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Why ‘squashy English’ is the comfortable and cosy look your home needs
Forget anything stuffy and formal; the most sought-after mood in decoration right now is welcoming, relaxing and far from perfect. Busola Evans explains how it’s done
Interiors styles come, go and occasionally linger, but few have been as enduring and indeed as enticing as the classic English country look. This style is as distinctive as it is familiar – a capacious sofa layered with colourful cushions; expansive armchairs; a vibrant mix of textiles and floral patterns; a sprinkling of antique pieces; various pieces of artwork, and piles of well-thumbed books.
In recent years, this aesthetic has been given fresh interpretations by a younger generation, most memorably in the form of the “cottagecore” trend, a romanticised version of country cottage life, which celebrates chintzy fabrics, vintage furniture and handmade pieces. Now, the influential design platform Houzz has identified “squashy furniture”, i.e. soft and comfortable pieces – a key component of English country interiors – as one of the biggest trends of 2024, proving that the popularity of the look shows no signs of abating.
“It is very decorative, yet understated,” explains interior designer Octavia Dickinson of its charm. Her work, which lends as much emphasis to comfort as it does colour, embodies the aesthetic. “It looks quite effortless, and there’s a lot of layering, which makes it interesting. Overall it’s very timeless.”
Wendy Nicholls, chairman of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, the longest established decorating firm in Britain, which pioneered the style in the 1940s, adds: “It’s got to look as though it has simply evolved. Imperfection is important.”
But its main appeal lies in its sense of comfort. “It’s a feeling of warmth and leisure,” explains Nicholls. “Everything’s got to be within easy reach. You need to have your comfortable sofa where you can curl up, a table for your drinks, a reading light… you want to walk into a room and instantly feel relaxed.”
Acclaimed interior decorator Veere Grenney, known for his classical style and layered looks, agrees: “Supreme elegance starts with comfort – the most important thing of all. There should be one unlikely or even discordant note in every scheme. You shouldn’t make things too perfect. If I do a room for someone, I really care about them and not how it will look in a photograph. I want to make them feel safe, and I want people to have a happy time when in that room. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
The squashy look has a feeling of familiarity because it’s a flexible style that has been built over generations, says interior designer and antique dealer Benedict Foley. “It’s an interior for you to live in, rather than for you to live up to, which is really key.”
How to get the squashy look
Keep large furniture simple
To adopt the English country aesthetic, it’s important to keep the main “squashy” pieces such as sofas and armchairs simple, for a timeless look, suggests interior designer Nicola Harding. “Once the larger items are in place, play with the smaller elements,” she adds.
‘It’s an interior for you to live in, rather than for you to live up to, which is key’ ‘You never feel lonely in a room full of books – they lend a sense of history’
“Decorative lights, side tables and accessories such as cushions give you scope to add the flourish and personality synonymous with classic English style.”
Sofa cushions are crucial
A large sofa (or two) is central to the lived-in, ‘squashy’ English country look and worth investing in. “It’s got to be as big as you can decently have it in the space,” advises Wendy Nicholls. “I prefer low-ish arms so you can reach over for a drink easily and the sofa cushions have got to be really comfortable. Ideally they would not be foam but down, so you are able to sink into your seat.”
The number of cushions also needs consideration. “It’s comfortable to have at least one per person, so on a threeseater sofa, you can have three cushions. But for looks it could be four – two on each side; or five – three large cushions and two smaller ones,” adds Wendy. “At least 50cms square is good for principal cushions. The secondary ones can be the same width but approximately half height, or the same size.”
Combine different eras
Living in a Victorian home, for instance, doesn’t require you to stick to the same style of furniture, insists Octavia Dickinson. “The typical English style of interior design has a lot of mishmash and shows the owner’s personality,” she says. “So you may have a Georgian side table, but also an Arts and Crafts one on the other side, because you think both can stand as beautiful objects in themselves. That is what makes them work together.”
Wendy Nicholls agrees: “It makes it much more interesting if it’s a mix. Being too precise and sticking to one style is the kiss of death.”
Rethink the coffee table
“Squashy furniture” doesn’t only apply to sofas – it has brought the rise in popularity of the upholstered ottoman, which can act as a coffee table, a footstool or an additional seat. “It is a really good central piece of furniture for a room,” says Dickinson. “I would always put either coffee table books, trays or a kind of sculpture on it. It adds another layer, and I think it gives a more relaxed feeling to a room than a coffee table.”
