Having worked in period interiors for all her successful transatlantic career, Henrietta Spencer- Churchill turns to her key area of expertise: architectural detail and how to incorporate period details into your own home. This comprehensive guide to the best of three centuries of the most enduring decorating styles explains and illustrates the distinguishing characteristics from both the European and American periods, from the Baroque through to the end of the nineteenth century. Divided by period, each section begins with a guide to the history, nature and most enduring aspects of the time. Covering both architectural and furnishing detail, photographs illustrate the best of period features and schemes from real homes, and Henrietta shows how to use influences from the past to create a period feel.