Welcome to the second episode of this new 'How To' series of House Guest. This week's podcast is all about tiling - 'How To get to grips with tiles'. Interiors editor Carole Annett chats to Rob Whitaker, Creative Director and co-founder of Claybrook Tiles. 'The whole tile world can be a bit of an enigma,' says Rob, 'knowing the difference between a floor and wall tile, what's suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The first question we usually get is, "is it suitable for a wet area"'. Rob lends a guiding hand through the world of tiles - it has changed enormously over the last few years with the introduction of porcelain tiles which opens up a whole new look. 'you need to know what you are buying', says Rob, 'and where it's going to be used. Natural materials like terracotta and stone are beautiful but are porous - put in the work initially, make sure it's sealed properly and look after it - you just need to know what you're buying'. Tune in for more.

Welcome to the first episode of this new 'How To' series of House Guest where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. 'Rattan makes a statement in an understated way, which is why i think it's so glamorous,' says Louise Roe of Sharland England. In this week's House Guest episode, Louise gives tips on how to decorate with rattan and explains why she fell in love with this most sustainable of materials. A journalist by trade - she has worked with Vogue.com and In-style and is the weekly fashion presenter on This Morning, Louise's love of rattan was inspired by her Argentine grandmother (Sharland was her maiden name) who, 'had great style, was a bit rebellious and occasionally naughty'. Louise loves the nostalgia of rattan, its warmth and colour and explains how to use it in a modern home. 'Going too old-fashioned makes an interior look like a tv set and that's not ideal,' she says. Tune in for more.

Welcome to episode 159 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. My House Guests this week are Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood of Collagerie. 'The most beautiful shopping experience you can have', Collagerie offers an innovative online shopping experience, characterised with carefully curated stories. Created by former editors of Vogue, Lucinda Chambers and Serena Hood, Collagerie celebrates shopping at every price point. From fashion to beauty to lifestyle, they delight and inspire, finding you the one thing over everything. Here, they chat about their inspirations behind Collagerie, their experience of setting up a business together and their plans for the future. Tune in for more. Check out their website and Instagram. 

Welcome to episode 158 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. My House Guest this week is Tom Dixon, known as a restless innovator who rose to prominence in the mid-1980s as a maverick, untrained designer with a line in welded salvage furniture. While working with the Italian giant Cappellini he designed the widely acclaimed ‘S’ Chair and Creative Director at Habitat rejuvenating the brand while maintaining Terence Conran’s vision of enriching everyday life through simple, modern design. In 2007, he launched Design Research Studio, a design and innovations agency at the heart of Tom Dixon, now based at Coal Office in London’s King’s Cross, which operates as an office, shop, workshop and restaurant all under one roof. We chat about his love of making things, which includes food, hence his collaboration with chef Assaf Granit - Coal Office is their food and design playground, rich in material, style and flavour. He also has a wry take on his early designs: ‘After 20 years in the business, I still feel young and there’s a lot to do, it’s both fabulous and depressing that my stuff is now being sold in antique shops and occasionally a car boot sale'. Tune in for more.

Welcome to episode 157 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. If you’re dreaming of an Italian getaway, today’s podcast is for you. Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife Nencia Corsini have created Castello di Reschio, a castle sitting at the top of undulating Umbrian landscape, a blissful escape. Just reopening after its winter slumber, the interior and most of the castle’s furniture is designed by Benedikt himself, a trained architect and utter perfectionist. He couldn’t find a coffee machine without plastic pods so he made one, he doesn’t like how technology affects our sleep so the mattresses have special magnetic toppers to repel white light, he doesn’t like corridors (they feel too ‘hotel-y’) so suites fan out from a central courtyard – every detail is researched and tested to make guests feel at home. Whether you’re walking the grounds, watching the horses exercise in the equestrian centre, eating freshly foraged delicacies, admiring Nencia’s artwork and flowers or having the knots in your shoulders eased in the former wine cellar’s spa, Reschio delights and charms at every turn. Tune in for more.

Welcome to episode 156 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. This week's guest is former editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration and dubbed ‘interiors guru’ by The Sunday Times, Michelle Ogundehin, writer, author, brand consultant and tv presenter. Her book, Happy Inside, of which designer Jonathan Adler says:  ‘Prozac, shmozac, Michelle’s book is the only anti-depressant you need – it’s my bible’ has recently launched. She is on our screens next week when the new series of Interior Design Masters starts Weds 9th at 9pm, where guests include Matthew Williamson, Mary Portas and Guy Oliver. Michelle and I chat about filming the new series, how the future of interior design is shaping up and how she believes, along with good food and exercise, environment is the third pillar of wellbeing. Tune in for more.

Welcome to episode 155 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. It’s an exciting year ahead for this week's House Guest, the acclaimed interior and furniture designer Francis Sultana. His first hotel project opens in Capri in July (Hotel La Palma, part of the Oetker Collection) and his had taken on the custodianship of The Hunting Lodge, John Fowler’s gothic mansion in Hampshire – which Nicky Haslam recently vacated. He has no formal training, ‘Growing up in Gozo, I read House & Garden and World of Interiors magazines, and watched a lot of episodes of 80's TV drama Dynasty; I was a sponge for information. I knew I loved houses from a very early age’. He's on the international council for the design museum, is CEO of the David Gill Gallery, the Ambassador of Culture for Malta, and is working on Malta's first contemporary art museum which will open in 2023. Tune in for more...

Welcome to episode 154 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. This week’s House Guest is Nicky Dobree, a leading interior designer who specialises in luxury ski chalets. She began by transforming her own chalet from its pine cookie cutter style, to one with a big Italian kitchen, big picture frame windows and contemporary furniture, and she is now on her 50th chalet. We chat about how she got into the industry, the difference between a typical house project and a ski chalet, and attention to sustainability when embarking on projects. Tune in for more...

Welcome to episode 153 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. This week’s House Guest is Jen Bernard, an interior designer and managing director of Bernard Interiors, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. she is reimagining the growing are of high-end residential care and she's a leader in the field, and it's fascinating to hear about the huge potential in the market. We chat about her aim in moving away from the stigma surrounding care homes and its typical institutionalised design; she instead creates an environment which is not only beautiful but appealing. Jen recently completed the Nightingale Development - a block of luxury apartments overlooking Clapham Common - in 2020. Tune in for more...

Welcome to episode 152 of the House Guest podcast, where Country & Town House Magazine's Interiors Editor Carole Annett chats with experts from the world of interior design and decoration. This week’s House Guest is the furniture designer and interior decorator, Tim Gosling. Both a highly prominent and eminent figure in the world of interior design, he is known for creatively combining historical and modern techniques to create bespoke designs. Tim has an incredible eye, and is intent on creating pieces that are both timeless and sentimental. A great raconteur, he chats about the significance of colour, his renovation project of his own 57 room French Chateau and even his stint on stage in a pantomime. He fascinatingly reveals that the spectrum of colour has changed and developed in history, and continues to do so, and he recants working with Graphenstone, a carbon neutral paint company, when renovating the Chateau. Tune in for more stories.