Le Style Anglais

My husband, Spike, came home from work the other day having spoken to a couple of his French colleagues (also chefs) who were completely flummoxed as to why their wives were planning to redecorate parts of their houses in le style Anglais.  

This incomprehensible revelation from their other halves prompted the same sense of disbelief they voiced when Spike ventured to suggest to them the merits of modern British cuisine! Gallic insults aside, I have always endeavoured to keep an eye on upcoming trends so that my stock can reflect them but I wouldn't have guessed a couple of years back that the forerunners of interior design in France would now be embracing Britannique Chic and filling their magazines with fabric and wallpaper from Laura Ashley and Graham and Brown.

The French take on British Chic

Since I have lived in France the French design magazines have generally favoured the elegant simplicity of white Scandinavian (Gustavian) style but my husband's sources on the ground appear to be right and at last British style is actually à la mode .

You cannot argue with article after article extolling the virtues of cosy English cottages oozing with chintzy textiles and wallpapers or at the other end of the spectrum the very masculine British club style complete with dark wood paneling, worn-in Chesterfield sofas and brown leather club chairs.

As far as the chintzy side goes there is a definite emphasis on the colour pink that I'm sure Spike's colleagues will not be at all happy about!  This pretty-pretty look is not really my truc either as I generally prefer a more eclectic and slightly industrial style but all the same I can see its appeal.

A typical article romanticising la vie Anglaise

My vintage Royal Albert tea service

So amongst my usual trucs I will be on the lookout for pretty vintage flowery crockery and anything else that conjures up 'cosy cottage style in the heart of the English countryside' (c'est bizarre n'est-ce pas?) and I just verdantly hope that my French brocante buyers are reading the same magazines as me!