Author(s): Steven Parissien

Architecture and Interior Design

This is the complete guide for owners and occupiers of houses dating from the classic period of British domestic architecture. It sets the houses in their historical context and explains how their original owners would have used the different rooms. The book provides a wealth of advice on maintenance, restoration and sympathetic modernization, with the emphasis on the use of authentic materials and techniques.In the first part of the book, Steven Parissien describes the development of the Georgian style in Britain from its introduction in the early eighteenth century through to the mid-nineteenth century and explains how the original inhabitants would have used the various rooms. In the second part, he devotes a chapter to each element of the Georgian house, including roofs, brickwork and stonework, doors and windows, staircase and fireplaces, mouldings and plasterwork. Throughout the book, he stresses the need for today's owners to understand the ideas, techniques and materials employed by those who built their homes.The book has been written with the owner, or would-be owner, of a modest family house or Georgian cottage primarily in mind.