AROUND HOME : Laura Ashley Living Rooms : BY KATE CORBETT-WINDER (Harmony Books, 1989)

THE LAURA ASHLEY look has become synonymous with classic English cottage and country decorating. The look is both nostalgic and romantic, with a strong ties to the past--most often featuring soft-colored floral fabrics coupled with antique and traditional furniture styles. This book illustrates the Ashley style in a variety of living rooms. From formal drawing room to cozy sitting room to informal family room, the author offers practical advice and suggestions for color schemes, fabrics, walls, windows, furniture, floors, lighting and decorative details. Chapters deal with five types of living rooms--drawing room, sitting room, library, family room and garden room--and the various roles each type of room might play in a home. Photographs capture a variety of moods in settings that are highly livable--neither overwhelming nor overdone. As diverse as they are, virtually all the decorating ideas provide both the aesthetic and comfort factors that make living rooms attractive as well as pleasurable. It’s reassuring to read about a decorating philosophy that aspires to rooms that look “well-loved and lived in, never too contrived and perfect.” ($25)