Homing In

Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life Nov 13, 2024

Nigel is the first podcast guest ever to make me cry. I'm a big fan of his writing, and suspected he'd be a kindred spirit, but spending the day with him in his house was an overwhelming experience I wasn't prepared for.

He lives around the corner from where I grew up, in a pared-back way that feels very familiar. In this remarkably honest conversation, he outlines the essential role his home plays in keeping him on an even keel.

We discuss what it's like to suffer from panic attacks, and how they're triggered by the built environment. He tells me that whenever he arrives in a building he hasn't been to before, the first thing he does is check where the exit is so that he can plan his escape.

We touch on the childhood trauma that he wrote about in his brilliant memoir, Toast, from his mother's death to his father's bullying. We discuss the roots of his lifelong interest in gardening, why he keeps a daily diary, and the importance of smell within the home.

This is a conversation I'll remember forever. Thank you, Nigel.

This episode was recorded in person at Nigel's home in London.

For more:

Pick up a copy of Nigel Slater's latest book, A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy … a Memoir of Sorts

Find out more about Nigel's collaboration with Perfumer H

Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Producer: Laconic Collective

Graphic Design: Ben Tucker

Music: Simeon Walker

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin McCloud: the Grand Designs presenter takes us behind the scenes of his own life Aug 01, 2024

Kevin has been a fixture on our tellies for so many years that we feel like we know him. But, actually, I didn’t have a clue about his life story, so this conversation was really interesting for me. He tells me about growing up in what he refers to as an ‘architectural zoo’ of housing from different eras. We talk about his involvement with Footlights, the famous comedy troupe at Cambridge University, where he collaborated with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. And he explains why he’s spent years living in a camper van and why his future home will definitely have a view of the mountains. Kevin is one of the most engaging and fiercely intelligent guests I’ve spoken to on Homing In and he’s full of amusing anecdotes and top tips. I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was recorded in person at St Anne's Court, a home currently for sale on The Modern House.

For more:

Watch Grand Designs

Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Find out more about Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skye Gyngell: a searingly honest portrait of a chef battling for her identity Jul 30, 2024

Skye Gyngell was born and raised in Sydney, but has never felt Australian. In this honest and heartfelt interview, she paints a picture of a deeply introverted child who wanted to “turn down the volume” on everybody. Her father, Bruce Gyngell, was the first person to appear on TV in Australia, and uttered the immortal line, “Good evening, and welcome to television.” She describes him as very flamboyant (“probably a real show-off, actually”), and he would send a chauffeur-driven car to pick her up from school. Sydney in the Seventies was a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other’s business, and, as a sensitive personality, she found the attention impossible to deal with. As soon as she turned 18, she fled to Europe, and has never looked back.

We explore her life story through the lens of the homes she’s lived in… from the house on stilts that was built by her parents, to her beautiful home in west London where we recorded this episode.

For more:

Head over to our website for more images of the places discussed

Visit Spring and Heckfield Place

Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective

Production: Hannah Phillips

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruth Rogers: London’s favourite chef on creating an iconic house Jul 25, 2024

For Ruth Rogers, home is at the very heart of everything. Her legendary London restaurant, the River Cafe, is founded on community, friendship and home cooking. Her iconic house in Chelsea, which she co-created with her architect husband, Richard Rogers, has been the backdrop to family life for forty years and has influenced a generation of homeowners to live with light and space. Ruthie invited me in to discuss her extraordinary life through the lens of the homes she has lived in. She describes with great poignancy how her house provides her with comfort following Richard’s death. She talks about growing up in the Borscht Belt near New York, and a chance encounter with Bob Dylan in Woodstock. Having personally co-founded a business in an industry I knew nothing about, I can relate to Ruthie’s inspiring story of starting the River Cafe with no restaurant experience and making things up as she went along. She tells me about how the restaurant has become a home from home, and why it’s been a breeding ground for some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, April Bloomfield and Allegra McEvedy. She talks about the influences behind her Chelsea home, from the Maison de Verre in Paris to the Italian piazzas of Pienza and Montepulciano, and why a rather special set of coloured pencils is one of the first things she would save in a house fire.

This conversation was recorded in person at Ruth Rogers’ home in Chelsea, London.