Start with a rug or a painting
The late and legendary interior decorator Robert Kime, who decorated houses for the King, famously stated he always started every room design with a rug, and Benedict Foley agrees it can point to a home’s colour scheme. “A painting could do so also; essentially, anything that has a colour story in it,” he says. “You can look at those elements and see that a painting, for instance, has got quite a bit of blue, but also some ochre, green, and a tiny touch of red. Lifting out those proportions can be quite a good way of figuring out what colours work well together.”
Use wallpaper for colour and texture It wasn’t too long ago that having wallpaper was labelled fussy and dated. But recent years have seen a resurgence and it is now being used in practically every room, from the bedroom to the bathroom. For interior designer Emma Sims Hilditch, it can be an important addition that works well in older houses, but also shouldn’t be ruled out in more contemporary properties. “Wallpaper is a great finish for a modern home,” she says, “because it gives depth to a room that otherwise would feel quite flat.”
Mix different styles of seating
While most of us have moved on from the three-piece suite, there can still be a temptation to have matching furniture in similar styles. But the key to a balanced look is variety, says Foley: “You can have slightly higher chairs, slightly lower chairs, different shapes of back, some with arms, some without… it’s about having a variety where you’ve considered how the elements relate to one another,” he says. “What you want is for your eye not to run around the room at the same height. Think about a piece of music and how it goes up and down and has a sort of cadence to it. It’s that sort of mixture we enjoy in life, and interior decoration is no different.”
Clash your patterns
Combining different styles of pattern, such as florals, stripes and plaids, is integral to a quintessentially English look. “Patterns are best when mixed with many different other patterns, but to create harmony I’d use similar colours,” suggests Veere Grenney. It’s also important to have balance. “If you’ve got a big floral, then try and mix it with a smaller print,” says Dickinson. “Checks and stripes are your friends. They are very helpful and an easier way of bringing in different patterns. Not every colour of a scheme has to be in every fabric, and the fabrics don’t have to match completely.”
Hunt down interesting antiques “English country house style is also about decorating with antiques – softening the interior architecture and adding a little wit,” says interior decorator and antiques dealer Max Rollitt. So where to look? Local auction houses and online auctions are a good place to start, as well as traditional junk shops and second-hand shops. “Auction catalogues from places like Cheffins and Sworders, which you can access online, are an easy scroll and quickly give you an idea of how commonplace something is in the market,” says Foley, who runs his own antiques business, Foley and Prin.
Don’t underplay the curtains
Curtains will add atmosphere to a room, so it’s important that they are not just an afterthought. Sims Hilditch, who started her interiors career as a curtain-maker at her kitchen table, recommends interlined hand-headed curtains. “Go for the heaviest weight interlining you can. That will make them feel luxurious,” she says. “Also, never have them too short. We always allow an extra inch to land on the floor in a little pool.” Meanwhile, Foley recommends putting more of your budget into the curtain-maker than into the curtains. “What doesn’t work successfully is buying costly fabric and then trying to cut down on the making. Choose a quality maker. Patterned fabrics tend to be more costly than plain, so
I would go for plain but add an interesting trim, a contrast lining or a small stripe. It needn’t be too expensive.”
Pay attention to books and artwork “Books are vital in any country house room; the more the better,” declares Grenney. The sight of a pile of books instantly adds a comfortable atmosphere to a room, encouraging you to sit down, pick one up and start reading. Harding agrees: “You never feel lonely in a room full of books and they lend a sense of history and permanence.” Artwork is equally important, and a collection of pictures don’t have to be in the same medium. “The classic English style is a mixture of things, so you might have some oil paintings, watercolours and works on paper,” says Foley. It doesn’t need to cost the earth, either, he adds: “You can have a piece of artwork that’s relatively inexpensive but has a really pleasing frame.”
You need more lamps
Lamps are another way to add the relaxed, lived-in feel that makes English country style so popular, and give a much softer ambience than a large, central overhead light. But people often underestimate how many they need. According to Nicholls, you could need up to 13 in one room, depending on its size. “If you have several lamps, it’s important to mix them up in terms of scale and proportion,” she says. “Some need to be columns, others need to be candlestick, and they could all be at different heights. They are key for atmosphere.”