Nancy Lancaster, who was born in 1897 into a wealthy Virginian family, became one of the greatest influences on interior decoration and garden design in Great Britain and America in the second half of the 20th century. She created what is known today as the 'English Country House Style' – a mixture of faded colors, chintzes and painted and antique furniture. In the garden, she worked in a formal yet romantic neo-Georgian style, which is still a strong spirit in British garden design. This book examines Nancy's contribution to the arts of interior decoration and garden design by chronicling her own homes and gardens –and her extraordinary life. Mirador, her family's Virginian country house, was to remain her key inspiration throughout her life. Nancy herself, her houses, her gardens and her friends are shown in an intriguing collection of photographs by distinguished photographers of the era, including Horst and Cecil Beaton.
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Consider Martin Wood's Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style for anyone with an interest in decorating and social history. American born and serially well-married, Lancaster spent most of her adult life in England, doing u a succession of grand houses in a style that was at once traditional and boldly modern. In the 1940s she bought the venerable Colefax & Fowler design firm, turning a pastime into a profession--another bold, modern stroke for a woman of her time and class. -- Town & Country
About the Author
Martin Wood is a designer of textiles, interiors and gardens who also has a winning way with words.
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115 of 116 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Seldom has a volume contained such a plethora of beauty as does "Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style." Author Martin Wood, a textile and garden designer and interior decorator, has paid a tribute to Lancaster that is as handsome as the subject herself. With 208 pages and over 200 illustrations he charts the course which resulted in her creation of the style known as English country house as well as her purchase of the prestigious British design firm Colefax and Fowler.
Born into an influential Virginia family in a cottage on her grandfather's estate in 1897, Lancaster never forgot that estate, Mirador, nor her southern roots. Her first marriage was to Henry Field, grandson of Marshall Field. What should have been an idyllic pairing ended far too soon when he died of blood poisoning at the age of 22. His death affected Lancaster greatly, and she suffered from periods of depression throughout her life.
Her original dream was to transform Mirador, which she did magnificently by turning a narrow hallway into a breathtaking rotunda and transforming what had once been a first floor guest room into an expansive drawing room. She searched for old chintzes to use throughout, which gave the mansion a stately lived in look. As she was to say, "Understatement is extremely important and crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's make a room look overdone and tiresome." This was to be her stylistic credo throughout her life.
Lancaster's future, including the acquisition of Colefax and Fowler, would find her creating designs for her homes and gardens in England - Kelmarsh Hall, Ditchley Park and Haseley Court.
Martin Wood more than ably presents the life and style of this remarkably creative woman, while the archival photographs by such artists as Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst are sheer delight.
- Gail Cooke
Born into an influential Virginia family in a cottage on her grandfather's estate in 1897, Lancaster never forgot that estate, Mirador, nor her southern roots. Her first marriage was to Henry Field, grandson of Marshall Field. What should have been an idyllic pairing ended far too soon when he died of blood poisoning at the age of 22. His death affected Lancaster greatly, and she suffered from periods of depression throughout her life.
Her original dream was to transform Mirador, which she did magnificently by turning a narrow hallway into a breathtaking rotunda and transforming what had once been a first floor guest room into an expansive drawing room. She searched for old chintzes to use throughout, which gave the mansion a stately lived in look. As she was to say, "Understatement is extremely important and crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's make a room look overdone and tiresome." This was to be her stylistic credo throughout her life.
Lancaster's future, including the acquisition of Colefax and Fowler, would find her creating designs for her homes and gardens in England - Kelmarsh Hall, Ditchley Park and Haseley Court.
Martin Wood more than ably presents the life and style of this remarkably creative woman, while the archival photographs by such artists as Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst are sheer delight.
- Gail Cooke
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Martin Wood is an excellent biographer and chronicler of style and in this richly illustrated monograph on Nancy Lancaster he makes use of his own credentials as a garden designer and interior designer to praise the virtues of a lady few of us know.
Nancy Lancaster gained her reputation as a gardener and designer of gardens whose only clear rival has been Gertrude Jekyll. But Martin Wood increases her stature by naming her the creator of the English country house style. His writing style is fluid, humorous, tender and informative, giving all the biographical data about Lancaster's heritage, youth, and life in a manner that makes what seems to be a picture essay become a page-turner novel!
