One of life's temptations is to peer through keyholes.
The law may well have a way of catching up for those who find it difficult to resist but there are other ways of getting a fix on the homes of other people.
One option is to browse through English Eccentric Interiors - a delicious book that looks at the outlandish and fantastic ways that some people design their interiors.
Author Miranda Harrison has delved behind doors across England and come up with some gems.
An idiosyncratic collection of hotels, museums and pubs have been included alongside properties including some in the Midlands. Each property has embraced 'Englishness' and shows a diverse collection of traditions and tastes that reflect the country's heritage and individual personalities.
Take for instance The Bath House in Stratford Upon Avon owned by The Landmark Trust that can be let for holidays.
Imagine walking through the front door to be greeted by what Miranda calls 'the breathtaking vision of shell work festoons, plaster icicles and a Georgian green and white colour scheme, all within an octagonal room with stunning countryside views'.
The building is a wonderful example of English eccentricity and houses wonderful spaces including a stone chamber reached by stone steps.
One visitor reflects: "It is possible to wake up and think one's a mermaid."
There are few mermaids to be found lurking at The Yew Tree Inn at Cauldon in Staffordshire which the author describes as a 'country pub stuffed full of antiques'.
Stuffed it may be but who can resist rooms begging to be explored. Toby jugs, brewing paraphernalia, antique seating and even a rocking horse all jostle for attention.
The result is a pot pourri of surprises - just like the book that well deserves a place on the coffee table when the need to delve into another world next arises.
*English Eccentric Interiors Miranda Harrison Published by Wiley Academy, rrp £34.99
