English Houses: Inspirational Interiors from City Apartments to Country Manor Houses
£22.70£28.50 (-20%)
Visiting 12 very different homes, Ben explores and appraises the unique spirit of the English House – at once restrained and simple yet overflowing with a generosity of touch and a richness of colour and texture.
The book is divided into three sections: London, Country, and Country House, and the interiors featured range from a 1930s pied-a-terre in London’s historic St James to designer Veere Grenney’s pocket-sized Palladian Temple folly in Suffolk and Wardington, a 16th-century stone manor house in North Oxfordshire. Ben’s own homes, in central London and West Dorset, are also included.
These homes vary greatly in architecture, size, shape and age, but they all have in common a peculiarly English style – richly-layered rooms that deftly intertwine colour and pattern and a mix of old and new furniture to create timeless and comfortable places to live.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Ryland Peters & Small, 1st edition (8 Sept. 2016) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 224 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1849757534 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1849757539 |
| Dimensions | 24.38 x 2.54 x 29.21 cm |
by brian marlow
Ben Pentreath is assiduous in promoting himself.Same house but different flat, same interiors that magazines have published over again in the last several years.He hasn’t moved on.. He has now put even more chairs in his country living room, with the result that it’s overcrowded and squashed.Some of his merchandise in his shop is of gift shop quality.He has managed to find a niche in publishing and is working it for all it’s worth.The photography in his latest book is v good but each of his books are pretty much a copy of the previous one.But there you are.I suppose whilst people are willing to continue to buy it he will continue to produce it.And yet when i have looked at some of the interior projects his company has worked on they look interesting and inventive.Something different is called for rather than his v predictable approach.
by Mrs M
I received this book for Christmas along with a number of other interiors hardbacks (all on my list!) This was way by far my favourite. What is wonderful about it is that the homes featured a real, not overdone stage sets – you can see a set of keys on the side, some gardening gloves – a worn chair, even a pile of junk in one corner of a room. It feels as though one has just been invited in to look around a number of wonderful houses that are natural and comfortable but endowed with innate stylish flair. This is where you can find real examples of original English decorating where curtains and covers are not replaced just because they are a bit worn or don’t entirely match. Where pieces of furniture of different types sit happily together because they are handsome and useful and perhaps passed down through the generations. Lots of wonderful colour too – no 50 shades of grey here. If you do not want your house to look like a hotel or show home (oddly some people do) then look at this to give you inspiration – not only that – to give you the courage to keep Granny’s bookcase and put an old vase on top because you like it, not because you saw it in the latest swanky interiors shop! Much cheaper to decorate this way – much more comfortable and stylish too. We all develop and mature and become more confident with our decorating . If you read this and Ben’s earlier book you will see that he has too. I heartily recommend this one…
by Bella Beck
Gorgeous book with some of the most beautiful – but relatable – rooms I’ve ever seen. Ben’s style is faultless and fun and has inspired us in our home. I seem to keep getting this book out nearly every day, not something I can say of any other interiors book.
by simoneinfrance
I loved this book. I bought it ages ago but never reviewed it as I’m moved to review it as I re-reading it today. There’s a great variety of homes featured. I particularly loved the country homes. The photos are excellent and the accompanying written copy provides interesting and useful insight into decorating decisions. I loved the stories behind the houses. Inspirational!
by Matt
I absolutely loved Ben Pentreath’s first book on English Decoration – beautifully photographed, quirky and individual houses overflowing with ideas and objects. It was first class escapism and inspiration.
However I have to admit to being fairly disappointed with this book.
The content just isn’t up to the first. We have two returns to Ben’s London and Dorset houses, which are lovely, but now a bit cramped. We also have several houses featured that have previously been covered by recent World of Interiors (upon which many potential readers will have therefore seen), whilst the newly featured houses feel a bit formulaic and dull (for example ‘the Temple’) – and worse than that, brand spanking new interiors, which makes me fear they are unoriginal people who have used Ben for his interior services and got a feature as a result. Which leaves about two houses or flats that match the promise of the first instalment.
Overall a lack of the quirky character, individualism and personal history of the first.
by H. Walshaw
I really enjoyed looking at this book and reading about the people in it. Although was slightly disappointed that all the houses and flats were large. Had hoped there would be more modest houses in it. But saying that I bought it to be inspired and some of the houses were amazing and quirky. If I want to look at normal houses I can look at my own!
by anonymous
I love this book. Beautifully photographed and written in an easy-to-read style. I love the fact that the book shows us real homes of these families. The houses are shown in their gorgeous lived-in state – not perfectly polished and staged like in a magazine. In my opinion, this is key to the success of this book as interiors are far more interesting with context. Ben offers more than just another interior design book. It’s a little window into the surroundings of some very interesting people.
by Kaywire
This is a book to stare at and dream. Can’t wait for the next book – mind you, I think he’s taken the classy shabby chic look as far as it can go. This will be useful for future reference into the lives of 20th C distressed gentlefolk. Well, obviously not that distressed but the sort of people who let their paint peel on purpose.