Why Is British Style Back?

Americans have had a long love affair with British style, but the relaxed, layered, and richly detailed rooms the British seem to create so effortlessly often don’t jibe with the hectic American lifestyle—or the pared-down architecture of so many American houses and apartments. It isn’t easy to live the Downton Abbey life on this side of the Atlantic. Yet a new generation of young US designers and clients are increasingly attracted to the comfort and worn elegance of English rooms. Two exemplars of classic British style, designer Penny Morrison and Sue Jones, a founder of OKA, tell how the British look is evolving, why comfort and confidence remain all-important, how American energy can reinvigorate tradition, and why dogs are so crucial to the look.