House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews

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De Rosée Sá’s Max de Rosée and Claire Sá on their ever-evolving architectural style Oct 30, 2026

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This week, Carole’s House Guests are husband-and-wife architects Max de Rosée and Claire Sá, founders of architecture and interior design studio De Rosée Sá. ‘There is a value in trying to create a little bit of mystery and not revealing everything at once,’ says Max. ‘As you go through and move from space to space, things reveal themselves.’ Speaking from their newest project – a four bedroom apartment at 60 Curzon in Mayfair which they designed for developer Valouran – the pair discuss character-driven interiors, why a little mystery matters, and how to create homes that just feel good.

Sean Symington on bringing fresh whimsy to traditional English interiors from his new Tetbury studio Oct 23, 2026

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This week, Carole's House Guest is Toronto-born, Bath-based designer Sean Symington. 'I’m definitely a traditionalist with interior design,’ he says. ‘I love antiques, I love traditional interiors, but I’m definitely – maybe it’s my North American roots – a little bit fresher with fabrics, a little bit punchier with the colour.’ Tune in to hear more about his career, his new studio and which design choice he thinks is ‘quite naff’.

How Christian Bense Made His Mark In The Design World Oct 16, 2026

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This week, Carole’s House Guest is South African-born designer Christian Bense. ‘There is an objectivity to the way we design’, he says. ‘Establishing first what’s best for the home, weaving in what’s best for the client, and then finishing off with a style that’s best for both’. Tune in to hear more about his career, his various projects and what special element of his homeland he would transpose to the UK.

Franky Rousell On Her Sensory-Led Design Studio Jolie Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

'You take each area of your home, or your restaurant or your hotel, and you really simply ask yourself: how do I want to feel in this space?,' says Franky Rousell. 'And it's such a powerful thing to do, to really sort of sit with it. You only need two or three words that really embody: what is it that I'm trying to achieve here?'

This weeks, Carole sits down with Franky to discuss her multi-sensory interior design studio, Jolie. Born from her entrepreneurial instincts in her 20s, Jolie was inspired by a drive to make sense of the world through creativity and science. Fascinated by the intersection of human behaviour, design and performance, Franky saw a business that needed more than beautiful spaces. It needed environments that embody brand, spark emotion and deliver results.

Tune in for more.

Finding Your Perfect Art Match With NALA's Penelope Sonder Oct 07, 2026

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This week, we meet Penelope Sonder of art discovery platform NALA. This digital matchmaking service – something that our interiors editor Carole Annett says she's never seen before – helps to introduce contemporary artists to new audiences, and is aimed at interior designers, collectors and casual buyers. Carole sits down with Penelope to find out more.

Uncanny Studio's Églantine Sicat & Pauline Dellemotte On Layering Spaces With Stories Sep 25, 2026

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We meet Églantine Sicat and Pauline Dellemotte of creative and design practice Uncanny Studio, which challenges conventional thinking and takes clients on a journey of emotions, sensations, and memories. A Franco-British interior design studio, it's built on a shared belief that spaces should tell stories. The studio's hospitality and residential projects skilfully blend mid-century elegance with contemporary flair, designed to leave a memory and foster special experiences. Carole sits down with the design duo to find out more.

How Rug Designer Laylah Holmes Moved From Handbags To Homes Sep 18, 2026

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After a career in the fashion industry working with, amongst others, Ralph Lauren, Laylah Holmes realised her future wasn’t in handbags but somewhere her imagination and creativity could fly.

Her rug business, Holmes Bespoke launched eight years ago and this summer Laylah opened her Chiswick showhouse – a beautiful studio with rugs on the walls, on headboards, seating, in the bathroom and even on a mirror. Carole went along to find out more.

Boura & White On Sofa-Buying And British Craft Sep 11, 2026

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Welcome to a new series of House Guest! This week, Carole sits down with Boura & White co-founders Abi Boura and Katie White in their Hampshire showroom to discuss sofa-buying and British craft.

As a female-led, British business Boura & White pride themselves in considerate craftsmanship, a sustainable approach, and in embracing the ethos of slow interiors and quiet luxury.

Farrow & Ball's Colour Queen Joa Studholme Reveals How She Dreams Up The Brand's Best-Loved Paint Names Jul 24, 2026

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This week Carole heads to the Chelsea showroom of Farrow & Ball paint to chat to Joa Studholme – the genius behind paint colours such as Elephant’s Breath and Skimming Stone. She joined Farrow & Ball more than 30 years ago, and as well as developing new colours, she consults on design projects all over the world. Joa shares her wealth of knowledge on choosing paint and hints at the colour trends ahead. She also admits how many times she repaints her own home every year. Tune in for more.

House Guest now takes a short summer break. Thanks for listening and please join us again in September.

How AGA Has Warmed Homes & Hearts For 100 Years Jul 17, 2026

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With names such as Jilly Cooper, Daisy Lowe and Mary Berry amongst its fanbase, few brands encompass as much love, friendship, and loyalty as AGA. This week Carole sits down with Dominic Worsley and Laura James of AGA Rangemaster to talk about the brand’s renaissance under new leadership, as well as its new colours, new controls and much-loved heritage. Tune in for anecdotes, snippets of AGA history, plans for the future, and to discover the brilliant sales advice advertising guru David Ogilvy came up with when he worked for the cast-iron cooker brand.

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