For more on Ruth Rogers:

Watch our film at the home of Ruth and Richard Rogers

Visit the River Café

Listen to Ruth’s podcast, Ruthie’s Table Four

For more from Matt Gibberd and The Modern House:

Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Follow us on Instagram

Check out Matt's latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective

Production: Hannah Phillips

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Portas: the queen of the high street’s inspiring journey from homeless orphan to a London townhouse that’s all hers Jul 18, 2024

Most of us know Mary Portas as a swashbuckling TV presenter with a flame-red bob, but her career away from the screen has been no less remarkable. She did the window displays for Topshop during its heyday and was the creative director of Harvey Nichols when it was immortalised on Absolutely Fabulous. Nowadays, however, she runs her consultancy, Portas, which helps brands create purpose and beauty in everything they do. As this episode reveals, her life story is incredibly rich and filled with both trauma and triumph.

This episode was recorded in person at the Portas offices, London.

For more:

Head over to our website for more images of the places discussed

Visit Portas

Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe.

Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses Jul 05, 2024

There’s barely an oilcloth, mug or ironing board cover that hasn’t been embellished with a nostalgic floral print from Cath Kidston. Because of the brand’s ubiquity, it’s easy to forget quite how influential it was when it appeared in the 1990s.

What I love about Cath is that she’s living proof you can be a wildly successful entrepreneur whilst also being a kind, gentle soul. Although her name’s still above the door, she hasn’t been involved with the Cath Kidston business for many years, so I was intrigued to find out what that feels like.

She’s now set up a bodycare brand called C. Atherley, which makes all of its products using scented geraniums. Despite her love of flowers, life hasn’t always been a bed of David Austin roses for Cath and she talks very honestly about the personal grief she’s suffered through her life.

She has a great eye for interiors and we had this conversation at her kitchen table in London, with a surprisingly modern backdrop of Danish wood flooring and an Ellsworth Kelly artwork.

Cath was very generous with her time and emotions and I’m really happy with how this episode has turned out. I hope you enjoy it.

This episode was recorded in person at Cath Kidston’s West London home.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Check out Cath Kidston’s latest venture, C.Atherley

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Gent: music, martinis and mayhem from the founder of Sessions Arts Club Jun 28, 2024

Today I’m chatting to the swashbuckling artist and restaurateur Jonny Gent. We recorded this episode during a busy lunch service at Sessions Arts Club, Jonny’s inspirational restaurant in Clerkenwell. It’s fair to say that he’d emboldened himself with a few martinis beforehand and what ensued was a conversation that very much represents the man himself: unstructured, poetic and generous.

Jonny’s a brilliant painter, and his artworks range from the sexualised and salacious to tenderly painted still-lifes that are a tribute to his late mother. After getting himself through art school, he met a casting director who wrote him a cheque for every painting he’d made. What followed was a journey that took him to more than 20 countries around the world, establishing art studios in everything from a cabin in Scotland to a tobacco factory in France.

Now approaching his late 40s, he’s finally starting to put down some roots. As well as having a permanent home in London, Jonny spends a lot of time in the Scottish Highlands, where he’s opened a retreat for creatives called Boath House. Like Sessions Arts Club, it explores the confluence of art, food and music.

Jonny says of his childhood, “I felt totally alone in what I found beautiful.” He begins by telling me about the Slow & Easy, the pub he grew up in, and the lasting impact of 500 strangers coming into your home every day. I hope you enjoy it!

This episode was recorded in person at Sessions Arts Club, London.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Check out Sessions Arts Club and Boath House

Take a look at Jonny Gent’s latest work

Producer and Editor: Hannah Phillips

Mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Ross: the Australian comedian on the life-changing effect of modest, modernist buildings – and tinted moisturiser Jun 21, 2024

A while back, Tim came to London to perform at the Isokon building in Belsize Park, and I managed to catch up with him to record this podcast.

As a small boy in the Seventies, Tim quietly absorbed the lessons of modernist architecture. He remembers accompanying his parents to a dinner party at a modern house, where the sound of laughter reverberated around the circular lounge; his career seems to have been about trying to recapture that heady moment.

In 2003, he bought his own modernist house in Sydney, a move which, he says, ‘changed my life for the better’. His fascination with architecture and design had previously been a solitary pursuit, but the house provided a way to meet like-minded people and a launchpad for his TV career.

Tim is really great company, and we talk about all sorts of things. He explains how he’s an outlier in his family, and what it felt like to perform on stage for the first time.

He tells me about the day the Beastie Boys came to visit and wouldn’t leave, why he’d rather learn to be a builder than go through the stress of another renovation project, and why he swears by the uplifting effects of tinted moisturiser.

This episode was recorded in person in Brick Lane, London.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Discover more about Tim Ross and his live shows

See more of his Sydney home

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young and Ben Tucker

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Edward hall: the artist and designer pulls back the curtain to reveal his colourful life story Jun 07, 2024

Luke has kindly invited us to his house in the Cotswolds, which he shares with his husband, Duncan Campbell, and a pair of enthusiastic whippets.

