Decorating
11 Secrets of British Eccentric Style
Playfulness, humour and an embrace of imperfection are some of the elements common to this unconventional style of decorating
Britain is famous for its eccentric characters, and some of the nation’s best interiors wonderfully reflect this collective trait. What distinguishes an eccentric style in home décor? Although eccentricity by its very nature can’t be pinned down to one look, there are elements common to this peculiarly British style. Three experts share their secrets for finding your inner eccentric at home.
Expert advice from:
Sarah Bagner of Supermarket Sarah
Ros Byam Shaw, author of English Eccentric: A Celebration of Imaginative, Intriguing and Stylish Interiors
Evros Agathou of Avocado Sweets Interior Design Studio
Read a brief history of British eccentricity
Expert advice from:
Sarah Bagner of Supermarket Sarah
Ros Byam Shaw, author of English Eccentric: A Celebration of Imaginative, Intriguing and Stylish Interiors
Evros Agathou of Avocado Sweets Interior Design Studio
Read a brief history of British eccentricity
Secret No 2: Celebrating what’s joyful over what’s expensive
‘My home is an expression of me and who I love. It’s not about status,’ Bagner says. ‘For me, interiors should be about a celebration of who you are, whatever your style.’ In Bagner’s home, rather than precious art on the walls, there are mementos of people and places close to her heart. ‘The wristbands my boyfriend and I had at Wilderness Festival [pictured] are framed on the wall,’ she says. ‘There’s also a pair of Moroccan slippers on the wall, which were a present from him.
‘I want my home to be a place where I can celebrate my stories and the people I love, rather than having just a cool black and white room,’ Bagner adds. ‘When I went to Copenhagen, I came back wanting everything black and white. But while it might look really nice, I just can’t live that way. Aesthetics are important to me, but isn’t meaning more important?’
‘My home is an expression of me and who I love. It’s not about status,’ Bagner says. ‘For me, interiors should be about a celebration of who you are, whatever your style.’ In Bagner’s home, rather than precious art on the walls, there are mementos of people and places close to her heart. ‘The wristbands my boyfriend and I had at Wilderness Festival [pictured] are framed on the wall,’ she says. ‘There’s also a pair of Moroccan slippers on the wall, which were a present from him.
‘I want my home to be a place where I can celebrate my stories and the people I love, rather than having just a cool black and white room,’ Bagner adds. ‘When I went to Copenhagen, I came back wanting everything black and white. But while it might look really nice, I just can’t live that way. Aesthetics are important to me, but isn’t meaning more important?’
Secret No 3: Not taking yourself too seriously
Closely related to seeing beauty in unusual things is having a sense of humour about what you display in your home – witness this giraffe in a hat as a case in point. ‘As a nation, we’re quite good at laughing at ourselves,’ says Byam Shaw, ‘and we pride ourselves on having a sense of humour.’ And an absurd or silly one at that – you only have to think of classic British comedies – from Life of Brian to Mr Bean and Absolutely Fabulous – to get the gist.
‘Humour definitely comes into eccentricity, and all the houses in the book made me smile in some way,’ Byam Shaw continues. ‘One of the houses I visited was full of incredibly precious antiques [including Regency mirrors and medieval pottery], but the owner also collects African barbershop advertising signs, so you get some colourful folk art in the mix. He also has a remote control tarantula that he keeps on his wonderful 18th century marble fire surround. I like that irreverence and that not taking your interior decoration too seriously – and it’s terribly English, isn’t it?’
See the rest of this art collectors’ London home
Closely related to seeing beauty in unusual things is having a sense of humour about what you display in your home – witness this giraffe in a hat as a case in point. ‘As a nation, we’re quite good at laughing at ourselves,’ says Byam Shaw, ‘and we pride ourselves on having a sense of humour.’ And an absurd or silly one at that – you only have to think of classic British comedies – from Life of Brian to Mr Bean and Absolutely Fabulous – to get the gist.
‘Humour definitely comes into eccentricity, and all the houses in the book made me smile in some way,’ Byam Shaw continues. ‘One of the houses I visited was full of incredibly precious antiques [including Regency mirrors and medieval pottery], but the owner also collects African barbershop advertising signs, so you get some colourful folk art in the mix. He also has a remote control tarantula that he keeps on his wonderful 18th century marble fire surround. I like that irreverence and that not taking your interior decoration too seriously – and it’s terribly English, isn’t it?’
