House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews

This week, we chat to Freya Simms, who is heading up LAPADA, a fair in Berkeley Square showcasing jewellery, silver, art and antiques, opening on 27 September.

We're kicking off a new series of House Guest with Jules Haines, founder of the textile resale platform Haines. Jules is on a mission to tackle waste in the textile industry by working with designer brands to resell their surplus and deadstock fabric. The Haines platform now offers a huge selection of products, from gorgeous fabrics to cushions made from offcuts destined for landfill. Tune in for more.

Today we're revisiting a chat with Emma Manners, the Duchess of Rutland, who lives in one of Britain’s most magnificent stately homes: Belvoir Castle. The Duchess chats to Carole about her journey from running around on a Welsh farm as a child to running a 200-room stately home when she married the 11th Duke of Rutland 30 years ago. As a keen decorator, she gives an insight into how she stamped her personality onto the private areas of the house and how looking after fabrics and wallpapers in the State Rooms requires a delicate hand.

This week, we're revisiting our chat with Emma Sims Hilditch, an interior designer who grew up in a creative home where her mother loved to follow decorating trends, from 70s swirls to 80s swags. Emma inherited her mother’s creative gene, but, ‘I wouldn’t follow a trend,’ she says, ‘because if you’re not careful trends move on and then you’re stuck’. As well as discussing her book, 'The Evolution of Home,' with Giles Kime – a fascinating dive into how English country house style has changed – she offers tips on how to bring atmosphere into a house (you need a multi-faceted approach) and why the dining room is back in fashion but not in its traditional guise. Tune in for more.

This week we're revisiting a favourite podcast with one of the best production designers of his generation: Lee Broom. Lee is one of the UK’s leading furniture and lighting designers and a premium global design brand. His Crystal Bulb launched one of his earliest designs and was an instant hit, making him a darling of the design world and one who has continued to reach new heights with everything he does. Tune in for more.

This week we are revisiting an old favourite: an interview with garden designer Richard Miers before last year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He ended up with the People's Choice award for his Love Garden. Tune in to hear all about how to design a garden fit for the famous Flower Show.

For any interior designers looking for that special something – whether it's a unique piece of ceramic to finish an interior, or individual hand-made cushions – head to Luiza Marra at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. At Colony by Casa Luiza, you will find beautiful objects, fabrics from Colony Roma, and furniture chosen with Luiza’s meticulous eye. As the daughter of an ambassador, Luiza has lived all over the world gathering knowledge and taking in the world around her. Interiors are her second career and her passion shines through. Tune in to hear about decorating Mosimann’s private dining room, how she discovered her flair for design, and her most recent collaboration with Natalia Miyar for WOW house, which opens next week (visit dcch.co.uk for tickets).

From aviation law to interior design, Noor Charchafchi made a significant career change and launched a successful design business, Celine Interior Design, while also bringing up three children. She is passionate about the impact of good interiors on people’s lives. Her Iraqi heritage also plays an important role: ‘l feel 100% Iraqi and 100% English rather than 50% of anything’, she tells Carole Annett. Tune in for more, including how to design amazing kids' bedrooms.

Be transported to the realm of magic and myth in this episode, as Carole Annett chats to British graphic artist and homeware designer Emma J Shipley. From fabrics and wallpaper to lampshades and candles, Emma's intricate designs bring to life the most enchanting aspects of the natural world. She delves into her artistic inspiration and discusses the origins of her unique style, which channels her childhood love of fantasy novels and films as well as experiences from her travels. She offers us an insight into her success and gives us the lowdown on her stunning new Quetzal collection.

We’re whisking you away to the sunshine of the French Riviera in this episode, as we head to Nice. Once home to Coco Chanel and Henri Matisse, Nice lost its mojo over the last decade or so, but it’s back – and an influx of luxury hotels are hustling for the supermodel crown along the Promenade des Anglais. Leading the way is the Anantara Plaza (anantara.com), a belle époque beauty dating from 1848. Carole Annett sits down with general manager Stéphane Vilar to hear about the hotel’s history, its new look, and what it takes to entice a new generation of discerning travellers.

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