Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this weeks video on English Traditional style. My love affair for English Traditional style interiors has seriously fuelled since watching Downtown Abbey, The Crown and The Holiday. The rolling green hills, the roaring fires and cozy stone & thatch cottages dotted amongst grand country estates. I adore them all! xx
I live in the English countryside. Key elements of traditional design here include a large Labrador sleeping in front of an open wood fire, if you’ve got that you’re half way there. Rooms should look lived in and highly personalised and slightly bonkers. Wicker baskets for logs or linens, stone floors with sisal rugs, oversized very comfortable sofas you can snooze on, lots of old books in piles, ‘inherited’ curiosities dotted around the place, paintings that don’t go with each other in old frames, bashed old furniture, chipped china and colours and patterns mismatched. All colours were once bold but are now faded or muted, you achieve this on walks and painted furniture by adding pale grey to any colour of chalk paint. If you love it, buy it, you’ll find a place for it, you can always cram one more thing in. And large vases of hand-picked country flowers. Very high beds with lots of quilts. Don’t forget a drinks trolley with every bottle long opened and near empty.
Hi Tom, thank you for this comprehensive summary! You touched on some fantastic points and it is especially great to hear from someone who lives in the English countryside xx
I to live in the English countryside with two large labradors, and I'm afraid this video is way off the mark. The majority of us don't live in such grand houses and wouldn't want to. A perfectly imperfect mismatched home is so much more welcoming.
@@timcartmell4514 Thanks for your feedback Tim. You are right, not many of us do live in such grand houses but we can still admire the richness, grandeur & history. I too am as at home in the little caravan I decorated to a larger country house and all in between! So glad you happy with your home just as it is, as that is the most important thing of all. Have a great week!
I absolutely loved watching this video. I am sad when historic hotels redecorate to modern decor. English decor is so charming and quaint, not to mention timeless. Thank you so much for the video.
Oh my word, I can’t tell you how many times I have rewatched and studied this video! I have to say that I absolutely love it! I recently purchased a home and love love loveeee traditional English homes! Thank you for teach us! There’s hardly anything on the design of English style home! Please make more of these and take us on a tour of an English style home! Well done!!!! I’ve learned so much! Bless you! ❤
Hello Helen! How exciting that you will be embarking upon a new home decoration journey and especially since it will be inspired by English traditional style. We will definitely look for opportunities to expand the channel in the future to include home tours xx
I'm Canadian of Irish and Scottish heritage and fortunately have some antique furniture which was brought over here by my parents. I can see by your beautiful video that all my decor very much reflects the English country style. It's a very timeless, beautiful and comfortable way of living.
Hello Tea Garden, it is great to read the visuals and information in the video reflect the timeless and comfortable living in your home. It must be special to have the antiques as well, being passed through the family :) Have a lovely weekend x
It’s all absolutely beautiful, I agree. But, I’m English and I’ve always lived in England; the last time I saw a house like this I had to pay to go and look around. Houses like you show here are usually enormous Manor House’s often open to the public. Wonderful to see, but not your average English home.
Hi Karen, thank you for the feedback. Yes I can see how some of the visuals would be seen as aspirational and I hope some of the individual components still offered practical steps for incorporating some of the essence of the style :) xx
I totally agree with you but this style is the brand image of England. I am French the land of haute couture and I can tell you that not all French women wear designer clothes.
In the 1980a there was a massive revival of the traditional look and many people, of all income groups, went for the style. Sadly the late nineties saw the advent of IKEA and minimalism and everyone chucked out the chintz and adopted soulless neutrals making our cold winters look even more comfortless!
Hello M Sharma, I am happy to hear that you love this style. It is a favourite of mine too and is so inviting with all the beautiful, warming colours and textures xx
I so love this style, from the humblest, to the grand. I had to pause a few times here and soak it up! Tomorrow evening when I have more time I will rewatch again. There is something about a peachy pink wall color with gold gilt frames.... sigh! And books! Books!
I am so glad you resonated with this style, very Ralph Lauren! You are so right. I adore both the humble cottages and country estates, so beautiful. Hope you find some more inspiration tomorrow xx
I'm German and like to decorate my home here in Berlin like these examples. Lots of rags, floral fabrics, a yellowish couch with floral cushions and blankets. My lamp shades by Laura Ashley are very important. Curtains come next. Maybe in red or in gold. Thanks for the video. Just stunning.
