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.
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.
-
Sold, singed and sunk: The sorry tale of Normanton HallFew English country houses suffered more than Normanton Hall.
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 millionMoving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
-
Interiors of excellence: all the events and inspiration you can't missOver the next month, events at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour and beyond will offer plenty of inspiration for design lovers
-
The Mitford family once called this handsome Cotswolds house a home — and it inspired Nancy's greatest novelMary Miers is enchanted by the one-time home of the Mitfords — whose spirit lingers in the walls.
-
How shoe designer Penelope Chilvers transformed two adjacent rooms into a spacious kitchenArabella Youens meets shoe designer Penelope Chilvers who collaborated with Neptune to transform her kitchen, dining space and bootroom.
-
Country Life's never-before-published photographs of ‘101 Dalmatians’ author Dodie Smith's London flatEvery Monday, Melanie Bryan delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
-
Giles Kime: 'Why contemporary art should become a feature of everyday life'The belief that contemporary art looks best when displayed against a white, minimalist backdrop is dangerous — it can also make it look irrelevant, our Interiors Editor writes.
-
The designer's room: This kitchen in a Queen Anne-style home is proof that pretty and practical can go hand in handHiding the conveniences of modern-day living lends a timeless feel to the kitchen of this 18th-century house.
-
Giles Kime: 'Darkness in an interior is equally as beguiling as large amounts of natural light'Why subtle lighting is about more than a dimmer switch.
-
'Tones of natural wood and warm olive': Isabella Worsley transforms a coastal Sussex kitchenFor this kitchen on the Sussex coast, Isabella Worsley dispensed with a classic seaside palette and turned to rich colours and natural textures
