Ros Byam Shaw
Upon leaving Oxford, Ros Byam Shaw worked for an antiques dealer in St James's -'a terrifying woman who regularly made me cry'. This was followed by The World of Interiors, where she rose through the ranks to become features editor. She is now a freelance writer and cites 'the fantastic taste' of her grandmother an actress best known for her role as Mrs Bridges in the original Upstairs, Downstairs - as one of her most important influences. She has written a series of books on English design, including Perfect English Townhouse and Perfect English Farmhouse, and has collaborated with Farrow & Ball on their decorating books.
A charming 16th-century farmhouse in an idyllic setting in Surrey
Enchanted by its idyllic setting, Louise Jones could see the merits of this 16th-century Surrey farmhouse despite its interior having been stripped of any character. With ingenuity and hard work, and the introduction of pattern and colour, she has given it personality in abundance
A decorator's enchanting Regency cottage in the pretty Shropshire town of Ludlow
In an extract from Ros Byam Shaw's new book ‘Perfect English Small and Beautiful’, the author explores Libby Lord's charming cottage, a ‘decorative tasting menu of delights’ influenced by the quaint atmosphere of its Shropshire surroundings
From the archive: a perfect English country house brought to life by a dream team of architects and designers
Mixing classical symmetry and vernacular charm, this newbuild country house is a triumph of teamwork, with architects and designers collaborating to create the owners' perfect home
Houses decorated for Christmas
A former rectory in the West Country decorated for Christmas
At this former rectory in the West Country, foraged Christmas decorations and salvaged materials enhance the sense of a house that has been made suitable for modern family life, while retaining its Victorian character
Henriette von Stockhausen creates elegant harmony in a grand country house
Building this house in the Home Counties was relatively a painless affair, but when it came to decorating and furnishing, it took some finesse from interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen to combine disparate elements to harmonious effect.
A magical house on Dartmoor given fresh life and warmth by Retrouvius
With its stone mullioned windows and roof peaked with gables, there is something of the fantastical about this Dartmoor house. And now the fairy-tale façade is echoed by its interiors, brilliantly conjured into life by architectural salvage experts Maria Speake and Adam Hills of Retrouvius
What it's really like to restore a 16th-century house
Ros Byam Shaw, owner of a 16th-century house in Devon, speaks to her fellow restorers about the process of bringing these history-filled houses into the modern world
Houses decorated for Christmas
A sensitively restored Regency house elegantly decorated for Christmas
Henriette von Stockhausen’s decoration of this Regency house in the West Country combines sensitively restored elements with beautiful fabrics and wallpapers to create an elegant setting for family gatherings
Houses decorated for Christmas
A 900-year-old abbey decorated with foliage and flowers from its 30-acre garden
For Alice and Julian Kennard, preparing for Christmas at Forde Abbey is a communal activity, as everyone works together to decorate the 900-year-old house with foliage and flowers from the estate
Historical Country Houses
A Welsh estate restored for modern life by the family who have owned it for 350 years
For three decades, Davina and Gavin Hogg have dedicated themselves to the preservation and revival of a family estate in the Brecon Beacons, restoring the house and gardens, and protecting Penpont’s future through a series of sustainable businesses and conservation projects
Traditional Country
A Cotswold house designed with understated glamour by Joanna Wood
When the interior designer Joanna Wood fell for an irresistibly pretty house in the Cotswolds, she was able to put her decorating expertise to good use, sensitively improving the layout and creating effortlessly lovely interiors
A manor house with a sense of history, rooted in the southern French countryside
For interior designer Benji Lewis, happening across this somewhat rundown French house in a favourite village of his provided the opportunity to restore it and retain all its period charm
Houses
A 16th-century house in Devon filled with a lifetime of collected antiques
A chance viewing of a house on the last day of a Devon holiday led Ros Byam Shaw to up sticks and leave London for the countryside
Design Ideas
From Nancy Lancaster to rustic cottages: a potted history of English country style
Ros Byam Shaw considers the hallmarks and history of the English country house look
Country
A graceful, coastal country house with the architectural elan of a modest stately home
Built on the site of a cottage orné in a garden by Capability Brown, Cadland House has evolved through several incarnations into a graceful country house enhanced by its coastal setting
Houses belonging to interesting people
A calm Wiltshire farmhouse transformed into an antique collector’s paradise
Antique dealer Ken Bolan and Emmy Award-winning television producer Caryn Mandabach have seamlessly combined their individual styles in their Wiltshire farmhouse
Long reads for Valentine's Day
What makes an interior romantic?
Romance can mean many different things when it comes to interiors: four-poster beds, crumbling castles, candlelit rooms. Ros Byam Shaw reflects on the romantic spaces of her imagination.
Farmhouses
A 16th century Dorset farmhouse gets a crisp, fresh take on country-house style
Samantha Todhunter had already transformed their London house, so when the owners of
this 16th-century Dorset farmhouse asked her to take on its refurbishment, their harmonious working relationship led to impeccable results.
this 16th-century Dorset farmhouse asked her to take on its refurbishment, their harmonious working relationship led to impeccable results.
Restoration Projects
Bewitched by a derelict 18th-century palazzo a writer sold up and moved to Malta to restore it
Searching for a project, author and designer Paul Golding fell in love with a neglected Maltese palazzo, which he has now carefully restored and subtly modernised to enhance its eighteenth-century glories
Bedroom
Romantic English bedroom ideas
In an extract from her book 'Perfect English Style' Ros Byam Shaw details what makes a bedroom delightfully English