The Georgian House Style Handbook

5:57pm Friday 9th May 2008

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IF you have ever wanted to restore or decorate you home in authentic Georgian styles and colours, there is a comprehensive pocket source book just out.

The Georgian House Style Handbook', by Ingrid Cranfield, provides everything you need to recreate the style and atmosphere of the Georgian era.

The Georgian period is normally taken to mean the period between 1714 and 1830, during the reigns of George I, II and III, and the period 1811-20 - when George IV, then Prince of Wales, ruled as Regent on behalf of his insane father - is known as the Regency.

According to some historians the 18th Century signalled the birth of the consumer society, when fashion and taste became widespread preoccupations, filtering down from the elite to the provincial middle classes. Bath and Bristol and other spa towns thrived.

Georgian house style was born in London out of a marriage between speculative wealth and taste and a practical desire for permanence.

The guide explores each part of the house, including garden and façade, cataloguing every feature, fixture and fitting, from windows and doors to knobs, handles, tiles, wallpapers, staircases and fireplaces.

The author provides an interesting preamble of the style with plenty of early examples, contemporary designs and guide excerpts, with original period illustrations and photography, making this an invaluable reference to the deep colours and classic proportions of the Georgian age.

Although a pocket guide, it is fully glossy, packed and packed with amazing colour photographs on nearly every page and descriptive captions, all aimed at allowing you to make the right choice. There is even a section of UK and USA stockists, salvage yards and internet sites to make your choice easier.

So if you want a Chippendale garden seat, authentic dressers and ornaments, to go in your Georgian house - or even to know what to look for from the outside when choosing the right property, then this is the only guide you'll need.

Georgian House Style Handbook', by Ingrid Cranfield, published by David and Charles, £9.99.