Essence Country Style at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Who says dressers belong in a kitchen? A characterful old piece like this looks great anywhere. It's the essence country style of country style, but also brings invaluable storage space to the room -if you have kids, it's great for stashing toys in at the end of the day. Its shelves are left fairly uncluttered so the warm wood shines out, but a jug of sweet peas adds a pretty, country note. A small folding Table provides a place to perch a cup while sitting on the sofa, but it can be folded away when extra space is needed.

A lovely combination of pieces gives this room bags of country style. The old clock adds a retro shot to plain walls, while shapely bowls and blue and white china shout rustic style. The old metal bread tin is another key country ingredient. You can scout around secondhand markets for an original, but many shops now sell them.

Fresh flowers are a country living room essential and look great in an old jar rather than a Vase (reinventing uses for vessels is a great way to add country style). There is also a mix of modern and traditional pieces which gives the room a relaxed, up-to-date country look.