Explore every episode of the podcast House Guest by Country & Town House | Interior Designer Interviews

This week, Carole's House Guest is Julie Montagu, Countess of Sandwich – the American-born author, entrepreneur and yoga teacher who runs Mapperton, her husband Luke's family seat in west Dorset. 'Lunching in London is not even in my vocabulary,' says Julie. 'I am a doer.' Speaking from the Tudor manor house, she talks about rewilding 1,000 acres of the estate, the silk scarf that is funding the restoration of Mapperton's West Bedroom, her new book, and Stately, her new online members' club for lovers of Britain's historic houses, launching on 16 November. 

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. 

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’.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As we are well into the summer season – with Royal Ascot behind us and Wimbledon still ongoing – Carole Annett chats to Hattie Hansard of Joanna Wood about how interior designers are often employed by hospitality companies to transform these temporary spaces into something magical. Using a clever eye and often complicated logistics, here's how they create a memorable space for guests enjoying a day out.

This week, we've gone a little bit off-piste from interiors as I sit down to chat to Kiki McDonough. A favourite jeweller to the royals (with Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales regularly seen wearing her pieces), she has now worked in the industry for over 40 years. Sitting at the helm of a much-loved, globally-renowned brand, the fifth generation jeweller is renowned for her pioneering use of coloured gemstones.

One of the first women to make a name for herself in the British, luxury jewellery world, Kiki has built a well-respected business on her own with the support of a great team, while juggling two sons, multiple patronages and a social life that would tire most 20-somethings. We talk about running a business and the very exciting news that she has just gained a royal warrant.

What does it take to turn a house into a home? For Christophe Carpente – the French-born, Swiss-trained architect behind some of the world's most considered luxury interiors – the answer lies in chemistry, trust, and the willingness to let go.

In this episode of House Guest, Carpente joins Carole from his Notting Hill studio to reflect on nearly 30 years of practice: from designing flagship stores for Cartier, Burberry and De Beers, to the deeply personal work of building homes for their owners.

Sponsored by Aqualisa Showers.

'There are two sides to designing something: it needs to be useful and it needs to be beautiful,’ says John Sims-Hilditch, co-founder of Neptune, which is celebrating 30 years of making furniture and accessories for the home. ‘I actually slightly fall into beauty being the most important thing in design,’ he continues. ‘Utility falls away but beauty endures’. Tune in for more about how John and his business partner Giles Redman went from selling hammocks to building a hugely successful brand.

Carole Annett talks to Charu Gandhi of Elicyon about what it takes to create luxurious, welcoming spaces for a discerning clientele.

'There’s always something I’m worrying about. For the months the project is with you they are like your children. I’ve recently been fretting about a pair of bar stools in a project - are they the right height and if the cushions are plump enough. There’s a soap dish on another project I don't like… do we need a soap dish, are soap dishes cool? I really care,' she laughs, 'and I should care as clients are entrusting us with a meaningful part of their lives’.

Tune in for more including an insight into the Elicyon x Lalique bar at this year’s WOW House at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour.

Carole Annett chats to Philipp Nagel of Neatsmith and Charlotte-Elizabeth Evans, founder of Charlotte Elizabeth Interiors about the beauty, practicality, and lasting value of bespoke wardrobes. Together, they discuss how well-designed wardrobes and dressing rooms combine elegant aesthetics with storage tailored to individual lifestyles. Philipp shares insights into some of the projects he has worked on - including creating a display for a collection of Hermès Birkin bags, while Charlotte-Elizabeth offers design solutions on how to make storage as beautiful as it is functional, whatever your budget.

Carole talks to Claire German, CEO of Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, on the eve of this year's design showcase, WOW!house, an immersive experience where you can see, touch and feel fabulous spaces created by world-leading interior designers. Claire says, 'When people walk in I wanted them to go "wow", so that's why I thought calling it WOW!house was perfect; and to this day, I watch people arrive and walk in and the first thing they say is "wow", so my dreams have come true.' The event is open from 2 June to 2 July at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour.

Sponsored by Aqualisa Showers.

This week Carole chats to German industrial designer Stefan Diez. One of the best in the business, Diez's designs touch the everyday, from baths to chairs, bar stools and benches. His design is firmly rooted in the workshop, where he indulges his passion for material experimentation. The son of a cabinetmaker he says he had the perfect childhood, being left alone in his father's workshop. He lectures at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna but beware students trying to impress. His message to young designers: ‘Don't think you’re special and don't start by making meaningful things. Keep it simple and respect the materials. Go and explore. I like to be surprised by ingenious ideas that simplify everything, like a magic trick.'

