From the Yorkshire dales to the hills of Devon, there’s something uniquely British about the countryside home. But what makes a home look British? What can you do to make it look more British?
For some, all you need is a kettle and a few teabags, others insist on decorating their house full of pictures of the Queen and Prince George. But really it’s not just the pictures and the food that make a home look British, no, they only help. Really to look British you’ve got to embrace the style of British building that has made the small bungalow with a thatched roof (they’re a bit out of fashion nowadays) look so iconic. There is something to be said about how British people have managed to make a home as homely as possible, more so than any other place in the world.
We aren’t all blessed with an English country house to call our home, we may not have the two storey windows, massive hallways or castle like rooks, but there are little touches you can add to make your house look like the traditional British way.
If you’re not in the mood for a complete overhaul of your entire house, we’d recommend remodelling some of your furniture for a more traditional oak look. The best place to start would be to replace your modern and drab looking mantel piece with an oak one, a perfect place to put your picture of the queen, or Jeremy Corbyn if you’re so inclined.
Oak mantel pieces change the dynamic of your living room dramatically. If you’re going to make the investment make sure you go for one that’s created from the natural product, they may contain several shakes, natural cracks and knots – all of which add to the rustic feel you need to spruce up your house and make it feel more like a home.
The cost of oak mantel pieces is dependent on four main factors: the size of the oak beam which you require; secondly, delivery, transporting large beams of wood does come at some extra cost so you need to bear in mind the distance between you and the supplier; thirdly, any extras you may decide to add to your order to enhance your oak beam; finally, installation costs, most mantel pieces are easy to install but some, depending on the structure of your house, may be slightly more tricky and thus cost a bit more.
There are a few things to consider when trying to decide on what kind of oak beam mantel piece you would like. Cracks are probably the main characteristic that customers look for, but if they’re too large they may begin to look unsightly. If you don’t want to risk an unpleasant looking crack in your beam, go for the smaller ones that usually contain more knots than cracks but are equally as beautiful.
Changing one thing in a room can completely change the atmosphere of the place, and one of the smallest but most eye-catching ways is to make your mantel piece stand out from the rest of the room; a mantel piece that is thoroughly British of course.
