With a wealth of imaginative and accessible ideas, this book shows how to bring the designer touch to a range of classic rooms. Each chapter provides clear and practical advice and step-by-step instructions on how to achieve distinctive effects and finishes, divulging a number of tricks of the trade. The author explains how traditional styles can be successfully re-interpreted using modern materials and techniques. Drawing on the rich decorative legacy of previous generations and different countries, the book reveals how key features of design have evolved and how their enduring qualities remain relevant today.