See the rest of this art collectors’ London home
Secret No 4: Embracing imperfection
‘On a more serious level,’ continues Byam Shaw, ‘some of the really proper, seminal English interior designers, such as Nancy Lancaster, John Fowler and Geoffrey Bennison – who all epitomised the best of English country house style, which is what people tend to think of as traditional English decoration – have each said in their different ways that perfection is uncomfortable. And another British trait is our national enthusiasm for making people feel comfortable – it’s why we’re always apologising.’
In the words of Nancy Lancaster, ‘If every piece is perfect, the room becomes a museum and lifeless.’
Byam Shaw continues: ‘It’s one of the real strengths of English decoration that even grand rooms will often have something silly in them.’ She gives the example of the late Deborah Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and the youngest of the Mitford sisters, who lived at Chatsworth House, one of the grandest estates in England. She had a novelty Elvis telephone installed in Chatsworth’s blue drawing room. ‘You want something in a room that brings it down a notch to make you relax,’ says Byam Shaw.
‘On a more serious level,’ continues Byam Shaw, ‘some of the really proper, seminal English interior designers, such as Nancy Lancaster, John Fowler and Geoffrey Bennison – who all epitomised the best of English country house style, which is what people tend to think of as traditional English decoration – have each said in their different ways that perfection is uncomfortable. And another British trait is our national enthusiasm for making people feel comfortable – it’s why we’re always apologising.’
In the words of Nancy Lancaster, ‘If every piece is perfect, the room becomes a museum and lifeless.’
Byam Shaw continues: ‘It’s one of the real strengths of English decoration that even grand rooms will often have something silly in them.’ She gives the example of the late Deborah Cavendish, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and the youngest of the Mitford sisters, who lived at Chatsworth House, one of the grandest estates in England. She had a novelty Elvis telephone installed in Chatsworth’s blue drawing room. ‘You want something in a room that brings it down a notch to make you relax,’ says Byam Shaw.
Secret No 5: Allowing room for animals
‘There is something very British about loving animals, and not minding having a huge dog lying on your sofa or bed,’ says Byam Shaw. ‘Pets and perfection generally aren’t compatible, either,’ she adds, tapping back into her earlier point about creating a comfortable interior. ‘You can’t have pristine cream upholstery if you have a couple of bouncy dogs.’
Check out 10 things homeowners with dogs know to be true
‘There is something very British about loving animals, and not minding having a huge dog lying on your sofa or bed,’ says Byam Shaw. ‘Pets and perfection generally aren’t compatible, either,’ she adds, tapping back into her earlier point about creating a comfortable interior. ‘You can’t have pristine cream upholstery if you have a couple of bouncy dogs.’
Check out 10 things homeowners with dogs know to be true
Secret No 6: Keeping classic British reserve outside the home
‘The British are known for being reserved, but the home is a private domain and somewhere you can express yourself and, importantly, choose who sees that expression,’ says Byam Shaw.
And the display of a person’s passions is something that often characterises eccentric interior style – the telephone was just the tip of the Dowager Duchess’s Elvis collection. ‘A truly eccentric interior is not created by someone who’s bought things they think they ought to buy or bought because they’re iconic or fashionable,’ Byam Shaw says, ‘it’s a more honest and direct expression of someone’s personality.’
‘The British are known for being reserved, but the home is a private domain and somewhere you can express yourself and, importantly, choose who sees that expression,’ says Byam Shaw.
And the display of a person’s passions is something that often characterises eccentric interior style – the telephone was just the tip of the Dowager Duchess’s Elvis collection. ‘A truly eccentric interior is not created by someone who’s bought things they think they ought to buy or bought because they’re iconic or fashionable,’ Byam Shaw says, ‘it’s a more honest and direct expression of someone’s personality.’
Secret No 7: Being an enthusiastic collector
‘I don’t know if collecting is peculiarly British, but we’ve certainly had some amazing collectors in our history,’ Byam Shaw says. She offers as examples Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers, the archeologist and founder of the Oxford museum that bears his name, and globetrotting 18th century architect John Soane. ‘It goes back to the 17th, 18th and 19th century trend for the Grand Tour, when travellers would return home with treasures from all over the world. That cultural mix probably also goes back to the days of the Empire.’