I was intrigued to learn that this modern-day dandy comes from a bog-standard commuter town, and like many of the people I talk to on this podcast, his creative impulses offered a route out of mediocrity.

He tells me his very personal backstory of being estranged from his father at a young age, and what it was like to come out as gay to his family.

We talk about his witty, whimsical interpretation of the English Country House Style, why he believes you should invest yourself financially and emotionally in a rental, and why he chose to paint his London flat in ‘Pepto-Bismol pink’ before getting rid of it a few days later.

This episode was recorded in person at Luke’s cottage in the Cotswolds.

For more:

Check out the work of Luke Edward Hall

See images of the home he shares with Duncan Campbell over on our sister website, Inigo

Visit The Modern House website

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young and Ben Tucker

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Lohan: the co-founder of Mr & Mrs Smith on how his first experience of home shaped an obsession with boutique hotels May 24, 2024

This is the first time we’ve recorded an episode in a hotel suite, and that’s because today’s guest knows more about opening doors to glamorous guesthouses than anyone else.

James Lohan co-founded the travel company Mr & Mrs Smith with his wife Tamara back in 2003, and since then he’s visited nearly 4,000 hotels in the name of research.

James is a gregarious character with some brilliant tales to tell.We discuss his earliest experiences as an entrepreneur, from selling cheese toasties at school, to setting up a mobile disco called Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It.

He tells me about his refurbishment of a Dutch barge on the Thames – complete with flock wallpaper and a freestanding bath – and what he’s learned from hotels that we might apply to our homes.

This episode was recorded in person at The Nomad Hotel, London.

For more:

Check out Mr & Mrs Smith

Visit The Modern House website

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young and Ben Tucker

This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claudia Donaldson: the pioneering editor and creative director on creating a sanctuary at home – and the luxury of pink loo roll Apr 26, 2024

During her tenure at Nowness, Claudia commissioned the well-known ‘In Residence’ series, which took us inside the homes of the biggest names in design and architecture. Today, I’m meeting Claudia in her beautiful London home to give her a taste of her own journalistic medicine …

She tells me about what it was like to grow up in an English prototype of the American dream, and talks fondly about her ‘impossibly glamorous’ grandparents’ house, which had shagpile carpet, pink loo roll and a telephone next to the sunken bath.

We discuss why she prefers to define space with furniture rather than architecture, what happened when she broke her hip and couldn’t get down the stairs, why a home is never truly finished, and the power of procrastination.

This episode was recorded at Claudia's home in north west London.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website for images of some the spaces discussed in this episode

Check out Cloakroom

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philippe Malouin: the experimental designer on creating with integrity – and the art of upcycling Apr 11, 2024

Philippe designs everything from furniture to lighting, combining modern geometry with a sense of humour and materials that are built to last. I first met him many years ago, when he was doing some work with my wife, Faye Toogood. We’d turned our bedroom into a makeshift design studio, and Philippe and a few others would come round to make maquettes and geek out about ergonomics.

Nowadays, he’s a burly, bearded bear of a man with an extra 20kg of muscle, but his wit and warmth are the same as I remember. He tells me about what it was like to grow up beside a lake in Canada. From the age of seven, he would take himself off in his boat for the whole day, catching fish and swimming off the islands.

This independent, practical spirit has continued into adult life. He largely works on his own, because that’s how he likes it. His studio in Hackney, where we met to record this conversation, is the epicentre of his creative output – a place where he can build something, obsess over which type of screw he’s going to use, or just sit and daydream.

He tells me what it’s like to create a home from stuff that others have thrown away, how he saved up to buy his favourite sofa and kept it wrapped in plastic for two years, and why space is the ultimate luxury.

This episode was recorded in person, at Philippe Malouin’s studio in East London.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Check out Philippe Malouin’s latest work

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sumayya Vally: the South African architect on how growing up in a township defined her sense of place Mar 28, 2024

Today I’m talking to the wonderful Sumayya Vally, founder of the architecture and research practice Counterspace. When in 2020 Sumayya designed the Serpentine pavilion, she joined the ranks of luminaries including Zaha Hadid, Peter Zumthor and Frank Gehry. In 2021, Time Magazine named her one of the ‘100 Leaders of the Future’ and, more recently, she was artistic director of the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Saudi Arabia.

