The Rural Legend
- Sep 4, 2023

5 Easy Ways to Add English Style to your home

Tim and I spent almost 2 weeks in England earlier this year, and we came back with so much inspiration for our home! We absolutely could not wait to begin designing an English estate-inspired primary bedroom makeover!

An English brick cottage with plants and a black fence.

So many of the hotels we stayed at oozed with charm, character and colors we were instantly drawn to. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of key English estate essentials to achieve the look in your own home! Plus don't miss the reveal of our primary bedroom design board at the end of this post!

A view to the interior of a bathroom with a bath and checkered floor.

5 easy ways to Add English style To Your Home

1. Mix Patterns

From florals to stripes to plaids and everything in between, patterns were EVERYWHERE during our stay. This plaid carpet in our Cottswold hotel was absolutely gorgeous and I love how it's paired with pinstripe chairs and curtains

When it comes to English style, you can't go too bold or crazy with your mixed patterns, but it you want a more subtle look, select one large pattern like chunky stripes or big plaid and one small print like a ditsy floral or thin stripe.

An outdoor setting with a blue and white plaid rug and couch with two dogs.

2. Use Color

I don't believe we saw a single neutral room in all of our time in England! We saw a strong trend for cool blues, which actually inspired our own bedroom makeover!

A study room with a wooden desk and framed portraits against a blue wall.

Our hotel in London used the same bold jewel-toned color on almost everything in the room offering a warm cozy vibe.

A bedroom with a maroon rug and ornate curtains.

3. Trim work

Grand crown moudlings, box trim and beyond - we saw so many beautiful wall & ceiling treatments during our holiday. If you're looking for some key tips on how to install classic trim such as board and batten, don't miss this post!

A lobby with chandeliers and gold trimwork.

4. wallpaper

Choose an accent wall or go bold with an entire room of stunning pattern! The Alice in Oxford boasts wallpapered ceilings to die for!

A room with orange couches, floral wallpaper, and a chandelier.

I don't think I'd have the time or patience for wallpapering above my head, but here are some English inspired papers we've used in our home!

A wall with framed artwork and beige wallpaper.

powder room

A gray couch with a wooden table and patterned rug.

finished basement

5. Antique and Vintage pieces

A country with so much history obviously has so many old treasures! A simple and effective way to incorporate some of that English charm into your home is with old furniture and decor. To source old pieces affordably, check Facebook Marketplace and thrift stores.

A bedroom with white sheets and blue pillows and a brown ornate mirror.

After seeing the mirrored armoire in the photo above, I was convinced we needed to find our own for our bedroom. Ready to see what we found?!

English Inspired Primary Bedroom

I am SO excited to reveal our design board to you! This stunning blue color is called Stardew by Sherwin Williams and absolutely love all of the warm English vintage touches we've chosen!

We found this armoire on Facebook Marketplace and had it shipped here from North Carolina. She's from the 1920's and is made of tiger oak. Stay tuned for this exciting room transformation!

xoxo, L