6 Designer Tips for Making Classic English Style Feel Current—Without Losing Its Charm

Architectural details, traditional furniture shapes, and abundant patterns are hallmarks of English style. Or maybe you associate English interiors with antique fixtures, oil paintings, and luxurious bed canopies. But today, designers are bringing contemporary touches to the historic style. Steven Rodel, creative director for Guy Goodfellow, shares tips for achieving modern English style in your own home, including ideas found in A New English Style, a recently published book from the designers of Salvesen Graham.  

English Style Today

In the introduction to A New English Style: Timeless Interiors by Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, writer David Nicholls characterizes modern English style as a “balancing act: taking the best of what has come before and making it feel fresh for life in the 21st century.” 

Today's English interiors nod to history while still feeling current. “English style differs with every decade—it could be rambling Arts and Crafts, Jacobean mansions, or Art Deco apartments; each era has its own design language and set of principles,” says Rodel. “Today's English style takes reference from any of those decades (depending on the historical and architectural context of the space) and brings in contemporary relevance with modern practical comfort.” 

Rodel says that a "balance of juxtapositions" is key to the style, describing contemporary English decorating as a dialogue between past and present. “You can't pin specifics to the current style—it is more of an atmospheric feeling rather than a particular look,” admits Rodel. “We use three words often to both describe it, and how we design— instinctive, referenced, joyful.” 

6 Ways to Get Contemporary English Style

1. Architectural Details

From cornices to skirting boards, architectural features are part of the foundation of English style. For Salvesen and Graham, these are the first elements to consider when decorating. While modern styles eschew architectural details in favor of minimalism, formal and traditional styles require strict adherence to authentic period details. In the modern approach, Salvesen and Graham still prioritize the architecture, but offer flexibility to make stylistic choices, such as an out-of-character scalloped edging above wall panels. 

2. Color

Color is a signature of classic English decorating. Although plentiful, colors should never be garish or jarring. Nicholls points out that, over the centuries, preferred palettes have varied from soft pastels to vibrant, moody hues. Today, that can mean incorporating popular colors like sage greens, vibrant blues, and berry pinks or adding color in new ways, such as painting original wood for a fresh look. 

For Salvesen Graham, a modern approach to color also means recognizing that an intentionally limited color palette can still appear extensive; the same shade can look different in different rooms, different lighting, and next to different materials and patterns. 

3. Pattern

A mix of patterns on carpets and textiles, such as upholstered furniture, window coverings, and bedding, is a signature of the English aesthetic from grand estates to country cottages. Today, this tradition continues while also bringing in new prints and motifs. Salvesen Graham often uses 20th-century Swedish textiles alongside the chintzes, florals, stripes, plaids, and other well-established patterns.

4. Decorative Details

English design has an arsenal of decorative details, from trimming and tassels to custom finishes, murals, and half-tester bed canopies. But rather than decorate all rooms with the same level of detail, or give extensive decoration to only "important" rooms, Nicholls writes that Salvesen Graham focuses on intention. “A detail ceases to be a detail if it’s everywhere. It’s far more interesting when you see it in moments. It’s more special," writes Nicholls, quoting Mary Graham.

5. Off-Beat Moments 

Despite being a traditional decorating style that translates well to formality and grandeur, modern English style is not stuffy. In A New English Style, Nicholls gives the example of an “ugly needlepoint footstool” that becomes chic alongside an elegant mix of florals and Chinoiserie patterns. Another example, offered by Rodel, is breaking the symmetry and balance of a room's layout. These unexpected moments are what bring contrast and balance to the modern style. "The style is best represented when there is an offbeat, entertaining note to it,” says Rodel.

6. Personal History

“A good modern English interior represents an evolving personal history for its owners and should reflect its inhabitants’ personalities and interests, allowing them to live effortlessly within it,” says Rodel. This is accomplished by mixing heirloom pieces and antiques with modern elements, as well as displaying personal collections of lovingly gathered items. 

According to A New English Style, today's version of the classic aesthetic emphasizes storytelling, allowing anything from art and pottery to something less expected, like a baseball cap collection, to find a fit in English design. “[T]he narrative is that of the people who live there: their interests, their memories, their heritage,” writes Nicholls.

“English style is always a melting pot with furniture and objects collected from around the world,” says Rodel. “Relax and enjoy the process and have the confidence to mix in your personal collection—if each thing is of merit and individual beauty, you will find that they end up complementing each other.”