The thing that transforms such collections from becoming part, simply, of an eclectic interior, is volume. As Byam Shaw puts it, ‘Three of the same thing is perfectly ordinary, but 300 will look quite unusual.’
‘Flea markets are more hardcore [in the UK] than in Sweden,’ notes Sarah Bagner on the topic of collecting. ‘Here you have to get up at 5am, whereas in Sweden you can go at 5pm and have tea; it’s all a bit more laid-back. It’s definitely more of a sport here.’
‘I don’t know if collecting is peculiarly British, but we’ve certainly had some amazing collectors in our history,’ Byam Shaw says. She offers as examples Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers, the archeologist and founder of the Oxford museum that bears his name, and globetrotting 18th century architect John Soane. ‘It goes back to the 17th, 18th and 19th century trend for the Grand Tour, when travellers would return home with treasures from all over the world. That cultural mix probably also goes back to the days of the Empire.’
The thing that transforms such collections from becoming part, simply, of an eclectic interior, is volume. As Byam Shaw puts it, ‘Three of the same thing is perfectly ordinary, but 300 will look quite unusual.’
‘Flea markets are more hardcore [in the UK] than in Sweden,’ notes Sarah Bagner on the topic of collecting. ‘Here you have to get up at 5am, whereas in Sweden you can go at 5pm and have tea; it’s all a bit more laid-back. It’s definitely more of a sport here.’
Secret No 8: Shunning fashion
‘Eccentric style isn’t really a style,’ explains Byam Shaw, ‘it’s almost an anti-style.’ As such, certain once-eccentric ideas – taxidermy or upcycling for example – have become fashionable, thus losing their eccentric power. But Byam Shaw is nevertheless all for these trends. ‘A level of eccentricity is fashionable at the moment – Abigail Ahern, rough luxe, using vintage tractor seats as bar stools, things not matching and so on. But I think it’s a good fashion, because it’s environmentally friendly and it keeps things away from landfill.’
‘To be quite individual is also becoming a trend, but it’s a good trend,’ Bagner adds. ‘It’s very easy to fall into niceness with design – but then clashing becomes trendy because everyone’s doing it, so you have to find another kind of ugliness. To remain individual,’ she says, ‘you always have to look for something a little bit ugly.’
‘Eccentric style isn’t really a style,’ explains Byam Shaw, ‘it’s almost an anti-style.’ As such, certain once-eccentric ideas – taxidermy or upcycling for example – have become fashionable, thus losing their eccentric power. But Byam Shaw is nevertheless all for these trends. ‘A level of eccentricity is fashionable at the moment – Abigail Ahern, rough luxe, using vintage tractor seats as bar stools, things not matching and so on. But I think it’s a good fashion, because it’s environmentally friendly and it keeps things away from landfill.’
‘To be quite individual is also becoming a trend, but it’s a good trend,’ Bagner adds. ‘It’s very easy to fall into niceness with design – but then clashing becomes trendy because everyone’s doing it, so you have to find another kind of ugliness. To remain individual,’ she says, ‘you always have to look for something a little bit ugly.’
Secret No 9: Being disobedient
‘There’s something quite brave about eccentric interiors,’ Bagner says. ‘I think there’s also something about questioning things: “Why does it have to be this way?”
‘I’m quite contrary: if I’m told to do something, I want to do it another way, for the sake of doing something different,’ she adds. ‘Having fun with a space can be eccentric and while, say, the Swedish will have very practical as well as beautiful homes, the English are good at having fun with spaces.’
In the words of Evros Agathou of interior design studio Avocado Sweets, ‘There are no rules, just taste.’
‘There’s something quite brave about eccentric interiors,’ Bagner says. ‘I think there’s also something about questioning things: “Why does it have to be this way?”
‘I’m quite contrary: if I’m told to do something, I want to do it another way, for the sake of doing something different,’ she adds. ‘Having fun with a space can be eccentric and while, say, the Swedish will have very practical as well as beautiful homes, the English are good at having fun with spaces.’
