccentric, English Rose, English Country House and Classic English – reflect the many and varied facets of English style, and each section ends with pages devoted to suggestions for furnishing a house in all these versions of English style. At the back of the book, there is also a listing of suppliers to help readers create their very own take on perfect English style

“The sheer variety of interiors featured in this enjoyable book is happy evidence that an English tradition still thrives.” Review of English Eccentric in The World of Interiors.

Continuing her exploration of English interiors, Ros Byam Shaw visits 14 distinctive townhouses full of charm, character and style.

In Perfect English Townhouse, Ros Byam Shaw examines the timeless English style of decoration in a variety of Georgian, Victorian and contemporary townhouses. Architecturally, these tall, narrow properties present challenges. How do you make the best of a basement kitchen with a low ceiling and limited light? Or allocate space when you live on five floors? And how do you maximize any precious outdoor space?

Perfect English Townhouse features case studies of such homes, not only in London but also in the provincial towns and cities of England. Some feel like little pockets of countryside surrounded by pavements, others have a more sophisticated, metropolitan allure; some are endearingly eccentric, others more classical. All the interiors featured are inspiring, and reflect the personalities of the people who inhabit them. These are the kinds of space that most of us are familiar with, and that many of us occupy. What is unusual is how cleverly and creatively these examples have been decorated and designed.

Perfect English Cottage explores 18 beautiful and inspirational homes that celebrate the best of classic cottage style in the English countryside.

The classic English country cottage is both an icon and an archetype. Dozing beneath a heavy thatch and with roses around the door, it seems to epitomize all that is desirable about life in the countryside and to offer the perfect antidote to the stress of the urban grind. In Perfect English Cottage, Ros Byam Shaw takes a fresh look at the decorating and design solutions that make the classic English country cottage as attractive inside as out as well as practical and comfortable to live in.

The book is divides into five different chapters that address different facets of the look: Romance, Character, Holiday, Simplicity and Elegance. The featured homes are incredibly varied, from a humble farmworker's cottage with exposed beams to a pared-down Georgian gem, to a picture-perfect cottage with roses round the door - and plenty more adorning the interior.

At the end of each chapter there is an invaluable review picking up on ideas and inspiration from the featured homes. At the end of the book there is also a comprehensive directory of sources to help you achieve the English Cottage look in your own home - wherever you may live.

About the Author:

Ros Byam Shaw writes on design and interiors for House & Garden and the Telegraph, among others. She is the author of Perfect English, Interiors by Design, and Old House New Home (all Ryland Peters & Small). Perfect English was selected by the editor of House & Garden as one of the top ten interiors books available.