Country Life's 10 best interiors articles of 2020, from baths in bedrooms to colour schemes for Georgian country houses
Enjoy our list of the most-viewed interior design and decoration articles from Country Life in the last 12 months.

While we're always happy to show the newest, latest, greatest ideas and innovations, Country Life has always believed that the best ideas are those that will still look good in 10 years, not 10 months. It's not surprising, then, to find that a number of our most-viewed interiors articles of 2020 were actually published in 2019, or even earlier.
The best interior designers and decorators in Britain
Credit: VSP Interiors
Our revised and updated list of the best of the best for those looking to decorate a country house — or a town house in country style.
How to do your own French polishing or restoration – and when to leave it to the pros
Credit: Quest
Alex Webster, an antique restorer and French polisher, explained five techniques to save damaged furniture.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Open fires v wood-burning stoves: The grate debate
Credit: Alamy
Arabella Youens examined the pros and cons.
Nine absolutely beautiful shepherd’s huts for dreamers, writers and those who just want a bolt hole at the end of the garden
Credit: Blackdown Shepherd's huts
Amelia Thorpe's look at the best shepherd's huts is enduringly popular.
An elegant living space showing perfectly how to get the mismatched furniture look right
Credit: Astrid Templier / Guy Goodfellow
A look at how interior designer Guy Goodfellow created an elegant apartment above his Chelsea premises.
Bathtub in the bedroom: Should you try it at home?
Credit: Foxhill Manor
Is the recent fashion for open-plan bedrooms and bathrooms a step too far? Arabella Youens took a look.
The unbeatable cosiness of the Eiderdown
Credit: Getty
A duck-feather-filled eiderdown is the height of bedtime luxury, said Tessa Waugh.
Six ways to upcycle old homeware, creating stunning original pieces and safeguarding the environment
Credit: BHF / Martyna Kramarczyk
Sustainable interior designer, upcycler and self-proclaimed ‘warrior on waste’ Lynne Lambourne offered her expert tips on how to upcycle.
How to create the right colour scheme for a Georgian home
Credit: Farrow & Ball
Joa Studholme of Farrow & Ball explained more.
Why the classic kitchen look will always trump the latest trends
Credit: Plain English
Forget minimalism for you kitchen — designs inspired by the past are the ones which will stand the test of time.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
A one-of-a-kind waterfront estate with two private beaches is for sale on the same storied American island that Jackie Kennedy, the Obamas and Princess Diana have all visited
Beach Farm on Martha’s Vineyard — a favourite summertime holiday destination with prominent American families — is a perfect melding of New England and Scandinavian design styles.
-
Snakes alive! Country Life Quiz of the Day, July 15, 2025
Napoleon's downfall and two of James Bond's most memorable villains in Tuesday's quiz.
-
21 of the greatest craftspeople working in Britain today, as chosen by the nation's best designers and architects
We've persuaded some of the most celebrated names from our Country Life Top 100 to name the craftspeople they have in their own personal little black books.
-
The transformative renovation of a Grade II-listed property with an 'unusual footprint'
Having inherited this fine London townhouse, the new owner asked Sims Hilditch to help refresh the interiors, resulting in a youthful, yet elegant kitchen.
-
I've seen the light: How a dark and gloomy kitchen in the Scottish Borders was reconfigured for 21st century living
When a family home passed to a new generation, Guild Anderson was asked to create a kitchen suited to modern living.
-
'Comfortable, cosseting and far from the madding crowd': The recently refurbished Cornish cottage that proves Victorian decor is making a comeback
Plum Cottage in Padstow, Cornwall, has been brought to life by Jess Alken and her husband, Ash — and is the latest addition to their holiday cottages on the north Cornish coast.
-
'These aren't just rooms. They are spaces configured with enormous cunning, artfully combining beauty with functionality': Giles Kime on the wonders of WOW!house 2025
WOW!house 2025 is here. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to explore more than 20 indoor and outdoor spaces, dreamt up by the biggest names in design, says Giles Kime.
-
How the deep-lustre of copper brings period glamour to this kitchen
Designed by deVOL, inspired by a New York bistro
-
A dozen slices of al fresco inspiration from the best designers in Britain
Amelia Thorpe shares her pick of the most beautiful outdoor furniture and accessories to help you make the most of summer.
-
A feast of ideas: What to expect at WOW!house 2025
More than 20 rooms and outdoor spaces by leading interior designers will offer depth and breadth of inspiration, with an emphasis on bespoke craftsmanship, at WOW!house, the summer’s major interiors event, finds Amelia Thorpe.