In the words of Evros Agathou of interior design studio Avocado Sweets, ‘There are no rules, just taste.’
Secret No 10: Loving colour
This colourful living space is in Agathou’s own home. ‘Colour is what brings joy to life, and I’m driven by the pleasure my family gets from our living space every day,’ he says of his design choices. ‘This room had very little natural light, so we used colour and lights to bring excitement and warmth.’
He says of his own home that he’s not interested in a pat on the back from anyone else for his design choices. ‘It’s great when others enjoy the space we’ve created, but I wouldn’t care at all if they didn’t.’
This colourful living space is in Agathou’s own home. ‘Colour is what brings joy to life, and I’m driven by the pleasure my family gets from our living space every day,’ he says of his design choices. ‘This room had very little natural light, so we used colour and lights to bring excitement and warmth.’
He says of his own home that he’s not interested in a pat on the back from anyone else for his design choices. ‘It’s great when others enjoy the space we’ve created, but I wouldn’t care at all if they didn’t.’
Secret No 11: Cultivating confidence
‘If you’re trying to be eccentric, you’re probably not a true eccentric,’ says Byam Shaw. ‘However, what you can do is develop the confidence to express yourself. If you have a collection of plastic beetles you love, don’t be embarrassed to put them out on show.’
‘We aim to turn home design into a fun expression of a client’s personality,’ says Agathou. ‘That’s where interior designers can make a huge difference to the process. A designer who knows how to put things together will allow you to be brave.’
Pictured here is Agathou’s kitchen, complete with one of his mantras for life hanging above the garden doors. ‘I believe life is a creative journey that should be lived to the full,’ he says. ‘That means not worrying about what others are doing, but finding your own pleasure in innovation and ideas. I don’t set out to be an eccentric, but if that makes me one, then so be it!’
What Byam Shaw says came out of the conversations with everyone she interviewed was that they really didn’t care what other people thought of their taste; they knew what they liked and what made them happy, and that was what mattered.
Agathou adds, ‘I don’t understand why anyone would design their home for the approval of others. We should always focus on what makes us happy. What’s the point of the design otherwise?’
TELL US…
What defines ‘eccentric’ for you? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
‘If you’re trying to be eccentric, you’re probably not a true eccentric,’ says Byam Shaw. ‘However, what you can do is develop the confidence to express yourself. If you have a collection of plastic beetles you love, don’t be embarrassed to put them out on show.’
‘We aim to turn home design into a fun expression of a client’s personality,’ says Agathou. ‘That’s where interior designers can make a huge difference to the process. A designer who knows how to put things together will allow you to be brave.’
Pictured here is Agathou’s kitchen, complete with one of his mantras for life hanging above the garden doors. ‘I believe life is a creative journey that should be lived to the full,’ he says. ‘That means not worrying about what others are doing, but finding your own pleasure in innovation and ideas. I don’t set out to be an eccentric, but if that makes me one, then so be it!’
What Byam Shaw says came out of the conversations with everyone she interviewed was that they really didn’t care what other people thought of their taste; they knew what they liked and what made them happy, and that was what mattered.
Agathou adds, ‘I don’t understand why anyone would design their home for the approval of others. We should always focus on what makes us happy. What’s the point of the design otherwise?’
TELL US…
What defines ‘eccentric’ for you? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
‘I have a giant pencil – a prop an amazing set designer made for me – and it has followed me around for years now,’ says stylist Sarah Bagner, also known as Supermarket Sarah. The hallway in her rented east London flat is pictured here.
‘I think in Sweden, where my parents are from, there’s a bit more of a rigidity in terms of following fashions and trends. In England, people care a little bit less about what other people think. It allows you the freedom to be a bit more personal rather than too much of a tribe.’
Ros Byam Shaw, author of the 2014 book English Eccentric: A Celebration of Imaginative, Intriguing and Stylish Interiors (Ryland Peters & Small) adds that anything ‘not bought in normal shops’ can also veer towards eccentricity; in other words, by seeking out unusual places – not the high street – to find things to furnish your home, you’re deviating from the mainstream.
‘A show home,’ she says, ‘is the opposite of eccentric, since it aims to appeal to the widest possible audience.’ Conversely, an eccentric home is full of things that will divide opinion, or even be considered unappealing by the majority.