Chippy Irvine

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The Cover of KEITH IRVINE: A Life in Decoration shows a Nantucket dining room in one of the most distinguished houses on the island, decorated in an exemplory Irvine style.

REVIEWS FOR SHADES OF COUNTRY: "Chippy shows us great ideas for creative living. Shades of Country takes us back to the way early Americans lived--simply--but with all the modern creature comforts of the 21st century." -Mario Buatta, internationally renowned designer.

"Chippy Irvine has masterfully presented some of America's most beautiful, charming and fascinating country houses. The book is written with style and wit as she directs her readers on a truly grand tour from manor to cottage. All are houses that reflect a strong personal taste while at the same time employing the sometimes elusive qualities that make a house a home." - Albert Hadley, aclaimed interior designer.

"...it moves from the simple farmhouseto an urban arcadia."
- Wendy Moonan - The New York Times

REVIEWS FOR BRUNSCHWIG & FILS UP CLOSE
"For more interior exhuberance, look no further...It's a big, beautiful bouquet of a book."
VERANDA June 2005

"...a showcase of sensational ideas from top designers..."
PANACHE June 2005

"...this book is more than just a tribute to the venerable fabric house. It is full of helpful, seasoned advice on topics such as using wallpaper, selecting the right curtains, and how to use your existing furniture in a new and sometimes smaller space."
THE BOSTON GLOBE April 2005

"Decorating history is finally coming into its own as a publishing genre, or so it seems from the number of new books on some of the biggest names and firms in the field...BRUNCHWIG & FILS Up Close, by Murray Douglas and Chippy Irvine; KEITH IRVINE, by Keith and Chippy Irvine..."
TOWN & COUNTRY June 2005

REVIEWS FOR THE ENGLISH ROOM
“Irvine serves up a large portion of our decorative history for readers to take away knowledge of everyone from William Kent to John Fowler...”
* THE WORLD OF INTERIORS

“Take a room-by-room tour of real homes that have a distinctive English look. British-born Chippy Irvine, a contributing editor for Art & Antiques, offers an in-depth study of a range of influences that have contributed to this unique style...Chapters cover every space inside a home, including entrance halls, landings, lofts, and even outdoor “rooms” such as patios and terraces. And readers will discover that while rooms share certain similarities, each one also possesses an individuality that is the result of its inhabitant, whether a designer, a writer, an artist, or a historian”
. * BOOKMARKS

“...The book quotes John Fowler for its definition of an ‘English’ interior: comfort and suitability’ and an edge of ‘pleasing decay’ - characteristics amply conveyed in Christopher Simon Sykes’s photographs, which are the real reason to return to The English Room over and over again.”
* HOUSE & GARDEN

“‘The English taste in interior decoration is ‘slightly, but not dangerously, eccentric’, according to U.S. design journalist Chippy Irvine. Summing up what makes a quintessentially English home, she explains: ‘Rooms incorporate quirky touches...plenty of books, pictures, odd personal collections that have taken a lifetime or several to acquire, plus a wealth of forgiveness for worn patinas and threadbare fabric’...The text is full of facts about the history of English homes, as well as a helpful amount of detail about the properties pictured...’”

“...eccentricity shines through here and with Christopher Simon Sykes’ photographs, you could not wish for more...The book not only confines itself to grand manors but also covers more modest homes, such as a warehouse conversion and an Eighteenth Century mews.”
* thegoodwebguide.co.uk

“This is a wonderful book that doesn’t necessarily follow the norm. There is great flair here, not only from Chippy Irvine, but also from the designers that she has collaborated with. It is not all chintz and shabby chic but in all cases, THE ENGLISH ROOM represents a leading edge in interior design.”
* Amazon.co.uk

‘ ...this sumptuous volume is full of ideas... Readers are able to feast their eyes upon the Art Deco opulence of Eltham Palace in London; farmhouse kitchens furnished with scrubbed pine; and the carved craftsmanship of a 16th-century oak tester bed at Hever Castle in Kent. For a flavour of the 21st century, author and photographer turn their attention to the steel-edged starkness of an executive exercise room complete with television to tune in to the all-important business news. In terms of beautiful simplicity and “getting away from it all”, it is difficult to beat the Edwardian cricket pavilion on the South Downs which has been converted into a weekend retreat. The combination of excellent images and a well-researched text, full of fascinating architectural and historical detail, makes this delightfully-presented book informative as well as inspirational.’
* THIS ENGLAND

“Room by room, in town houses and country houses, the wife of interior designer Keith Irvine explores how custom and creativity add up to the appealing “English look.”
* VICTORIA

‘...the subtle charms and idiosyncrasies of English rooms have been captured evocatively by Christopher Simon Sykes’s stylish photography which enhances this attractive work. It would certainly sit very comfortably and prettily on any English coffee table, though that is not to denigrate at all the seriously interesting aspects of Irvine’s text. But essentially this is a graceful book, and one which evokes in roughly equal quantities inspiration and envy...’
* BLACKMORE VALE MAGAZINE

‘...Interesting from both historical and interior design perspectives.’
* HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

The English Room by Chippy Irvine with photographs by CHristopher Simon Sykes