What really shines through in this conversation is Sumayya’s interest in the notion of home as it relates to place. She was born in an Indian township in Pretoria, just after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and she cites the city of Johannesburg as her biggest inspiration. When she arrived in London, she became interested in the gathering spaces where settlers from other countries and communities have established themselves: churches, synagogues, marketplaces, female community centres, black-music venues and so on. ‘Home is not a physical place,’ she says. ‘It’s a sensibility and a feeling.’

The name ‘Sumayya’ means ‘to rise to the occasion’, and she tells me how she’s an outlier in her family and how her parents made sacrifices to provide her with an education. Very occasionally in life, you meet someone who has an inner light that seems to shine more brightly than other people’s. For me, Sumayya has that. She’s incredibly composed, articulate and wise beyond her years and I’m full of admiration for the work she’s doing to bring disparate cultures together.

This episode was recorded in person in London.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode.

Check out Counterspace.

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Little: the owner of Grenson footwear on his journey from Adidas ad man to sole trader Mar 15, 2024

At the time of recording, Tim was knee-deep in building works at home, so I polished up my Chelsea boots for a visit to his London studio.

As always, I asked him to describe his life story through the lens of the homes he’s lived in over the years. It was particularly interesting to find out more about his current home, which he bought after seeing it on our website and falling instantly in love. It’s a mid-century masterpiece set in splendid isolation near Rye, in East Sussex. A celebration of craftsmanship comes through in everything that Tim is about.

His father was a textile manufacturer, and he’s inherited a fascination with how things are made and the excitement of seeing something take shape on the factory floor. He tells me about his background in advertising, when he was given the most thrilling brief of all time: ‘Make Adidas cool again’. Having been given the keys to one of the world’s most established brands, he was inspired to start his eponymous footwear company and ultimately take over Grenson.

Tim is a lovely guy – very humble and grounded – and I really enjoyed getting to know him through the course of this conversation.

This episode was recorded in person at the Grenson Studio in Chelsea.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode.

Check out Grenson.

Production: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Lee: the much-loved chef who grew up in a wedge of cheddar Mar 01, 2024

I first became aware of Jeremy’s food when he was head chef of Terence Conran’s Blueprint Café, which was above the old Design Museum in Shad Thames. Nowadays, of course, he’s in charge of the kitchen at the revered Quo Vadis in Soho.

No one seems to have a bad word to say about Jeremy, and Jay Rayner describes him as ‘one of those rare phenomena in the London food world: a chap everyone agrees is a good thing.

His cookbook is simply called Cooking, which sums up his warm-hearted and simple approach to food. I was fascinated to find out more about Jeremy’s life via the homes he’s lived in, from the modern house his parents built, which was shaped like a wedge of cheese, to the flat in a converted factory where we recorded this episode.

It turns out that his approach to interiors is as artful as his presentation of food – as if each element has been dolloped off a spoon and landed in exactly the right place.

This episode was recorded at Jeremy Lee’s east London home.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Watch Homing In, the film series.

Check out Jeremy’s cookbook, Cooking

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Akram Khan: the poignant story of a man who found his voice through dance Jan 19, 2024

Akram’s rich career includes performing at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, collaborating with artists Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, and choreographing tours and videos for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Florence + the Machine. He was awarded an MBE for services to dance in 2005.

He kindly invited us to his home last summer and we recorded this conversation in a shady spot in the garden. Akram is of Bangladeshi descent and he grew up above his parents’ restaurant in south-west London. He was bullied at school and harassed by the National Front outside of it, so he’s always had a conflicted view of his community. As a child, he was introverted to the point of being mute, and movement quickly became his primary form of expression. He tells me how he danced so enthusiastically at home that the lights in the restaurant below would start shaking, putting the customers off their food. The word ‘home’ has come to mean many things for Akram: it’s the small studio in the garden where he practises dance for four hours every morning, it’s the stage on which he performs, and it’s also his own body.

As is the case for so many true artists, there’s a lot of conflicting emotion inside him. He talks particularly poignantly about his relationship with his late father, who always struggled to demonstrate his love. Akram’s story has really stayed with me. Being able to talk to people on this podcast is a great privilege, and conversations like this one really remind me of that.

For more:

Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode

Check out the latest from the Akram Khan Company

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roksanda Ilinčić: the fashion designer’s colourful journey through Belgrade, Britain and Brazil Jan 04, 2024

I first met Roksanda in 2006. We were selling her flat in King’s Cross, which was unlike anything I’d seen before: a brooding space with cast-concrete worktops, a black resin floor and mirrored lightwells. It had a subterranean lap-pool that was completely black, like a cave, where one could imagine Bruce Wayne practising his backstroke. Roksanda had recently shown her first collection at London Fashion Week and garments dangled enticingly from rails in her workspace. Some 18 years later, I’ve come to meet her in her studio in the East End to record this podcast. As before, her latest collection is on display, only this time the hanging rails have multiplied by a factor of a hundred. The colours are even more vibrant. Roksanda is no longer simply a name; it’s a brand with a global following.

