Nancy Lancaster Quotes

In restoring a house one must first realize its period, feel its personality and try to bring out its good points.

If every piece is perfect the room becomes a museum and lifeless.

A gentle mixture of furniture expresses life and continuity but it must be a judicious mixture that flows and mixes well. It is a bit like mixing a salade. (I am better at room than salads).

I never think that sticking slavishly to one period is successful, a touch of nostalgia adds charm. One needs light and shade because if every piece is perfect the room becomes a museum and lifeless.

Crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's makes a room look overdone and tiresome. One should create something that fires the imagination without overemphasis.

How lucky I've been to live in such beautiful places and able to make them as I dreamed. I've been lucky. I've adored my houses more than my friends (or husbands).

I like to preserve simplicity rahter than over-polishing. Fashions are changeable. Taste is in realizing the essence of a place.

Scale is of prime importance and I think that oversized scale is better than undersized scale.

In choosing a colour one must realize that it changes in different aspects.

I've lived too long and I've lived too well.