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Nancy Lancaster: English Country House Style
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.
200 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 2, 2021
Lancaster’s style influenced the design of rooms, gardens, fabric, etc that have brought enormous joy to me. Yet, after reading the first few chapters I am sick to my stomach due to the depth of self-centered privilege, wealth-seeking and racism.
It’s not just the Virginian family Lancaster came from, it’s the author’s thoughtless description of their past and her dreams and motivations which stemmed directly from it. The author writes, “like many such families they had been ruined by the civil war” sympathetically, and then notes how the family regained its wealth by running a business with a “predominantly black workforce” in a celebratory tone.
He also positions Lancaster’s first and second marriages to some of the wealthiest men of her generation as happenstance, despite the fact that her mother was dramatically bitter about not marrying a rich man.
Sometimes I can find ways to enjoy the fruit of a poisoned tree - in modern terms, love a problematic favorite. But the first step is to acknowledge this person is problematic. The author has not, in fact it’s as though he’s a fan of the problematic parts. So, this is a difficult book to own. I think I will give it away.
It’s not just the Virginian family Lancaster came from, it’s the author’s thoughtless description of their past and her dreams and motivations which stemmed directly from it. The author writes, “like many such families they had been ruined by the civil war” sympathetically, and then notes how the family regained its wealth by running a business with a “predominantly black workforce” in a celebratory tone.
He also positions Lancaster’s first and second marriages to some of the wealthiest men of her generation as happenstance, despite the fact that her mother was dramatically bitter about not marrying a rich man.
Sometimes I can find ways to enjoy the fruit of a poisoned tree - in modern terms, love a problematic favorite. But the first step is to acknowledge this person is problematic. The author has not, in fact it’s as though he’s a fan of the problematic parts. So, this is a difficult book to own. I think I will give it away.
November 2, 2022
This book was rather marvelous. I had already read the biography by I forget who, and knew the stories behind the major houses (and marriages), but I was even more pleased to find many period photos of these rooms in this book, along with more drawings.
One little criticism: I wish there were more floor plans. Ideally for an old house it would be great to know the original layout, including site plan, and then show the end state of a particular year. It really helps also to have a key plan, if the chapter is very long, so that when you are reading about the "Paisley Room" twenty pages after the floor plan, you could see with a small icon where it is located, and the main orientation of it.
Nancy Lancaster was a fascinating personality. Although I am interested in her ideas about interiors and furniture, I love her self-deprecating humor. To wit, when meeting the Prince of Wales later in life, she said, "I'm sorry, Sir. I can't curtsey: I might take you down with me." Another time she said that she thought maybe it would be better if her neighbor's children stopped kissing her in greeting: "It can't be very nice for them; must be like kissing an alligator handbag!"
I was chuckling among the chintz.
One little criticism: I wish there were more floor plans. Ideally for an old house it would be great to know the original layout, including site plan, and then show the end state of a particular year. It really helps also to have a key plan, if the chapter is very long, so that when you are reading about the "Paisley Room" twenty pages after the floor plan, you could see with a small icon where it is located, and the main orientation of it.
Nancy Lancaster was a fascinating personality. Although I am interested in her ideas about interiors and furniture, I love her self-deprecating humor. To wit, when meeting the Prince of Wales later in life, she said, "I'm sorry, Sir. I can't curtsey: I might take you down with me." Another time she said that she thought maybe it would be better if her neighbor's children stopped kissing her in greeting: "It can't be very nice for them; must be like kissing an alligator handbag!"
I was chuckling among the chintz.
October 10, 2010
A sumptuously lovey book...the photographs show stunning rooms, architecture, gardens, and grounds of beautiful country "houses" owned by this amazing woman. Nancy Lancaster was the niece of Nancy Langhorne Astor, the first woman seated in the English House of Commons. Nancy L. spent a great deal of time with her Langhorne aunts and picked up her style of decoration, her use of color, her arrangements of flowers, and her eye for perfect furnishings for every room she lived in from them. Nancy Astor, of course, overhauled Cliveden, the massive estate given to her and her husband Waldorf as a wedding gift by Waldorf's very eccentric father. The Langhorne women had incredible charm, they were apparently hilarious and uninhibited when it came to fun, and by all accounts revved up the aristocracy in their adopted country. All I can see when I look at the rooms photographed in this book is Nancy L's joy in beautifying wherever she lived. She was such a remarkable hostess that Winston Churchill was very happy to use one of her homes, Ditchley, as his country residence during the Blitz and afterward. This is a beautiful book.
August 28, 2012
This book may not be of interest to most, it is not a biography or a thorough analysis of Nancy Lancaster's decorating or garden design, but I enjoyed it very much. It gave me enough of a view of the thinking that went in to her work that I look at the rooms and garden differently now, and it was wonderful finally reading a book where there was a picture of everything that the author discussed (the reverse is a big pet peeve of mine).
August 23, 2010
I am obsessed with Nancy Lancaster and have been for years! Needless to say I was swooning whrn this glorious book came out a few years ago. There are tons of marvelous photos, charming drawings, and stories about our Mrs. Nancy and the circles in which she traveled. I highly recommend for anyone who loves tired elegance.
August 19, 2008
fascinating and great photos to go alond with the text describing lancaster's loves (her homes!).
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June 14, 2013According to Nancy "...preserve simplicity rather than over-polishing. Fashions are changeable. Taste is in realizing the essence of a place."
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews