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The Country Life Top 100 architects, interior designers, craftsmen, builders and garden designers in Britain

Welcome to the Country Life Top 100, our eighth annual definitive list of the best country house architects, designers and craftspeople int the country.

‘We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,’ said Sir Winston Churchill in 1943. He was referring to the House of Commons, which had been badly damaged in a bombing two years before. But he could have been referring to any building, large or small, where we choose to make our homes and which do so much to affect us both practically and emotionally.

The reason Country Life launched its Top 100 was to shine a light on the breadth and depth of creativity and expertise available to anyone planning to build or transform a home. What is exciting is not only the arrival of new talent, but also the evolution of established practitioners embracing the possibilities of evolving technology.

Not only do the best architects and designers preserve traditional craft skills, but they also exploit the possibilities of these new ideas. Increasingly, they are responding to the challenges of pressing issues, such as sustainability and the way that lifestyles have changed since the covid pandemic. It is these tectonic shifts that make architecture, gardens and interiors such a fascinating area — and one where Britain leads the world.

How we chose the Country Life Top 100

Our executive editor and interiors guru Giles Kime appeared on the Country Life podcast to explain the months of thought and hard work which go in to compiling the Country Life Top 100. You can listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google PodcastsAudible or in the box below.

The best interior designers in Britain

Of all the decorating trends that have been in vogue over the last 50 years – be it Scandi, Minimalism

The best country house builders, craftspeople and specialists in Britain

Whether you're embarking on a new-build or painstakingly restoring a listed building, here are the craftsmen with excellent foundations.