There are a number of things in the UK, I don't get, including why they have these half glass doors on the tub/shower that don't contain all the water leading to a guaranteed wet, slippery floor.

DH goes crazy when we watch escape to the country with how many bathrooms don't have mirrors over the sink...he wants to know how anyone shaves their face.

The glass shower guards can work fine but you need to be mindful. Kind of an interplay between the height and strength of the shower and showeree, and size of the panel. IME they are used to retrofit in a situation where they cannot fit a full door or cannot accommodate the swing.

LOL neither of my powder rooms have mirrors over the sink, but they both have mirrors. I do agree thought that a full BA needs a mirror over the sink!

My parents have a glass panel door on the shower side of their tub in their NYC apt. Mom wanted a tub, dad wanted a shower. This was a compromise (and it has a squegee like sweep on the bottom so water really does stay put.

Well those glass door things don't work for me...I'd rather the water was contained with a curtain than that.

I don't mind the throws over the sofa so much. I prefer it's 'honesty' to bad slipcovers.

Reminds me of Gramma's house. After she died, my Mom pulled her sofa apart to get rid of it. She said the springs were shot, the cushions were shot, but since she had about 3 blankets covering it, the fabric was still pristine!!

I wonder if the sofas are ratty old heirlooms, or the cats have gotten to them, or they are just covered to collect the hair from all the dogs. Blankets cover a multitude of sins.

I understand their function. I guess what I find interesting is that it is totally acceptable in grown up, decorated rooms.

Interesting take! This is something that would never even have entered my radar. I guess I don't see anything wrong with a blanket covering a sofa; after all, most of us have throws that are folded or partially covering our sofas, so this just kind of expands on that, right? ;-)

I've been in many homes in the UK where furniture was inherited and thus quite old, or in some state of disrepair but still comfortable and much used/loved. The Brits I know have adapted numerous ways of incorporating the less-than-perfect into their homes, and I think that is a most reasonable thing to do.

I like the idea because it is so easy to change decor, but I have never seen anyone here totally cover a sofa in fabric in a room/home that was otherwise decorated. I remember even seeing them in UK design shows.

Maybe it’s like the story of why the young bride always cut off the end of the brisket before putting in the oven. When asked why, she said it was the way her mother did it. Well, Mother did it because her mother did it. And she did it because her pan was too short, so she cut the end off to make it fit.

So, maybe the English have always done it, because their houses were cold or the heirloom furniture was shot, and now it’s just what they do, even with central heat and Ikea!

Even royal residences have loose covers and tailored but oddly fitting slip covers and arm covers. And carpet mats over wall to wall carpet.

Perhaps he was afraid of the fungi.

Here in the USA, people with pets always cover the furniture the dog sleeps on.......

yup, but they would remove it if they were featured in a photo shoot

Beats those plastic slipcovers seen in many a South Philadelphia row house back in the day.

I didn't watch it overly carefully but there was an apartment tour in France, where the owners just discussed object after object --in French with subtitles, so I gave up--, but at one point the homeowner just casually moved a power strip with a bunch of plugs in it, out of the way to discuss some objects that were behind it.

<< yup, but they would remove it if they were featured in a photo shoot >>

or straightened/arranged it

I’ve done this on the chaise in my office because …. dogs. While the boucle is much better, I don’t hate the (thrift store) throw. Makes for two totally different looks.

Spanish...You own some of the nicest things. ❤️

Thank you! I wait and search for just the right things……and sometimes get a miracle gift. Was going to sell the cabinet when we changed the decor in the front of the house, but was able shoehorn it and the chaise into my office. We put guests up at the local Marriott!

Looks like they are trying to cover "something" up. It does seem strange.