Hello Carlos! Your home must be very cosy and inviting by the sounds of it :) Especially the beautiful Laura Ashley shades. I am glad you felt inspired xx Suzie
I live in England born and bred, if only all of our houses were like this 😁. To be fair you’ve captured well a standard countryside home look. Especially the chintz.
Thank you Lorna! Yes it is definitely a challenge to encapsulate the variety within each style and very glad to hear that we captured the country homes well 😃 xx
The English & the American traditional styles are so warm & cozy .I love the cozy sofas & the fireplaces the house doesn’t have to be grandiose , but even a small house with the English styles & American styles are just so inviting in a home & warm lovely video something we don’t have much of in Australia . Love English fabrics also .
You are so right Rita, what I love about this style is that the foundations and general styling principles can be applied no matter the size of the house, but the classic and cosy effect will be the same. Where are you based in Australia? X
@@aina2165 your right, nothing alike at all. American is minimal..gray and white no color anywhere,no Knick knacks, no cosiness at all as they take most of the walls down.
@@MeadowDay yes, quite similar to the Scandinavian style. I would know as I live in Norway. However I follow a great deal of English accounts on Instagram and their homes is filled with much more antiques, colours and patterns.
Someone said that traditional English interior design is a dog on every sofa & chair ! Also add equestrian & gardening items for that true Eng. country feel . As an American , looks like my country home is spot on ! ❤
@@suzieandersonhome How kind of you .🥰 My home is actually more " form to function " - my saddle & tack are by my piano , stacks of books , dogs ignoring the dog beds for their favorite spots on the furniture , the kitchen doors are accessorized w/ dog leads , boots nearby, antiques ( from family - never purchased ! ) & art w/ backstories , etc. Life is good ! ♥
Hello Andrea, thank you for your comment :) I am glad you loved the music as well and definitely agree, it makes me want to transport inside the homes too and sit by the fire! xx
My beautiful English Country Style home burned in the Tubbs fire in 2017 here in Sonoma County, so I've been designing a new interior for a while now and have reached a plateau. This video was perfect in giving me some new ideas and getting me excited about additional possibilities!
I can imagine that was such a challenging time for you! I am so pleased that this video helped you explore some new ideas as you continue your home decorating journey. All the best xx
You have such a great eye. You curated the most beautiful images for this video. I really enjoyed it-- thanks for keeping them all on the screen so the eye can linger, rather than speeding through them.
Thanks for watching and for your positive feedback. Leaving them on screen was a suggestion from a viewer in the early days of creating our content. Glad it is making a difference to the enjoyment. Cheers Suzie xx
Such an exquisite collection of looks and photographs😍. I just love the layering of sumptuous fabrics and rugs in the English country look (provided it's not too chintzy and overdone) together with the stunning antique furniture, vases and floral arrangements. And of course, the beautiful ornate fireplaces. Love these videos!
Thanks this is maybe the nicest video you have made so far. We tend to forget about the traditional English style of home design it is so warm and comfortable.
I thoroughly enjoy your insider tips series, you present a comprehensive wide-ranging idea of the styles without being prescriptive. The English traditional style is an accessible and forgiving one, supremely comfortable and adaptable to the messiness of family life. I myself live in the English countryside in the Cotswolds, and you see these styles along with English cottage style in most homes here. I prefer mine not too cluttered, but the lovely thing about that style is that it is infinitely scaleable, and great for re-using second-hand, vintage and antique furniture.
Good morning! I definitely appreciate the feedback and it is encouraging to know that the videos are inspiring and informative without being prescriptive which is definitely our intention :) I love the Cotswolds and is a dream of mine to perhaps even live there for a few months! You are so right that this style encourages an appreciation for second-hand, vintage and antique items that tell a story xx
Another incredible video. Love this style . Thanks Suzie for describing different types of wall and floor coverings as well as lampshades. Watching your videos is like opening a beautiful book. Apropos, oh so many beautifully leather bounded books not only for admiring but also for reading !! This was a real treat. Again thanks for bringing so much style into our lives.
Hello Martha, it was a pleasure to see your comment today, especially to hear you felt immersed in the video and enjoyed the tips. This is definitely one of my favourite styles too and I plan to be able to spend more time in England in the future! Xx
I so love this style! It was the subject of the now defunct magazine ‘Traditional Home’ (USA), to which I subscribed from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s, when they derived towards a more eclectic style. Something really hit a sensitive fiber when you mentioned books are essential in this style; that’s the way I feel, as someone said “a house without books is a house without a soul”.
