House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews

Sophie Paterson is a tour de force in the world of interior design. For the past 16 years she has built a reputation for creating homes that blend comfort with sophistication. Generous with her knowledge to her (almost one million) followers on social media, she has recently launched an online academy with ‘everything I wish I had been told when I started a career in design’. Down to earth, honest and easy going, she loves a car boot sale and is currently drawing every dog she’s ever been acquainted with (including my own lurcher) for a special wallpaper launch. Sophie is always a delight to chat to. Tune in for more.

Natalia Miyar never wanted to have a house style, rather she seeks to tell the personal story of her clients . Carole catches up with the in-demand interior designer (whose work is currently taking her around the world) to discuss the challenge of expressing a client's personality, as well as how she strikes a balance between aspiration and familiarity in her designs.

This week, Carole visits design studio Albion Nord to discover how the brand has redefined luxury through their pared-back aesthetic. Sitting down with director Ben Johnson and associate Becky Floyd, they discuss how the British landscape inspired their design of the Brittanic Explorer train.

Simone Suss of Studio Suss specialises in creating contemporary spaces that balance function, elegance and environmental responsibility. 'The UK throws away 22million pieces of furniture every year, over 670,000 tonnes’, she says. 'The design industry needs to be aware and to do something about it.’ Tune in for more about Simone’s approach to regenerative design.  

For our final dip into the past, today it's my design guru Nina Campbell. Sit back, listen and learn from the magnificent lady herself. Always a joy to chat to. Thank you Nina.

We will be back with a new series of House Guest on September 12. Join me then.

Author, journalist and podcaster Pandora Sykes was one of my first podcasts. I have always admired her and was delighted she agreed to be a House Guest. Renowned for her personal style, as you will hear, I was completely wrong when it came to guessing her taste in fabrics for the home.

Our Summer series continues today with an interview with internationally renowned product designer Lee Broom. Having started out in theatre, he then moved into fashion after meeting Vivienne Westwood, who was a huge inspiration. 'Lee Broom is to furniture what Marc Jacobs or Tom Ford are to fashion’. Tune in for more.

Continuing our summer series of favourite episodes, this week Carole chats to Matthew Williamson. Matthew is a British interior designer who began his career in fashion before pivoting seamlessly into interiors. He is renowned for his use of colour but as he says, ‘I do like a balance and not everything should jump out at the same time. It’s about knowing about colour and how to use it well - understanding layers’. 

This episode is sponsored by Naturalmat. naturalmat.co.uk

Continuing our summer series of favourite episodes, this week Carole chats to LA-based interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard whose client list reads like an Oscars party - Kylie Jenner, Cher, Tommy Hilfiger, Winnie Harlow and a host of others. As  Rupaul says, ‘Martyn carries the torch of the divine, the sublime, and the beautiful. I trust his eye implicitly’.  

For some easy summer listening, we're relaunching some of House Guest's greatest hits, starting from 2019. In this episode, Carole Annett chats to tastemaker Lucy Williams.

This episode is sponsored by Naturalmat. naturalmat.co.uk