Members' favourites: country house interiors by members of The List
You don't need to live in a rural farmhouse to embrace an English country house aesthetic. Indeed, you'll find many examples in the pages of House & Garden where designers have effortlessly brought the country house look to the centre of London. For example, Tamsin Saunders of design studio Home & Found's idyllic urban cottage in south-west London or writer Jane Moore's Notting Hill home with a charmingly wild garden by Butter Wakefield.
Perhaps more than a specific style, a country house radiates a particular warmth, comfort and charm without feeling stuffy. This isn't to say that there aren't hallmarks of this type of space. Old sputtering fireplaces, exposed beams, weathered, groaning floorboards, and generously proportioned furniture are certainly prevalent. As are layers of thick fabrics to keep out draughts and colour schemes that echo the view out the window. After all, what is a country house without a beautiful and perhaps unruly country garden?
Unlike the more contemporary style of decorating often associated with city living, which can often be characterised in the light-touch approach, country house style is all about layers: whether that is the physical layering of different textures and finishes to create something that feels comfortable and eclectic, or the conceptual layering of a wealth of different influences. Look closely at any classic country house and you will realise that what it is, really, is a melting pot of global sensibilities: from ikats and suzanis from Central Asia, chintzes from India and rattan furniture from Indonesia. All of these combine against the backdrop of English craftmanship and history to create something unique and inspiring.
As you'll see illustrated in this gallery, country house interiors are nothing if not versatile. From grand estates to cosy cottages, we have gathered a collection of our favourite country houses designed by members of The List, House & Garden's online directory of design and property professionals.
See a project that you particularly like? Be sure to click the button to be taken to the studio's profile on The List to see more examples of their work as well as their contact information.
Interested in becoming one of our members? The List offers a variety of different categories, from interior design to bespoke soft furnishings and everything in between. Click here to apply.
Chris Horwood1/16Octavia Dickinson
Keen to give their newbuild a soulful English charm, the owners of this Regency-style house collaborated with Octavia Dickinson to create a space that is layered with fabric and antiques and deeply nostalgic.
Chris Snook Photography2/16HollandGreen Architecture, Interiors & Landscapes
Overlooking the Chilterns hills in the greenbelt, HollandGreen Architecture, Interiors & Landscapes' transformed a dated bungalow into a contemporary, industrial-style family home. In the kitchen and dining space, large windows allow the views to take centre stage, while exposed brick and wooded beams add character throughout.
Will Slater3/16HÁM Interiors
This once-pokey cottage in Cornwall has been given a stylish refresh by HÁM Interiors. The bathroom Jean Monro’s ‘Lizzie’ wallpaper evokes the kind of elegant nostalgia that defines the rest of the house.
4/16Oakley Moore Interior Design
Oakley Moore Interior Design's brief was to open up the house to the gardens all around and bring the outside in. They installed pared back window dressings to frame, not block the view and brought in colours which led the gaze to the outside.
Paul Massey6/16Nicola Harding & Co
On acquiring a generous Georgian-style house in rural Berkshire, a young London family brought in Nicola Harding to help them pack their new home with unexpected colour. The entrance hall is painted a zingy green and has a circular art deco oak table standing on a vintage Tuareg mat made from woven reeds and leather in the middle of the space.
Sarah Griggs7/16Polly Ashman Design
An 18th-century Somerset barn has been transformed into a warm, comfortable home by Polly Ashman thanks to a medley of textiles and a treasured collection of found pieces. This bedroom has an internal window, so it was given blinds for privacy.
Mike Garlick9/16Harriet Sale
Paul Massey10/16Carlos Garcia
Marrying period details with colour, pattern and contemporary touches, Carlos Garcia has transformed this handsome Queen Anne house in Norfolk. Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler’s ‘Seaweed’ wallpaper combined with woodwork in ‘Aquatic’ by Edward Bulmer creates an eye-catching scheme for this bathroom.
Daniel Schäfer11/16Benji Lewis Design
Interior designer Benji Lewis has brought layers of sensitive decoration to a rustic manor house in southern France. The kitchen floor is tiled in reclaimed 18th-century tomettes, giving the space a relaxed, lived-in feel.
Christopher Horwood12/16Tamsyn Mason
Tasked with bringing a modern take on the English country look to this Georgian rectory in Hampshire, Tamsyn Mason set about adding colour, pattern and a wonderful array of furniture from varying eras. The downstairs loo is a favourite room of Tamsyn's, wrapped in Antoinette Poisson wallpaper.
Boz Gagovski13/16Brandon Schubert
When Brandon Schubert's clients called him in to work on their 16th-century Cotswold cottage, it was a different type of project for the interior designer, who embarked on a pure redecoration without touching any of the house's architecture, electrics or plumbing. In the entrance hall, Brandon covered the walls in Coolattin wallpaper from David Skinner and paired it with an antique dresser base found at a local antiques dealer.
Boz Gagovski16/16Anna Hewitson
With its charming period features and unparalleled location in the South Downs National Park, interior designer Anna Hewitson has turned this centuries-old cottage into a beautiful family house. In the bathroom, the walls are papered with Isabella Worsley's ‘Cadogan Vine’ while the tongue and groove panelling is painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Clove’.
