How to bring English country charm to your home (without looking dated)

Telegraph

02-05-2025

The British design duo Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, aka Salvesen Graham, are known for their contemporary take on traditional English country house design – an aesthetic that combines bold colour, romantic florals and a smattering of well-chosen antiques. It's a look that, in their hands, never looks fusty and old-fashioned, but combines the charm of a classical English house with the comfort and convenience needed for modern life; and it's as popular with their American clients as it is in the UK. Their first coffee-table book, out now, is packed with inspiration for recreating their style, whether you live in a country manor or a city flat, and while it isn't as such a how-to guide, there are plenty of ideas to steal.
Go bold in utility rooms
The rooms that work the hardest in a house, such as utilities and pantries, aren't always the ones that other people see; but that doesn't mean they shouldn't pack a decorative punch. This flower room in a Cornish country house has been painted in a joyful bright yellow that couldn't fail to lift the spirits, and the scallop edging on the shelves adds a further cheerful touch. The under-counter curtain is a signature Salvesen Graham move in utility rooms, and not only adds aesthetic value, but also allows for more easily accessible storage than cabinet doors would.
Pack a small room with pattern
This bedroom is in a flat in central London, but you wouldn't know it from the romantic decor. The de Gournay wallcovering transports the room into the countryside, and the half-tester above the bed – a canopy that adds grandeur, without taking up as much room as a four-poster bed – adds to the feeling of comfort. Built-in bookshelves, and reading lights incorporated within the bed canopy, maximise the sense of space.
Hang art in clusters
A collection of colourful entomology prints adds a characterful touch to this entrance hall – and the colours are cleverly echoed in the bench cushion and checked throw cushions below, bringing a note of cohesion. Hanging similar prints in a grid in this manner looks smart and considered – and is a less expensive way to fill a wall than buying one large artwork.
Bring decoration into the kitchen
You won't find a clinical kitchen in a Salvesen Graham project. Here, the walls and cabinetry have been painted the same shade, a very pale pinky cream (Archive by Farrow & Ball is similar), and decorative green and white tiles from Balineum provide some contrasting colour and subtle pattern on the splashback above the hob. Colourful ceramics hung on the wall and displayed on the shelf add further character and warmth.
Go wild in the downstairs loo
The downstairs loo is always a fun place to experiment with colour and pattern, especially in an otherwise neutrally decorated house: this one teams a traditional-style marble-topped basin unit with modern wallpaper by Ottoline, the colours of which are picked up in the woodwork, painted in Arsenic by Farrow & Ball, the glossy red Balineum mirror and the red wall lights.
Install architectural panelling to add depth
Panelling has been added to the walls of this drawing room in a 19th-century country house, bringing proportion and depth. The plaster-pink paint is the perfect background colour for antique wooden furniture, artworks, and a mix of printed fabrics. Note the club fender too: a classic feature of a country house that provides an extra place for guests to perch during parties, covered here in a contemporary zigzag fabric.
Spend on joinery
While the enviable proportions of this country-house pantry are not found in every home, the built-in cabinetry demonstrates perfectly the way well-planned built-in storage can both maximise the size of a room and make it feel streamlined and uncluttered. The cupboards here hide the useful but not necessarily beautiful essentials, while shelves provide display space for a collection of china. The pendant light, the Dodo Egg by Beata Heuman, adds a note of country-house eccentricity.
Make space for books
In this house in Colorado, an archway leading from the dining room into the sitting room is flanked by a built-in bookcase – a clever way to make use of the space and provide subtle separation between the rooms. A wall light placed above is positioned to throw light on to the books in the evening, and a picture hung from the centre of a shelf breaks up the display: note how the placement of a small picture within a large white mount provides a little visual space.
Make the most of every corner
Here, a nook off the kitchen of the same house has been deployed as a self-contained office area. The pretty printed fabric used for the blinds has been repeated on the gathered shades of the wall lights (Salvesen Graham's Floral Sprig fabric would have a similar effect), and the simple tongue-and-groove panelling adds texture and interest.
If in doubt, add a stripe
A striped fabric or wallpaper brings a classic, tailored look, and works as a classic counterpoint to any other patterns or prints in a room. In this bijou bedroom, Salvesen Graham's Zig Zag Stripe print in a mossy green has been used on the walls and the blinds, adding colour and pattern without overwhelming the small space. The built-in bed, with drawers beneath, makes best use of the floor space, and the antique marble-topped table helps to create the effect of a room that has evolved over time.