Ros B. Shaw Libros

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.We may recognize an interior as archetypically 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. 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. Shaw 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 fashions come and go, but iconic British brand Farrow & Ball transcends passing trends and has become a byword for its sophisticated wallpapers and highly pigmented paint.

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

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

Iconic British brand Farrow & Ball began in the 1940s as a small firm specializing in paints made in the traditional way with traditional ingredients. Iconic British brand Farrow & Ball began in the 1940s as a small firm specializing in paints made in the traditional way with traditional ingredients. Despite its success, Farrow & Ball has stayed true to these origins. It is the quality of the paint, with its exceptional depth and subtlety of color, that has made the company famous worldwide. Farrow & Ball paints look as good on the walls of a slick flat as they do in a period ballroom and are as perfect for a cottage as in a castle. Divided into chapters according to style, including Classical, City, Modern Country, Cottage, and Country House, the first part of the book shows Farrow & Ball paints and wallpapers in a wide range of unusual and beautiful interiors. Part Two of the book is devoted to color. From the themes of All White and In Neutral to Softly, Softly, and Bright and Beautiful, each chapter explores a particular palette and shows how color can be used to create atmosphere, character, and charm. Inspiring, instructive, celebratory, this book brings out the painter and decorator in us all.

Perfect English Farmhouse celebrates the characteristic style and fascinating history of the classic farmhouse and shows how to turn your own home into a similarly welcoming retreat.

The most interesting, intriguing, and truly stylish interiors are those that best reflect their owners’ lifestyle, enthusiasms, memories, talents, and skills. English Eccentric celebrates that interplay, visiting the homes of artists and designers, a director of wildlife documentaries, a hairdresser, a politician, and a ringmaster—people with a strong sense of the visual and the courage and flair to be original. Ros Byam Shaw looks at 14 different homes in a wide variety of styles, from a tiny cottage packed with circus memorabilia, to an elegant country house full of stuffed animals. None of the interiors featured are at the extreme end of eccentricity but all of them provide a multiplicity of inspiring ideas, whether through their vibrant mix of color and pattern, their imaginative use of space, their witty juxtapositions of old, new, upcycled and homemade, or their novel and eye-catching ideas for display. English Eccentric is a book about interiors that will amuse and inspire in equal measure, and about people whose creativity, rather than wealth, informs their take on interior design.

In Perfect French Country Ros Byam Shaw celebrates relaxed rural France at its finest, visiting timeless and beautiful French country homes that feature ancient beams and stone fireplaces, panelled rooms and attics under steeply- pitched pantiles.

A visual analysis of the colours used in furnishing fabrics and wallpapers from the 15th century to now, providing inspiration for designers.

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