Low and slow for scrambled eggs here. No addition of water, milk, cream or whatnot. Though some of the suggestions sound good to me. I worked at a breakfast place many years ago and they used just eggs for scrambled and omelets. They whipped them up in those old fashioned malt/shake maker things. I do the same with a wisk for a for a few eggs or use the blender for a dozen or more. I like them a little wet but for those that don't I take them of the heat while still wet and finish them in the pan. I think it's a timing thing but my nephews love them and give their DM a hard time about her eggs all the time....family thing. Farm fresh eggs are great and I miss them after moving back to the city from the lake. The lady I bought them from left them on a table in front of the house with a coffee can to put your money in and you were suppose to leave an empty egg carton or two for your next purchase. It was a perfect until she passed. Her husband wasn't a fan of her chickens and they were history not long after that. David

Ingrid VC, it's funny that you should mention English country house style, because it's the ultimate when it comes to being inclusive, rather than excusive in nature. The style was only christened with the name in the mid-20th century, but it's a look that's been around for few hundred years, and for ease & livability, it can't be beat, because rather than being about things--certain pieces or motifs (wire-fronted wooden cubboards="French Country"; pastel-painted coyote silhouettes="Southwestern")--it's about an approach, one based on comfort & practicality & hanging onto things, rather than tossing them just because their moment happens to be past. If the damask sofa's upholstery gets a little shabby, a chintz slipcover will take care of that. If the elegant curtains form the old family place are too long for the windows, we'll just call them 'puddled' and let it go at that. There are bigger things to think about. If there are rings on the mahogany finish where somebody put down a wet drink, oh well. That's patina. And threadbare rugs are welcome too, because they not only take less upkeep than pale carpeting, they're also cheaper. The ceaseless quest after perfection is a killer, and nobody does take-it-as-it-comes decorating like the English. But English Country Style it's not only inherited antiques & old stuff. The Victorian bamboo what-not over in the corner next to the Sheraton style desk was itself a brand new piece at one time, as were 192Os floor lamps, and if there was room for them in the overall scheme then, then there's also room for the 196Os brass drum table & the scratchy-looking 197Os wall hanging somebody made in the ashram, & those 198Os engravings of temples & that wire-fronted cupboard, too. It doesn't matter that it's supposedly "French Country" in inspiration. So, in the 18th Century, were Thomas Chippendale's ribbon-back carved mahogany chairs, and they fit into the mix just fine. And in the Victorian era, people began with the same room, with the same inherited family pieces both good & bad, then filled up the bare spots with Chinese vases & Japanese fans & Persian rugs & tooled leather stools from Egypt & native American baskets from Arizona & brass lanterns from Morocco & plaster casts of famous sculptures & tooled silver vases from India filled with peacock feathers or pampas grass. The eclectic look that's featured in Pier One ads or in vignettes at Cost Plus World Market is nothing more--or less--than a look that was common in millions of homes in say, 1880. So much for progress. But besides all that imported souvenir stuff in the typical English country house, there was the homey stuff, too. On one side of the elegant carved marble chimneypiece was Great-grandmother's rush-seated baby chair & on the other side was the dog's chewewd-up wicker bed & a pile of slimy doggy toys. Dogs were just as important to the overall style as were the family heirlooms. And of course there, in a prominent place, were the twin entertainment centers of the day, the upright piano & the stereopticon. As for the TV that's replaced those items today, Victorians were the ultimate believers in technology, so the last thing they would have done with an amazing gizmo like a 54" screen is hide it away in an old-timey cabinet, or othewrwise try to make it disappear. No, that's the great thing about the relaxed English Country house style, and more specifically, the ultra-forgiving, unpretentious Victorian version of it: there was room in it for everything, old & new, plain & fancy. That's why the style is still a good, practical model on which to base a room for the 21st century. Magnaverde Rule No. 16: Decorate for the life you really have, not the life you wish you had.

I would bring some color and pattern in with the drapes. A tropical floral with a yellow or soft red background. No rug but some accent pieces (lamps, ceramics,...) that pull colors out of the drapes. Change out the mirror to a large round one with either an antique silver gilt frame. Bar items moved to the side table and set up on a tray with a lovely piece of art above. Two accent lamps on the buffet on either side of the mirror in your accent color or crystal. Good advice on how to hang the drapes and I would invest in a larger chandelier of simpler, more transitional style. Would be happy to provide photo suggestions if you are interested!

Color!!!! Must have color!!! You just have a bunch of random neutrals of same intensity put together - white, beige, grey, greige, black, white, brown wood tone, beige-grey, blue-grey. Monochrome can work but there needs to be a range of intensities (from very light to dark) and textures to provide visual interest. Read up on the 60-30-10 rule and decide which color you want for each percentage, and then be ruthless about sticking with the plan.