'I know sometimes clients struggle to make a decision and I just say the same thing: go with your gut,' says interior designer Brian Woulfe. 'That visceral reaction, that emotional reaction, if you love it go for it, go make it work.' Today, Brian Woulfe is best-known for Designed by Woulfe – his multi-awarding winning, luxury interior design studio based in London. But that wasn't always the plan. A polo player, concert pianist and father to two dogs, Brian Woulfe has done it all. Tune in to discover how.

Sponsored by Aqualisa Showers.

Multi-award winning, New York based designer Young Huh is this week’s House Guest. Masterful at crafting a sense of place, she is one of the designers at this year’s WOW House event at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour. She says of the room she is showcasing, the design of which was influenced by her love of Korean folk art: 'It has lots of small moments – that’s how I like to design. First you have a big impact and as you explore a room you then see more and more detail.' Young Huh is about to launch a new book and has a very special reason for visiting London – her love of sausage rolls.

Sponsored by Aqualisa Showers.

Sarah Wetenhall is the owner and CEO of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach and the soon-to-open Hedges in East Hampton. With no prior experience of running a hotel, Sarah used her marketing background and love of entertaining to bring Palm Beach’s iconic luxury beach house back to life. ‘We have one foot in the sand and one foot on Worth Avenue,' she says. The hotel is a go-to for celebrities and Sarah has collaborated with luxury brands and clients such as Aerin Lauder and Gwyneth Paltrow. Apple TV also came calling for a takeover when its Palm Royale TV show went live: a wonderful story of a love affair with an iconic hotel.Sponsored by Aqualisa Showers.

'I think there are two things that make a good interior designer,' says Romanos Brihi, one half of Studio Vero alongside his partner in design Venetia Rudebeck: ‘Being nosy and having a good visual memory’. Friends since childhood, the pair crystallised their enduring partnership when they launched their studio in 2014. Their practice is renowned for breathing life into a space with flair, intrigue, antiques and art. Tune in to hear more about how they combine work and friendship, creating beautifully inviting interiors and having a lot of fun along the way. Carole caught up with them in Romanos’ newly-decorated Kensington home.

House Guest takes a short break after this episode – back in a few weeks’ time.

Renewable energy expert Ewan Frost-Pennington believes that like vultures – the star attraction at his Lake District home, Muncaster Castle – heat pumps are often painted under a bad light. Keep an open mind says Ewan as he tells Carole Annett how he convinced his parents to radically change their traditional thinking on heat and energy to transform the comfort levels, and coffers, of his ancestral home.

Sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

This week Carole sits down with Sandrine Zhang Ferron, the founder and CEO of Vinterior, as the online marketplace celebrates 10 years of selling beautiful pre-loved furniture.

‘I think that it’s important that things are beautiful and to be in beautiful places,’ says Sandrine. Sandrine values beauty so dearly, in fact, that she was inspired to quit her successful finance career when she found herself struggling to source the perfect Poul Volther chair to match the yellow of her cat’s eyes. Frustrated with the inefficiency of the vintage furniture market, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Motivated by her desire for a better pre-loved shopping experience, she taught herself to code – and so Vinterior was born. Tune in for more.

Fiona Barratt Campbell's 'industrial meets superluxe' design philosophy sets her apart and has earned her some impressive projects, including The Powerhouse Chelsea Waterfront – formerly the Lots Road power station which once powered the London Underground network. I met up with her in one of the penthouses to talk design, work-life, her love of rugged texture and natural stone and why everything she does has to have integrity. Tune in for more

'Young Sainsbury is a cheeky little sausage with the most wonderful eye for detail. His furniture is extraordinary', says his client Sir Rod Stewart. 

Meeting in Guy Goodfellow's Chelsea atelier, this week Carole Annett sits down with the design world's best-kept secret: Jonathan Sainsbury. Founded in 1918, his eponymous family-run business has a reputation for creating some of the finest furniture in the world, often (though, as he stresses, not always) inspired by classical interiors of the 18th- and 19th-centuries. The key to his success? Quality. As he tells Carole: 'I only trade off my quality. I don't trade off price. I don't trade off being the quickest in the world. I don't trade off any of that. I only trade off people saying "If you want the best job then go and see Jonny and he'll sort it out for you".'