I loved finding out more about Roksanda’s life story. She talks passionately about the importance of nature in her life, from the old quince trees in her grandparents’ garden to the inside-out living of her favourite Modernist houses in Brazil. She describes how the birth of her daughter was like a portal opening up, which gave her new confidence and a sense of perspective. She tells me about how she’s managed to bring architecture into fashion, and why she believes that clothes are there to provide shelter and protection in the same way that a home does.

Thank you so much for listening, as always, and I really hope you enjoy it!

This episode was recorded in person at Roksanda’s East London studio.

For more:

Visit our website to see images of the spaces discussed

Check out Roksanda’s latest collection

Check out The Lost House sales listing, over on The Modern House

Producer: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rosh Mahtani: the Alighieri founder’s inspiring journey from school outcast to acclaimed entrepreneur Dec 01, 2023

Rosh is founder of the brilliant jewellery company Alighieri. We discuss her life story through the prism of the homes she’s lived in, from humble beginnings in Zambia to the beautifully designed flat she now owns in Clerkenwell. When Rosh moved to London at the age of eight, she was the only person of colour in her school. She tells me how she’s managed to channel this feeling of alienation towards a personal mission of bringing people together, celebrating commonality rather than difference. We talk about the importance of ritual at home and why she likes living on her own. We also discuss her suspicion of the colour green, the joy of negative space and why she imagines herself living in the desert as an old lady. Hope you enjoy it!

This episode was recorded in person at Rosh's London studio.

For more:

Visit Alighieri

See images of Rosh's own home and Frey House over on The Modern House

Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Find out more about Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Production: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Duncan McLeod: the emotional story of an architect whose home is a source of magic and motivation Nov 17, 2023

I’ve known Duncan for many years now and he’s definitely one of the good guys. We first met when I was commissioned to write a piece for The World of Interiors about the amazing home in west London he shares with his wife, Lyndsay Milne McLeod, and their son, Oban. Duncan’s kindly invited me back to the house to record this episode. He tells me about how growing up on building sites brought him close to his father, the importance of magic in architecture and why he believes you should always design a house as if you’re playing hide-and-seek in it. Duncan certainly isn’t the first guest to shed a tear or two on this podcast and I think this is a really lovely, heartfelt conversation.

This episode was recorded at Duncan's home in West London.

For more:

Check out Studio McLeod's latest work

Visit our website for images of places discussed, and to read our interview with Duncan McLeod

Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Production: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacqueline Rabun: the jewellery designer on why music, meditation and modernism are the cornerstones of life in Los Angeles Nov 02, 2023

Jacqueline is a jewellery designer whose work I’ve admired for many years, probably because it’s so architectural. As you probably know by now, we try to record these podcasts in the guest’s home whenever possible, and this one is particularly exciting on that front, because Jacqueline lives in a 1960s house perched on a hillside in Los Angeles. As is the custom on this podcast, I asked Jacqueline to talk about a home from her past, her current place, and a home of the future. She told me what it was like to grow up in a big family, and how the soul music that boomed around the house was somehow a form of defiance against the racial tension that African-Americans were feeling at that time. And we also talked about how the pandemic inspired her homing instinct, why she’s enjoying living with less and her love of mid-century modern houses.

This episode was recorded in person at Jacqueline's Los Angeles home studio.

For more:

Head to the Carpenters Workshop Gallery‘s London space, to visit ‘Jacqueline Rabun: A Retrospective’

Check out Jacqueline Rabun’s latest work

Find out more about her dream home, the Loring House

Visit our website for images and details of the places discussed

Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration

Production: Hannah Phillips

Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford

Graphic Design: Tom Young

Music: Father

This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Glenn Adamson: the curator on why a New York ‘love shack’ stole his heart Sep 14, 2023

Glenn's a brilliant curator and writer with a particular interest in craft. If that conjures up an image of lace doilies and crocheted waistcoats, then don't panic!

