Most people live in a town or a city. One fifth of the population of Great Britain lives in London alone.

Some dream of escaping to a green valley or a cottage by the sea, but for most of us work, finances, and the urban lifestyle exert a stronger pull. Cities and towns are exciting places to live, but the housing choices are inevitably limited by space. Where land is scarce and valuable, homes tend to be arranged vertically rather than horizontally, sometimes semi-detached but more often in terraced rows. In Perfect English Townhouse, Ros Byam Shaw examines the timeless English style of decoration in a variety of Georgian, Victorian and contemporary townhouses.

Architecturally, these tall, narrow properties present challenges. How do you make the best of a basement kitchen with a low ceiling and limited light? Or allocate space when you live on five floors? And how do you maximize any precious outdoor space? The book features case studies of such homes, not only in London but also in the provincial towns and cities of England.

Some feel like little pockets of countryside surrounded by pavements, others have a more sophisticated, metropolitan allure; some are endearingly eccentric, others more classical. All the interiors featured are inspiring, and reflect the personalities of the people who inhabit them. These are the kinds of space that most of us are familiar with, and that many of us occupy. What is unusual is how cleverly and creatively they have been decorated and designed.