Lancaster devoted herself to recreating the English Country atmosphere, though she was a born and bred American. Her own various homes as well as those of people who engaged her expertise demonstrate how even the most modest dwelling can breed the charm of the English Country house. Her gardens are like dream sequences out of Arthur Rackham and her taste in balancing room space with the gracious furniture and window treatments and light is impeccable. The Book is filled with some very lush photography that takes the time to scrutinize her concepts as well as pleasure the eye over her accomplishments. This is far more than a design book. This is a book about a life and how it extended into creating a personal world of quiet dignity and beauty. Grady Harp, April 06
Nancy Lancaster gained her reputation as a gardener and designer of gardens whose only clear rival has been Gertrude Jekyll. But Martin Wood increases her stature by naming her the creator of the English country house style. His writing style is fluid, humorous, tender and informative, giving all the biographical data about Lancaster's heritage, youth, and life in a manner that makes what seems to be a picture essay become a page-turner novel!
Lancaster devoted herself to recreating the English Country atmosphere, though she was a born and bred American. Her own various homes as well as those of people who engaged her expertise demonstrate how even the most modest dwelling can breed the charm of the English Country house. Her gardens are like dream sequences out of Arthur Rackham and her taste in balancing room space with the gracious furniture and window treatments and light is impeccable. The Book is filled with some very lush photography that takes the time to scrutinize her concepts as well as pleasure the eye over her accomplishments. This is far more than a design book. This is a book about a life and how it extended into creating a personal world of quiet dignity and beauty. Grady Harp, April 06
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I liked the combination of biography and interior design strategies/methods as developed by Nancy Lancaster. I felt the book was well researched and logically developed. I like the English country house look of softend and aged elegance so was somewhat prejudiced in favor of the book even before I read it. I had not realized before I read this book that Nancy Lancaster was originally an American from Virgina. I liked the premise that what she was doing was simply relying on an English heritage as passed on during the colonial and Federal/Regency eras in Virginia and England. I would highly recommend this book to any one who likes interior design or southern American style.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular!
For lovers of English history and interior design this is a muste! Anecdotes about Churchill and Lady Astor, among others, and photos of the work of Nancy Lancaster, on both the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by SP
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice and Quirky
A beautiful book on the subject, Nancy Lancaster, who was a major influence in bridging American and English country styles. Read more
Published on January 20, 2011 by David Mitchell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wondeful
I began reading this book while standing in a bookstore and could not wait to purchase for myself. As a lover of English Country House style, it was not only entertaining, but... Read more
Published on February 21, 2010 by D. Stassel
5.0 out of 5 stars
English Country House Style
Martin Wood has created a beautiful book. As a garden designer & interior decorator himself, he has a detailed practical knowledge to underpin his celebration of Nancy Lancaster's... Read more
Published on October 26, 2009 by Bloomsbury
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elegance
Understated elegance at it's best. Although not mentioned in the book, Nancy Lancaster no doubt had to overcome a great deal of snobbishness, foreign to her as an American with no... Read more
Published on October 8, 2009 by Jean Berryman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stately English Style, A Must Read for everyone interested in...
I am mesmerized by this book. Just think of the money spent on landscaping a home leased for 10 years! Read more
Published on June 11, 2009 by Elaine B. Dorning
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Beyond Words
This book not only has beautiful photography, but the text is wonderful. It takes one back to another era, aesthetically it is superb. Read more
Published on November 5, 2007 by Antoinette Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars
The American Woman Who Created the English "Look"
I first discovered Nancy Lancaster when I was married to a oil man from Virginia & heard all about this woman. Read more
Published on November 1, 2007 by Sherrill
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nancy Lancaster: English Country House
Subject matter and book cover engaging... historically very interesting however pictorially, thoroughly disappointing...in fact a serious let down.....
Published on October 17, 2007 by A. Krauth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read
I truly enjoyed this book. The pictures were excellent quality and representative of the text. For the professional decorator or a person interested in house decoration it is... Read more
Published on June 26, 2007 by Marguerite Proud
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 34
books:
See all 34 books this book cites
- English Country (Architecture & Design Library) by Julie Fowler on 5 pages
- Nancy Lancaster by Robert Becker on 4 pages
- Book of Architecture by Sebastiano Serlio on 4 pages
- The Decoration of Houses (Classical America Series in Art and Architecture) by Ogden Codman Jr. on page 18, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Education of a Gardener by Russell Page in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 34 books this book cites
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