House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews

Today we are looking back at one of my favourite House Guest podcasts - the dreamy Martyn Lawrence Bullard. One of the most talented and entertaining people i have met, I met up with Martyn in Paris in 2019 to chat about how he conquered the celebrity world to become their go-to interior designer. He relates delicious stories about Cher’s bathroom and working with the Kardashian clan. I’m also delighted to say this is one of the podcasts that you can tune into on British Airways inflight entertainment (click on the Audio section and you’ll find us on board). Enjoy.

Today's House Guest is the guru of interiors - Nina Campbell. Nina was my very first podcast victim and has graciously agreed to chat again to celebrate 50 years in the business. Having started with John Fowler at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, 'I considered myself lucky to be carrying his bags', she says, Nina went on to work for Mark Birley on the interiors of Annabel’s members’ club. They teamed up to open a shop on the Pimlico Road, SW1. Nina explains: 'Eventually Mark got bored, but I continued and moved to Walton Street, SW3. I was a bit tired of interior design at that point but, one day, Anne Heseltine walked into the shop and asked if I could decorate her and Michael’s new house on Chapel Street, SW1. It turned out to be a house in which I had lived as a child. I’ve always been guided by these sorts of things – interference from the Almighty, so to speak. Interior design is a bossy business and if you’re that way inclined and someone asks you to help, you say, ‘Yes.’

Tune in to hear about what Nina has been up to recently and her top tips on decorating a beautiful home.

My House Guests this week are Skye Gyngell and David Rowley, who between them oversee food and farm at Heckfield Place in Hampshire. "When a restaurant has a real relationship with a farm, it's both of our work on the plate.' explains Skye, who rose to fame via the food pages of Vogue and the Michelin-star Petersham Nurseries before launching Spring restaurant at Somerset House. The ethos of food at Heckfield starts with the soil and follows the principles of biodynamic farming. David explains how understanding the movements of the sun and moon and seeding at favourable times results in fruit and vegetables that taste as Mother Nature intended. Tune in for more and to hear about Heckfield's monthly produce sales (starting this month) where you can visit the gardens and buy pickles, jams, cordial, flowers and home made bread - a wonderful day out and a taste of Heckfield (visit heckfieldhomefarm.com for details).

After training at Paris’s oldest couture school Sabina applied for a work placement at Alexander McQueen and there was able to hone her craft. ‘Alexander McQueen was the ultimate storyteller and everything there is hand-drawn. They sat me down at a desk and gave me a pencil.' After McQueen, she decided to go it alone printing her own designs onto silk squares. She sold these ‘to all my mum’s friends’, but the money funded the next collection. Sabina’s designs are rich in detail, each one taking between 4 and 6 weeks. They now sell in Fortnum and Mason in the UK, and she has a big following in the US. Her latest collection, Panchatantra, is based on an ancient Indian book of moralistic animal stories. Tune in for more and visit sabinasavage.com to feast your eyes.

My House Guest this week is garden designer Richard Miers who will be showcasing a garden next week at Chelsea. 'I've always wanted to do the RHS flower show, it's a bit like Everest for a garden designer,' he explains, 'always there as the ultimate challenge'. The garden is sponsored by Perennials, the gardeners' charity, which inspired Richard's theme of love and nurture. 'I knew i wanted it to be enclosed and sheltered so you get the feeling of being looked after, that's what the charity does, it cares about the horticultural community'. Richard gives an insight into the process of design, and how he is bringing in elements never been seen before at Chelsea. 'It's been an incredibly tense few weeks', he says, 'i've had to up my game'. Tune in for more.

Welcome to the third episode of this new 'How To' series of House Guest. Today's House Guest is Morten Warren, well known in the industrial design world for his work with Philippe Starck and global brands such as Bang & Olufson and Samsung. Zuma is his new baby - Morten had a light bulb moment when renovating his home and wondering why so much wiring was needed for sound and technology. Zuma puts everything you need into one light fitting - the alchemy of design and technology which is wowing the interiors world. Tune in for more.

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.