Back in 2011, he put together the amazing 'Postmodernism' exhibition at the V&A in London, which was a riot of Memphis pattern and colour; and more recently, he's co-curated a show called 'Mirror Mirror' at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. Glenn writes beautifully – and his book Fewer, Better Things was a really big influence on my own book, A Modern Way to Live. A phrase he uses a lot is 'material intelligence', which is the idea that we should try to understand the things we choose to live with – where they've come from and how they've been made. I don’t know if it's material intelligence or old-fashioned fate that led Glenn to find his home in Upstate New York, but it really is the physical manifestation of everything he believes in. We also chatted about his place in east London, what it's like to be an identical twin, his thoughts on the metaverse and all sorts of other things. Glenn is one of the most erudite people I know and his thoughtfulness is something we could all learn from.

This episode was recorded in person at Glenn's east London home.

For more:

Head over to The Modern House website for images of the places discussed

Watch the B-52's 'Love Shack' music video

Check out the house built by a librarian's collection of bricks

Read more about The Gallery at Sketch

For more from the The Modern House:

Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Follow us on Instagram

Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live

Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective

Production: Hannah Phillips

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young

To get in touch, email us at podcast@themodernhouse.com

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Nick Knight: the iconic photographer on how well-designed spaces make life better Jun 09, 2023

Nick is a legendary photographer and founder of the influential website SHOWstudio, which has pioneered the use of moving image in fashion. I've come to his London studio to find out more about his incredibly colourful life through the lens of the homes he's lived in. He tells me about growing up in a grandiose apartment in Paris, the impact of his dyslexia, and how falling in love with photography unlocked a relentless work ethic. His unlikely entrypoint into image-making was joining a group of skinheads as a teenager, mainly because he liked the look of the girls. He talks about the life-changing experience of building a house in his twenties, with a certain young architect named David Chipperfield. We discuss the future of AI, how being a photographer gives him unique access to anyone in the world, and the day he turned Lady Gaga into a man. As Nick says, 'there’s nothing more important than the spaces you live in, for shaping you, how you feel about things, making you feel positive about life and love.' He's full of wisdom and wit, and this is certainly a conversation I will always remember.

This conversation was recorded in person at SHOWstudio, London.

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Head over to our website for more images of Nick’s home

Check out SHOWstudio

Read more about the David Chipperfield project

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Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective

Production: Hannah Phillips

Music: Father

Graphic Design: Tom Young

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Homing In Preview May 22, 2023

What does home reveal about who we are? Almost everything, it turns out, as we have discovered recording conversations with cultural contributors, business innovators and creative luminaires for our new podcast, Homing In, which we are excited to share with you later this week. The show takes over from the previous iteration of our podcast with an updated format. Our co-founder Matt Gibberd asks guests to discuss the place they grew up in, their current home, and their thoughts on future living – revealing the emotional experiences that underpin some of our most inspiring public figures. Be prepared for tears, laughter, and everything in between.

The Modern House is an estate agency that helps people live in more thoughtful and beautiful ways. If you have a modern home to sell, get in touch to find out how we can maximise its value.

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Christopher Kane: Fashion Designer Aug 04, 2022

Christopher Kane is the fashion designer known for his subversive yet refined clothes. He’s also a charming and chatty Scotsman, with plenty of humour and good stories to go round, including an incident with wild monkeys at an Indonesian resort and his first encounter with Donatella Versace. His top architectural choices in the world, meanwhile, are full of superstition and spirituality. Plus, he talks the joys of growing up in a Scottish household and explains why he’ll always be a devotee of the TV.

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Kevin Carmody: Architect Jul 21, 2022

Architect Kevin Carmody, co-founder of Carmody Groarke, is joined by Matt Gibberd (and some rather sweet special guests) on location at one of his current projects in the verdant countryside of East Sussex. Just like his archive of work, Kevin’s three favourite spaces are diverse and meticulously designed, from a house that appears to be dissolving to one that healed a marriage. Plus, he explains how to design a house so that it doesn’t, in fact, look like one at all.

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Penny Martin: Editor Jul 07, 2022

Penny Martin is the Glaswegian wordsmith perhaps best known for leading The Gentlewoman’s masthead as editor in chief. Dialling in from her home in Fife, Scotland, where she overlooks the sea, Penny discusses her career climb, including a stint as a tour guide at the Glasgow School of Art, and reveals some of her earliest conversations with her former boss, the fashion photographer Nick Knight. Plus, she shares her favourite three living spaces in the world.

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Eudon Choi: Fashion Designer Jun 23, 2022

Eudon Choi is a fashion designer celebrated for his masterful craftsmanship, clean architectural lines and bold colour palette – and his top three living spaces around the world share the same sensibilities as his clothes. Eudon also speaks on the joys of his own home in Shoreditch, and why he finds it more of a challenge to pick colours for his walls than for his collections.