This week Carole sat down with celebrated chef Jason Atherton to chat about life, food, Michelin stars and his collaboration with luxury kitchen design company Smallbone. As a young boy growing up in Skegness, working in a restaurant gave Jason discipline, which along with a lifelong passion for fresh seasonal ingredients, has shaped his life. He has been married for 22 years with three daughters and they all know how to cook pasta from scratch. Tune in to hear more about fine dining, the simple way to upscale supermarket tomato purée and how to design a perfect kitchen.

Coco Chanel once said: 'Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury' – words that perfectly encompass the philosophy of this week's House Guest, Alua Kul, of Lumi Interiors. 'Practicality and functionality are the most important aspects of interior design,' she says. Tune in to hear more about how she fell in love with interior design and used her inquisitive mind and business acumen to set up a successful business practice which bridges London and Dubai.

'When we talk about hotels, we talk about building soulful places at scale and you have to feel a connection,' says Tara Bernerd, founder and head of a globally-renowned multi-disciplinary design studio Tara Bernerd & Partners. Tune in to hear more about her projects including the stunning Maroma – a Belmond hotel on the Maya Riviera in Mexico – her collaboration with Italian brand Frette, the time she met Robert Redford in an elevator, and why she’s learning all the time.

From the Alps to Mallorca, Mélie Dunod's August Collections bring elegance, efficiency and eco-conscious design to co-ownership, making the European holiday home dream much more attainable. The chic co-founder of August chats to Carole Annett about why becoming an entrepreneur was inevitable, what the tick-box is for each property August buys, and why she never asks for preferences or advice on the interior design. Tune in for more.

The first House Guest podcast of our new series is interior design supremo Kelly Hoppen. Renowned for her love of neutrals – ‘They are good for your state of mind,’ she says – Kelly tells Carole Annett about her East meets West philosophy, what happened when she met her design icon, Ralph Lauren, how excited she is about creating the ultimate home on the high street with her M&S collections, and why 2026 will be pivotal for her career. The podcast was recorded in December 2025.

Is this the future of vintage furniture shopping? This week, Carole sits down with Portuguese interior designer Barbara Neto to hear about how she's challenging the design industry's status quo with the launch of Curiouz. Describing the brand as more than a marketplace, but a movement, the AI powered platform is designed to revolutionise vintage furniture shopping. Born out of her own frustrations as a seller and consumer (never sure if the information she was given about items were correct or how they would arrive), she created Curiouz so that designers could finally shop and sell with confidence.

'I think the only thing I can rely on is my intuition and instinct,' says this week's house guest Irishman Shayne Brady. A recurring guest on BBC Interior Design Masters (they can't get enough of him and who can blame them), Shayne has recently consciously uncoupled from Brady Williams, the studio he set up with his former business partner Emily over 13 years ago (they still talk most days).

He has taken his commercial clients, including restaurant supremo Jeremy King, into the new studio. Among his many projects is the soon to reopen Simpson's in the Strand. Shayne had me giggling most of the afternoon – loved my time with him. Tune in for more.

This week Carole Annett sits down with interior designer Guy Goodfellow in his stunning London townhouse. Guy and his team of architects and designers are renowned for creating comfortable and inviting spaces in grand and historic estates. Armed with his passion for detail, in this episode he and Carole discuss how to imbue modern properties with historic character, and how to add a contemporary edge to older homes.

This week, Carole sits down with mirror master Dominic Schuster to discuss how he designs his antiqued and gilded mirror glass. With Decorex just around the corner, he explains how he transformed from a decorative antiques restorer to a mirror expert, talks his new furniture and lighting collection and shares some exciting upcoming projects.

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

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 Robert Kime.

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

'I'm completely driven by curiosity,' says Suzy Hoodless in the final episode of this House Guest series. Since her studio launched in 2000, Suzy has become one of the UK's most exciting designers. She chats to Carole Annett about her signature style, her work at WOW!House, and how the interior design industry has changed.

Today's House Guests are Sophie Eadie and Fi Crole, founders of design studio Eadie & Crole. They chat to Carole Annett about how they met, where they find design inspiration, and their new fabric collection.

This week's House Guest is Lee Lovett, co-founder and creative director of Soho Lighting. She shares her best lighting tips, discusses the evolution of the business, and gives us the rundown on their brand new collaboration with Historic Royal Palaces.