I liked watching the updated version of Peter Pan. There's tons of wallpaper on every wall, a four-poster bed, a natural wood staircase, windows with fabulous curtains, candles, and of course a great big shaggy dog. Love it all. The updated version of Cinderealla is marvelous too. No one can persuade me to take down my lusciously dark plaid, or my wild tapestry wallpaper.
@@suzieandersonhome I finally figured out that if I like something, and I want to bring it home, that's all that really matters. It's pointless to try to please everybody else. Just have fun, right?
@@suzieandersonhome - all of my life, its all I’ve ever known and I try hard not to take it for granted. When we have people to stay they are floored by the quintessential English beauty around us and I try hard to always appreciate it too. I live in West Oxfordshire where a lot of Downtown Abbey was filmed (Bampton and Shilton village). I go to local house clearance auctions every month and have a house full of English antiques and quirky accessories but I have no idea how to style them, my house isn’t cohesive at all so I’m really pleased I found your vlogs, I’m working my way through them. Hopefully I’ll be able pull a style together 🤞🏻 xx
There is a serious amount of work that's gone into this. You've done a fantastic job as it's taken me an awful lot of research to find these things out for myself but I've learnt something. Many thanks.
We stayed in a 17th century abbey in Broadmoor, England this summer. The house and the grounds were amazing. This video brings it all back. It feels like another vacation. ❤
As an English woman living in the countryside we have welly’s mud an cobwebs everywhere, the beautiful coal fire makes more mess than seven kids. The dog fur is everywhere. The English dream is hard work on the farm
I’ve always been drawn to this cozy, warm style always with an old dog lazing by a fire on a drizzly, cold day. Probably, too, from the time I bought a beautiful Ralph Lauren Evelyn comforter set. lol The room at 18:22 is probably my favorite room of all time!!
I used to work for a very high end estate agents but the homes I fell in love with were the ones which showed the character and creative spirit of the occupants not the large, expensive show houses.
Hello Tricia, I know! I guess the original owners had the help to keep the house spotless. I have a three bedroom weatherboard cottage and can't stay on top of it! Have a great week, Suzie x
It’s a slightly over-stuffed look overall, but there are some stunning elements to English Traditional design that I find myself gravitating back too often in my own home. Especially the Wayne’s coating, dark woods, the flooring/rugs, and the wall art. Lovely and quality video! Subscribed.
Traditional design has so many sub categories. An AGA cooker, ivy topiary, Tudor architecture, and chintz fabric fall more into the English style for me. So much is international, even chintz isn't English in origin. This was great eye candy. Thank you!
Hi Julie! Thank you for your comment, I am happy you enjoyed the visuals and tips in the video. You are so right, it is amazing how all of these different elements can converge and be represented in a myriad of styles xx
Good point about fabrics - and wall paper design too . Chintz , paisley , flamestitch , etc. have interesting histories , but then so does architecture & landscape design . So much reading & research - so little time !!! 😀
I love love love this style. So warm, cosy, inviting. I ve been trying to copy it for so long but my husband likes industrial :) so it never looks the same as this video
Maria, perhaps create a cozy English traditional reading corner with a comfortable chair, little table, lamp and a bin to hold your books and magazines.
Hi Maria, this style is so inviting, classic and warm so I can see why you love it so much! C Jenkins made a great suggestion about creating little nooks or spaces in the home where you can blend the two. I can imagine bringing in some plaid or check in more muted colours, as well as some dark wooden furniture and leather items could work too. It could be fun to watch both our urban industrial video and english traditional and pick your favourite elements in each and combine them in a unique way! xx
Greetings from Pennsylvania, USA. So many wonderful decorating ideas. One thing that is striking is the painted headboard and footboard of the bed. That is gorgeous. I can imagine picking those up at a thrift store and redoing something scruffy looking to look elegant after painting. I never thought to do something like that. Thank you so much for this video.
I would love to visit (or better yet, live in) the English countryside. Until that happens, I'll be content with adding tidbits of perfectly imperfect decor to my American home.
Honoring you for this work. My place is a 1929c tudor cottage built by craftsmen, masterbuilders no doubt who immigrated from England. The walls have round stones mixed into the plaster. The fireplace is set on an angle. It has a crack from it's transport here to the midwest in the U.S. (but was filled in)! The staircase is angled. Peace
Hello! thanks for your comments. There is a lot of visual inspiration within the English Traditional style. It's so rich and layered isn't it! Thanks for watching. Suzie x