Check out the nowness.com In Residence Series to see the film about Luis Barragan's Casa Gilardi that Matt mentions in the interview.

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Sarah Featherstone: Architect Jun 09, 2022

Sarah Featherstone is a RIBA award-winning architect, co-founder of practice Featherstone Young, and lecturer at Central Saint Martins. We’re particularly drawn to Sarah’s way of thinking, for when it comes to architecture, she is less interested in bricks and mortar and more in the way in which people inhabit spaces. Listen to the episode now to discover her top three living spaces and hear about her unlikely encounter with Right Said Fred.

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Laura Jackson: Broadcaster and Entrepreneur May 19, 2022

Laura Jackson is a supper-club host, broadcaster and, most recently, founder of homeware marketplace Glassette. She is also known for her love of – and astute eye for – interiors, which makes her well placed to discuss her top three living spaces in the world with our host, Matt Gibberd. Listen to the episode now to discover her choices, tips for creating a home wherever she may be and to find out why she wants to live like Forrest Gump.

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Margaret Howell: Designer Dec 02, 2021

On The Modern House Podcast, our host Matt Gibberd invites design enthusiasts to select their top three living spaces in the world. The guest of this episode is indeed a design enthusiast, but she’s also quite the expert: it’s Margaret Howell. The designer is synonymous with three things in particular: a quintessential Britishness, quality craftsmanship and materials. So it makes perfect sense that this trio unites her top three living spaces. Listen to discover the stories behind her selection. Plus, she discusses her early memories of design and endless love of making things.

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Reggie Yates: Director Nov 18, 2021

If you’re a millennial who grew up watching TV in Britain, chances are you’ll remember Reggie Yates from his days as a TV presenter. As the latest guest on our podcast, the writer and director shares his top three favourite living spaces with out host and co-founder Matt Gibberd. Two common threads run throughout Reggie’s choices: the first is London, the backdrop to his life, home and now film. The second is community, something that he holds close to his heart. As he says, “a building is nothing without the people in it”.

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Albert Hill: The Modern House Co-Founder Oct 28, 2021

This episode our guest is one that’s rather close to home. It’s Albert Hill: who co-founded The Modern House 16 years ago with his childhood friend and our podcast host, Matt Gibberd. Here, the duo sit down at Albert’s workspace in their hometown of Hampshire and reflect on the The Modern House’s journey. Plus, Albert discusses being a collector, his favourite homes and just how they have shaped him.

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Clare Wright: Architect Sep 16, 2021

In our latest episode, Clare Wright, co-founder of Wright & Wright Architects, shares her top three living spaces in the world. While Clare’s choices are diverse, there’s one notable theme that neatly ties her selection together.

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Jay Osgerby: Designer Sep 02, 2021

Our next guest in the chair is designer Jay Osgerby, one half of Barber Osgerby – the innovative design studio he helms alongside his friend and partner Ed Barber – his work spans architecture, interiors, furniture and product design. Jay’s top three living spaces around the world are a testament to his love of – and knack for – experimental design. He takes us on a journey through architecture, from Crete to Paris to London, and shares why each space holds particular significance for him.

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Paloma Faith: Singer-Songwriter Aug 19, 2021

The new series of The Modern House podcast is in full swing. Our next guest is the ever-eccentric, self-confessed fan of maximalism, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith. Unsurprisingly, her top three living spaces in the world are equally eclectic, from a seaside cottage like no other to the whimsical space of an interior designer and even a London nightclub - a first for The Modern House Podcast.

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John Pawson, Designer: Special Episode Aug 05, 2021

Calling all John Pawson super fans and architecture enthusiasts alike: in this special episode, the celebrated architect gives Matt Gibberd a walking tour of Home Farm, his self-designed, countryside residence in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire. Ever wondered what’s inside John’s pantry? What grows in his orchard? Where he sources his furniture? Listen now to find out.

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John Pawson: Designer Jul 29, 2021

It’s here: the new series of The Modern House Podcast, in which Matt Gibberd invites architects, designers, artists, and creatives to share their top three living spaces in the world and discuss the timeless design principles that contribute to the success of their choices – from space to light; materials to a connection with nature. Our guest for the first episode of Series Two is John Pawson, the godfather of minimalist architecture.

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Season 2 Preview Jul 23, 2021

Next week, we launch a new series of The Modern House podcast, in which we invite architects, designers, artists and creatives to share their top three living spaces around the world. In our second series you can expect conversations with John Pawson, designer Jay Osgerby, singer-songwriter Paloma Faith and more, as we continue to explore the significance of home. Make sure to follow the show to be the first to hear of new episodes.