I've shared this photo before, and am reminded of it in this thread. This is in a large, rambling thatched-roof house in rural Wiltshire, England. It's the home of a count and countess who, despite the titles, are incredibly down to earth and that is reflected in their casual attitude towards living with very old things, many rare and valuable. This is their lounge, and the lack of concern about tilted art on the wall tells the story. Theirs is a home that's meant for comfort -- friends, kids, animals, put your feet up and settle in. (That's me and the count.) They wouldn't hesitate to blanket a sofa. But first they'd have to move the mountain of understuffed pillows. 😊

My husband is English and none of my relatives nor friends have what people on these boards romanticize British homes to be. Since real estate is very pricy in the uk so many multi million pound houses of my friends are sparsely decorated with old ( tattered) sofas or ikea bedroom sets because they do not have nearly the amount of disposable income we in the states have. Mortgages are also short term adjustable interest rather than our 30 year low interest fixed loans. Look at real estate in the most expensive counties to see how most well to do British live.

@roarah funny you say that. I grew up in a So Cal beach town and we never decorated in ”Coastal style” either!

That might be a sofa dust cover.

I think I will try it.

Any suggestions on where to get a good quality throw large enough for a full size sofa? These things MUST be made for the purpose (or--more likely--they have smaller sofas over there).

I've put a rug on my sofa before, either over the back or over the seats. Might have been weird. :)

The UK is not known for high-end decor IMO. When I was in design school (and later working as a furniture designer), I collected international design magazines - mostly from Italy, but occasionally one or two from France or Spain, which I also liked for their innovative designs. I bought a couple of copies of Schöner Wohnen, published in Germany, and it was pretty terrible back then but funny to read. In the 1980s, it listed prices for just about everything shown, and none of the furniture appeared better than anything from IKEA. It appeared that in Germany, price was more important than style, and perhaps the same is true in UK. I've never seen an exclusively British design magazine on the racks here in Los Angeles. Elle Decor may be published in Britain, but it does not limit itself to UK, and the best pictures are from other countries.

Our furniture company did have a showroom in London, however, and so I do know that there is a market for high end furniture there, but I believe that it is pretty small, compared to other locations.

I love watching Escape to the Country, but I am always amazed by what they consider "stunning." I am also amazed by how many interiors (not mention exteriors) look extremely dowdy to me. After watching the show, I became aware of what appears to be the true origin of the word "homely," which is a good description of many English interiors. I guess part of that is due to the fact that the houses are in "the country" instead of urban, but I also watch "Selling Houses with Amanda Lamb (and others)" also in England, and the houses there are mostly urban but still dowdy - Amanda Lamb frequently gives horrible design advice, but she was replaced with someone with much better taste, although I don't remember her name. Unsellables UK starts with dowdy houses, but the end result is much better.

I've always looked to Italy for design inspiration, but that is my particularly preference.

I grew up on a farm, and I do not like being reminded of it or of barns.

This thread reminded me of Giles and Mary from Gogglebox. Sometimes British decor gives off a sort of old money, not here to impress, hand-me-down hunting boots because they’re just as good as new vibe. Why buy a new couch if it’s perfectly comfy and you can just throw a blanket on?

PS I think the vibe is purposeful and just as much of an affectation as other vibes. But from the outside looking in, I suspect British are more prone to it as a badge of honor.

Princess Anne's sitting room.

He’s a mushroom guy! He’s thinking mycorrhiza, not Morris or photoshoots. I have been guilty of similar — more books on fungi that various upholstery, wallpaper, bookcase elegance and throw pillows.

Want to see photo of me with mushroom specimens? ;-)

At least that awful green carpet was replaced in the queen’s sitting room (or whatever its purpose and name). It looks like the same room and the same sofa withthe same slipcover, but to be fair that maybe the second or third slipcover in the same fabric, bought by the bolt for that purpose. (People have been known to do that 😎)

Actually the room is still in the green carpet. There is a mat of beige carpet on top of the green between the two sofas.

BTW, having looked up antimacassar for another thread, the results includes "sofa covers" .They are not just blankets . Some examples:

Other examples:

I guess I don't mind the look. It seems cozy. Like Spanish, we cover some of our furniture due to pets. I don't usually care for the covers that are sold as pet covers so I use a twin kantha blanket (from Etsy or eBay) on our couch - they wash well and can coordinate with our decor. I remove it when we have company and peel it back to sit down when it's just me. And when they're faded and don't look so great anymore, we use them for beach and picnic blankets.