First of a four-part series in which Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen looks at the history of interior design in Britain. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen looks back to medieval England to discover the source of the Arts and Crafts movement and the designs of William Morris. Moving on to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, he discovers an extraordinary home carved out of a church, and visits a fantasy Gothic village in London's Highgate.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen reveals the influences from the Far East that pervade typical British living rooms, such as chintz curtains, blue-and-white vases and the tradition of afternoon tea. He also examines the classic English designer Thomas Chippendale's oriental inspirations and finds that traditional hand-painted Chinese wallpapers are still being made today

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen looks at the influence of classical Rome and Greece on decorating, examining how dado rails, pediments and plaster-ceiling decorations have become familiar aspects of contemporary British interior design. He also examines the influence of figures such as Josiah Wedgwood, Robert Adam and William Kent.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen considers the most popular and influential styles of the 20th Century, including Arts and Crafts, Art Deco and the Bauhaus movement. His quest to find the perfect space for living in leads him to the work of Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who believed space and light would improve the quality of life. He concludes by examining the rise of so-called "DIY democracy", where the increased number of homeowners in the 1980s resulted in more opportunities for domestic makeovers.