In 1986, Alvilde Lees-Milne wrote The Englishman's Room, featuring photographs by Derry Moore of various artistic, literary and theatrical luminaries of the day, including Hardy Amies, Teddy Millington-Drake and Gavin Stamp. Four decades later, the spaces in which they posed look as freshly relevant to the early 21st century as they did to the late 20th. Back then, tastes in interior design moved at a more glacial pace than they do today. Choices of furniture, fabric brands and paint colours were much more limited; there were no websites, Instagram or Pinterest and fewer than half a dozen interiors magazines, compared with well over 20 today.
[LISTEN: Giles Kime on how the Top 100 is put together]
With this proliferation of ever-evolving choice there emerged a restless emphasis on trends, a concept that had previously been the preserve of the fashion industry. Of course, there had been twists and turns in prevailing taste, as demonstrated by the cartoonist and architectural historian Osbert Lancaster in his book Homes Sweet Homes published in 1939, illustrated with his caricatures of interior-design styles, from Hollywood Regency to Stockbroker Tudor. It was not until the 1990s that emerging interior-design styles were referred to in the press as Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter, as fashion collections are.
It’s a shift that has encouraged an unhealthy sense of transience in a sphere where longevity should be a priority, rather than whims of fad and fashion. Encouraging consumers to believe that blue is the new black (or vice versa) and that certain styles are ‘in’ and others ‘out’ is at odds with the vital new emphasis on sustainable, long-lasting interiors. It might serve the balance sheets of manufacturers and retailers, but not those of the planet. Moreover, by anyone’s estimation, it’s also pretty fatuous.
This week, we publish our ninth list of the 100 architects, interior designers, garden designers and craftspeople we believe should be considered by anyone embarking on a building or restoration project.
They are practitioners who, regardless of their aesthetic sensibilities, have an evolved approach to their work driven by their experiences and instincts — and those of their clients — rather than by trends. In a digital world where we are subjected to an almost infinite array of influences, it’s easy to allow one’s judgements to fly with the wind. However, we hope that the examples of their work in this week’s issue demonstrate how a considered approach can create houses that are a triumph of timelessness, substance and longevity over throwaway style.
The Country Life Top 100 appears in the March 12, 2025 issue of Country Life; the full list will be live online on Friday, March 14.
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Robert Redford's Oscar and this week's unique royal funeral: Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 17, 2025One of Hollywood's greats is remembered in Wednesday's quiz.
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The Gallivant review: The Camber Sands retreat with show-stopping seafood and a penchant for happinessThe coastal hotel in Rye, East Sussex, is utterly unique and almost faultless, but is seamlessly eclipsed by the real showstopper, its Anglo-French restaurant, Harry’s.
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Interiors of excellence: all the events and inspiration you can't missOver the next month, events at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour and beyond will offer plenty of inspiration for design lovers
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The Mitford family once called this handsome Cotswolds house a home — and it inspired Nancy's greatest novelMary Miers is enchanted by the one-time home of the Mitfords — whose spirit lingers in the walls.
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How shoe designer Penelope Chilvers transformed two adjacent rooms into a spacious kitchenArabella Youens meets shoe designer Penelope Chilvers who collaborated with Neptune to transform her kitchen, dining space and bootroom.
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Country Life's never-before-published photographs of ‘101 Dalmatians’ author Dodie Smith's London flatEvery Monday, Melanie Bryan delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
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Giles Kime: 'Why contemporary art should become a feature of everyday life'The belief that contemporary art looks best when displayed against a white, minimalist backdrop is dangerous — it can also make it look irrelevant, our Interiors Editor writes.
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The designer's room: This kitchen in a Queen Anne-style home is proof that pretty and practical can go hand in handHiding the conveniences of modern-day living lends a timeless feel to the kitchen of this 18th-century house.
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Giles Kime: 'Darkness in an interior is equally as beguiling as large amounts of natural light'Why subtle lighting is about more than a dimmer switch.
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'Tones of natural wood and warm olive': Isabella Worsley transforms a coastal Sussex kitchenFor this kitchen on the Sussex coast, Isabella Worsley dispensed with a classic seaside palette and turned to rich colours and natural textures