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Jeff Taylor: Founder, Courier Magazine Mar 12, 2021

Courier magazine seeks out stories of people doing things on their own terms. But what about its founder, Jeff Taylor? Find out how he approaches life, work and home on this episode, plus discover what Jeff picked as his top three living spaces around the world.

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Ross Bailey: Entrepreneur Dec 03, 2020

How has the global pandemic changed our high streets? Is the future of the local shop looking better or worse after Covid? Hear Ross Bailey, founder and CEO of Appear Here, the ‘Airbnb for retail’, discuss all that and more on this issue of the podcast. Plus, what did Ross select as his top three living spaces in the world?

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Simon Allford: Architect Oct 29, 2020

On the tenth episode of our podcast, Simon Allford, co-founder of international architecture practice AHMM and future RIBA president, talks architecture, homes and the power of ‘everyday buildings’. Plus, how has he turned a swimming pool into a living space? And what are his top three living spaces anywhere in the world? Tune in now to find out.

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Ab Rogers: Designer Sep 10, 2020

Ab Rogers is the creative director of his namesake design and architecture studio, based in east London. Tune in to hear how a childhood "marinated in design", including site visits to the Centre Pompidou, designed by his father, Richard Rogers, lay the foundation for a career defined by experimentation and a trademark use of bold colours.

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Charlie Casely-Hayford: Fashion Designer Jul 09, 2020

For fashion designer Charlie Casely-Hayford, a sense of personal style runs deep. Son of the late influential designer Joe Casely-Hayford OBE, he grew accustomed to the world of fashion from an early age. Father and son teamed up to form their own label in 2009. Listen as Charlie reflects on his aesthetic, work and life; his appreciation of Japanese craft; and how he sees his retirement looking, as he picks his top three favourite living spaces around the world.

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Michael Craig-Martin: Artist Jun 18, 2020

Michael Craig-Martin, internationally-renowned conceptual artist, shares with us his favourite living spaces and reflects on his decades-long career and love of modernist design. Craig-Martin explains why he has a thing for minimalism, and what it was like to teach the YBA artists Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, in the mid-1980s.

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Lucinda Chambers: Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur May 29, 2020

Lucinda Chambers is the ex fashion director of British Vogue, turned fashion designer and entrepreneur. Tune in to hear Chambers reflect on her peripatetic childhood, her career at Vogue and her life-long love of fashion and interiors, as well as her top three living spaces across the world.

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Faye Toogood: Designer May 07, 2020

Faye Toogood is a multi-disciplinary designer whose work, spanning furniture, interiors and fashion, is subject to her explorative approach to form, fondness of colours inspired by British landscapes and a sculptor’s love of materials. Listen as Toogood reveals her affinity with the Bloomsbury group’s flamboyance, Sri Lankan modernism and California’s mid-century design legacy.

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Edmund de Waal: Artist and Writer Apr 23, 2020

Edmund de Waal, internationally renowned artist and writer, talks to us about architecture as craft and the beauty of materials, a fascination that was sparked when he began making pottery aged just five. Listen as de Waal takes us on a journey from an experimental modernist family home in California to an Arts and Crafts icon in Bexleyheath, and hear why, for him, home is retreat.

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Jonathan Tuckey: Architectural Designer Apr 02, 2020

Jonathan Tuckey came to architecture via studying social anthropology, which taught him the human value of well-designed spaces and the importance of home. It might also explain his taste for working with old buildings, forging original designs with contemporary materials from the remnants of bakeries, ironmongers, chapels and more.

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Tom Broughton: Founder of Cubitts Mar 05, 2020

Welcome to the Isokon penthouse, home of Tom Broughton, founder of modern spectacle makers Cubitts. It’s no surprise Tom chose this iconic building, which he bought via the Modern House in 2018, as his first pick of top three homes. We explore the charming economy of the design, how to furnish the museum-quality space and the appeal of living in a building that once operated as the de facto London campus of the Bauhaus for the German school’s émigré faculty staff.

To find out more, please follow this link.

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Rosa Park: Editor of Cereal magazine Jan 24, 2020

Rosa Park is founding editor of Cereal, which is dedicated to thoughtful travel and lifestyle stories and known for its pared-back aesthetic. Here she reveals her love of Bath’s limestone buildings, the unique style of her family home - and why you'd better not call her a minimalist.

To see images of the spaces chosen by Rosa, please follow this link.

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