Since the early 1990s there has been a great revival in the popularity of interior decoration using historical ornamental forms. The Practical Decorator and ornamentist, published in 1892 by George A. and Maurice A. Audsley, and here republished in a newly prepared edition, was in its day one of the best-known collections of ornamental designs. In contrast to previous new editions of the Audsleys' pattern-books, the present volume does not confine itself to reproducing their designs, but also provides a commentary based on the Audsleys' own explanatory text. Thus the reader is given hints on how to use each design, on its style and on possible colour schemes. An appendix gives detailed practical instruction on how to transfer and execute the designs, allowing interested readers to use them in the decoration of their own homes.