The Colourful Past: Edward Bulmer and the English Country House

To me, there is nothing better than good English Country House interiors. This book features a designer with a remarkable talent for combining color and pattern. Needlepoint cushions, inlay tables, and lush trims abound. I loved both the library and the Patricia Portman bedroom at Oakly Park. The billiard rooms at both Pitshill and Althorp were gorgeous as well. The Great Hall and Study at Chequers were probably two of my favorite rooms of all, as well as The library featured in the Private Clubs section which was a place that called out to my very heart and soul. Dorford Hall was hands down my favorite exterior featured. I loved that the Philip Mould Gallery has colorful walls. For some inexplicable reason, people think that galleries should have white walls, but I’ve always found that color sets off the frames and artwork far better. Overall, this book was a masterpiece which is a welcome addition to my library.

One of the best English country house books I have ever bought. Edward Bulmer is a fabulous interior designer, a true artist. The photographs in this book are exquisite.

Amazing book. In fact, one of THE BEST design books I've ever purchased and I have quite a library of design books. Highly recommend!

This is a fantastic book for perusing or sitting beautifully on a table for guests to see. Lovely pictures of interiors, gardens, and the UK with very nice text.

This is a beautiful book that any lovers of English architecture and interior design will love. Great writing and exceptional photography by Paul Whitebread.

This publication has some of the most elegant and beautiful houses I have ever seen in my long life and many trips abroad. While these houses are light years above my reach, they demonstrate extraordinary use of color, placement of furniture and paintings. Every house is gorgeous, but for my money, Spencer House is worth the price of the whole book. Beautiful, beautiful book!

Beautiful and perfect.

I watched the author's talk at the Victoria & Albert Museum earlier this month (December 2022) with Philip Mould and thoroughly enjoyed it, prompting me to buy the book which is absolutely spectacular. The photography and the writing are first-rate. I love going through stately homes but most of the ones I've been through have been more like museums and I wouldn't imagine being able to live in them. This book shows how talented Mr. Bulmer preserves and enhances historic detail and style and creates interiors that draw you in and make you never want to leave. I told my sister to buy this book for herself and she and I page through our copies together. There are a lot of good ideas for people wanting their homes to have a little bit of the feeling of these historic places. I have hundreds of design/interior books and this one is in my top five.

Beautiful book

This is a great book with lots of interesting information. The photography throughout is outstanding. It’s so well done, I feel like I was actually in the rooms and seen the colours and textures with my own eyes. Worth every cent

Very good

Typical Rizzoli publication- beautifully produced with high quality photography, binding and typography. However, this goes beyond most books of this sort as the comentaries by Bulmer are erudite and informative about the design process and the reasons for the choices made. He sees interior design as an informed dialogue with the past when so much contemporary decoration is drearily monochrome or, where colour is permitted, it is a trivial afterthought responding to a trend.Although these are for the most part sumptuous interiors created with the highest quality materials, paintings and artifacts at enormous cost, there is much to learn here for anyone interested in historically informed design.