A hallway with white-painted walls and blue-painted wainscoting and trim.

English heritage design conjures thoughts of chintz fabric, tufted furniture, natural wood accents, a roaring fireplace, and of course, rich, elegant paint colours.

From Georgian style homes to charming Tudor cottages, English interior design evokes history and harmony. Explore our expertly curated English heritage paint colour palette and consider bringing elements of this distinctive style into your home.

The Benjamin Moore English Heritage Colour Palette

Add refinement to your home with our expertly curated palette.

“About 5 million homes in the U.K. were built before 1900 and 4 million between 1900 and 1930, making a third of all British homes ‘period’ properties.”

Helen Shaw - Benjamin Moore's Director of Marketing, Europe

A green-painted English heritage style living room with green velvet sofas.

A Lush British Parlour: Green Walls & Velvet Furniture

With the right paint colour, you can easily blend traditional and on-trend design styles.

“We are seeing huge popularity in rich, dark greens at the moment in the U.K.,” says Helen Shaw, Benjamin Moore’s Director of Marketing, Europe, and herself a U.K. resident. “Benjamin Moore’s Fairmont Green is a fantastic reflection of that trend.”

In this living room, an all-green look creates an immersive colour envelope with trim, walls, and doors all painted in Fairmont Green HC-127, from the Historical Collection.

Other deep greens we love include Balsam 567 and Cushing Green HC-125. Looking to go with a lighter green? Consider October Mist 1495, the Benjamin Moore Colour of the Year 2022.

An English heritage-style kitchen with blue-painted cabinets, an accent wall painted in navy, and wood furniture.

Downton Abbey-Inspired Kitchen Colours

Beautiful wood furniture, exposed beams, an earthy jar of flowers: Weaving English heritage design elements into your kitchen makes for a very civilized scullery indeed!

In this British interior-inspired kitchen, cabinets painted in mid-tone Blue Nose 1678 offer a traditional yet playful feel. Patterned floors lend both a traditional and eclectic aesthetic.

While the Downton Abbey crowd may not have dubbed it an “accent wall,” they would certainly approve of this powerful, deep blue Wescott Navy 1624-painted kitchen wall. Drawing the eye, this feature wall highlights the antique bookshelf and offers a rich backdrop for the charming pottery, ceramics and tumblers on display. Other navies we love for an English heritage accent wall include Hale Navy HC-154, Admiral Blue 2065-10, and Midnight Navy 2067-10.

A living room with white couches, white-painted ceiling, and a roaring fireplace.

Interior Designer Matthew Patrick Smyth on English Heritage

Given his passion for classical, traditional design, we turned to renowned interior designer Matthew Patrick Smyth, a Design POV participant. When creating an English heritage aesthetic, he incorporates Benjamin Moore paint colours such as Plaster of Paris CSP-185, Wicker Basket CSP-255, Manchester Tan HC-81, Nantucket Gray HC-111, Tate Olive HC-112, Coastal Fog 976, and Springfield Sage 510.

“Whether a space is contemporary or classic, the key elements of English heritage style play a role in my basic decisions.” Comfort, simplicity, patina, timelessness, scale, and charm are all words that inform his approach to English heritage: “These concepts support rooms that are never dated, self-conscious, or pretentious.”

Of his own English heritage-style living room, shown here, Matthew’s fondness for the style is clear. “I wanted to give a nod to the relaxed, inviting, warm rooms I have visited over the years in Ireland and England,” he says. “I wanted a space that lent itself to rainy afternoons reading, napping and enjoying the fire."

Coral pink-painted walls and matching trim with a hanging mirror above an off-white love seat.

Spotlight on Architectural Features

“When homes are blessed with original features, we love to embrace them,” says Shaw, musing on English heritage design and what it stands for. “Then we enhance them with a contemporary twist where we can.”

In this breezy living space, playful mid-tone pinks are a lively addition to a traditional colour scheme, playing off pink hues used in fabrics and making the mid-point mouldings a focal point. The use of unexpected colour in a traditional home floods the space with a sense of whimsy and provides a delightful end-result.

“Mid-tone peaches, corals and pinks are another colour area that has been really popular in the U.K., in addition to greens,” adds Shaw. Consider Sunlit Coral 2170-60, shown here, Creamy Peach 2012-60, and Custis Salmon CW-215 for a more orange-infused pink.

A bedroom with black-painted walls, white window trim, and an animal printed area rug.

Contemporary Meets Classic

Putting a design twist on any style is refreshing and fun, and English heritage is no different. Blend styles by bringing modern lines to rooms with traditional architectural detail to create a layered, eclectic look.

Here, the use of Black Beauty 2128-10 on the walls and high contrast by way of Chantilly Lace OC-65 on the ceiling, offers a modern feel while highlighting this bedroom’s traditional trim and moulding. If you like the idea of a dark, dramatic wall, consider Lucerne AF-530, Super Nova 1414 or French Beret 1610.

When it comes to paint finishes and sheen selection, English design veers more conservative in its approach. “In the U.K, sheen choice is typically matte for walls and satin sheen for woodwork,” explains Shaw, although she does see a shift in finishes underway. “We are starting to see designers use different sheens on different surfaces to add depth and dimension.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is chintz and why is it popular in English heritage styles?

A. Now associated with any type of floral print against a light background, the roots of chintz date back to textiles originally fabricated in Calcutta, India.

Once chintz was imported to Europe—and throughout the British Empire—chintz became wildly popular. Today, many homeowners either love it or hate it, but it is undoubtedly striking on chairs, couches and pillows as a rich complement to elegant, beautifully painted walls.

Q. What kind of material works best for tufted furniture in a neutral-painted space?

A. Neutral paint colours are endlessly versatile. That said, leather and velvet are stalwart options for tufted furniture, and particularly well-suited for English heritage-inspired design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is chintz and why is it popular in English heritage styles?

Q. What kind of material works best for tufted furniture in a neutral-painted space?

A. Neutral paint colours are endlessly versatile. That said, leather and velvet are stalwart options for tufted furniture, and particularly well-suited for English heritage-inspired design.