Homing

Why do we feel homesick when we’re away? And why can it sometimes feel so unsettling when we finally find our way back? Professor Susan J. Matt is a historian of emotions at Weber State University and the author of several books about our emotional relationship with home, consumerism and technology – including Homesickness: An American History. Once considered a legitimate medical diagnosis, homesickness came to be seen as a sign of weakness and a lack of adaptability. In this conversation, Susan traces how this shift happened, and what we’ve lost because of it. Together, we explore why childhood homes exert such a powerful pull on us, how memory tends to idealise the past, and why our homes need to connect us to the world beyond their walls. We also discuss how envy went from being a sin to a driving force behind consumerism; and what constantly looking at other people’s lives and homes is doing to our satisfaction with our own. To hear more from Susan: Email: smatt@weber.edu Website:…

Antiques dealer Will Fisher was obsessed with English country houses from age seven – a fascination that sparked a lifelong pursuit of beauty. Will grew up in southeast London, the son of two working-class teachers, and persuaded his parents to take him on country house visits, dreaming of recreating their beauty in his own home. Today, Will is one of London's most respected antiques dealers. Alongside his wife, Charlotte Freemantle, he owns Jamb, which is known for its refined fireplaces, lighting and furniture. Their shared home in Camberwell is a treasure trove of objects amassed over a lifetime. In this conversation, Will talks about his serendipitous journey into the world of antiques, his experiences of dyslexia and feeling like an outsider, and how he's created an environment that helps him feel at home in himself. He also speaks with remarkable openness about a traumatic experience in his teens that had a lasting impact on his mental health. This is a conversation about beauty, chance and what it…

For Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak, home isn't a physical place; it lives in the stories we tell. Elif is an award-winning novelist, celebrated for writing about the lives of people on the margins. She has spent much of her life moving between countries, cultures and languages. Yet she feels most at home in the world of books, stories and imagination – a place she calls ‘Storyland’. In this conversation, we talk about the loneliness that first drew her to stories, and what it means to write in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. She also tells me about being forced to write with her right hand as a child, her experience of postpartum depression, and why it’s so important that we talk openly about our mental health. This is a conversation about stories, exile and belonging – and how home can be found beyond the physical. Guest Info: Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-eight languages. Her new novel IN ONE BRIEF MOMENT ALL ETERNITY is…

Dan Martensen is a portrait and fashion photographer whose work appears in Vogue, i-D and WSJ Magazine. He’s also the founder of It’s Bagels, bringing the New York-style bagel he grew up with to London. In this conversation, Dan talks about being uprooted from his childhood home at eleven, struggling to fit in at school, and learning to hide his sensitivity to get by. We discuss how those early experiences influenced his work as a photographer, his instinctive ability to connect with people, and his marriage to stylist Clare Richardson. Dan also tells the brilliantly chaotic story of renovating his house while simultaneously opening the first It’s Bagels in Primrose Hill – a business born, quite literally, from his homesickness for New York. Having once been the person his friends thought would never leave New York, Dan reflects on the unexpected process of putting down roots in London, and how this house finally made it feel like home. This episode was filmed inside Dan’s home in North-West London. Join our…

Writer and creative coach Amie McNee believes that creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s a fundamental human need, and one that many of us are suppressing. Amie has a wonderfully broad definition of creativity. It might mean writing a novel or painting a picture, but it could just as easily be gardening, baking a cake, or singing in the shower. It’s not about creating something good, useful, or profitable; it’s about making things because that’s what humans do. In this conversation, we talk about what happens to us when we neglect the instinct to create, and why modern life makes it increasingly difficult to protect. We also discuss the role the home plays in creativity—why Amie believes we should leave our creative materials lying around, and why she's fiercely protective of the space and solitude she needs to write. Amie McNee: Amie McNee is a writer, artist and creator. Her book We Need Your Art, a manifesto on the vital, human importance for creating art, is available here:…

At 91, Rose Wylie has one of the most remarkable stories in contemporary British art. She stopped painting in order to raise her three children and returned to it in middle age, finding widespread recognition in her seventies. Today her work is exhibited around the world, and earlier this year she had a major show at the Royal Academy. For the past 58 years, Rose has lived in the same house in Kent. It’s an extraordinary space where piles of discarded paper are strewn across the floor, and the windows are covered in paint. Rose has little interest in domestic rules: she doesn’t tidy her studio, leaves her garden to run wild, and lets the house adapt around her life and art. In this conversation, we explore the influences that shaped Rose’s unconventional life – from her wartime upbringing as the youngest of seven, to her partnership with her late husband Roy Oxlade, and finding global acclaim later in life. Rose’s story is one of freedom, creativity, ageing, and the value of allowing a home – and perhaps a…

We spend around a third of our lives asleep, yet for so many of us, getting a good night’s sleep can feel like a real struggle. Could our homes hold some of the answers to sleeping better? In this conversation, leading sleep expert and Oxford Professor of Circadian Neuroscience Russell Foster rethinks the rules of sleep and explores how we can create a home environment that supports our natural rhythms. We discuss why getting outside in the morning is one of the best things we can do for sleep, how to navigate a partner's different sleeping habits and why sleep trackers often do more harm than good. But perhaps the most reassuring idea of all is that we need to stop trying so hard. As Russell points out, the more we worry about sleep, the more elusive it can become. Sometimes the best thing we can do is create the right conditions and let it take care of itself. Please note: the views expressed in this episode are those of the guest and are not intended as medical advice. To hear more from us: Patreon: Watch…

Matt Gibberd visits writer and creative consultant Charlene Prempeh at her home in North London. Charlene is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a creative studio that champions Black culture. She’s a columnist for the Financial Times, and curator of an upcoming exhibition at the Design Museum called The Nue Black Aesthetic. Charlene grew up in a small council house in Canning Town that was, in her words, "teeming with people". She was the youngest of four children, raised by a single mother, with cousins, friends and members of the Ghanaian community constantly coming and going. In this conversation, we talk about how that crowded childhood left her with a love of solitude. We explore why she doesn't believe that more space necessarily makes a happier home, and how, despite having very little money growing up, the dinner table always felt like a place of abundance. We also discuss why she found herself shape-shifting when she arrived at Oxford University, the importance of books and beautiful objects, and…

Lemn Sissay is a poet, playwright and broadcaster. Few people have thought more deeply about the meaning of home than Lemn. As a baby, Lemn was separated from his Ethiopian mother and placed into foster care with a white family. He grew up believing he had been abandoned, not even knowing his real name. From the age of twelve, he was placed in a series of children's homes, where he remained until adulthood. In this conversation, we explore how those early experiences shaped Lemn’s understanding of family, belonging and identity. We talk about how poetry gave him a sense of place when nowhere else could, and what it means to build a sense of home inside yourself after losing it so young. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Lemn Sissay: See Lemn on tour: https://www.fane.co.uk/lemn-sissay#event-listing Share your family…

Anna Jones is a cook, food writer, and one of the leading voices in modern vegetarian cooking. For Anna, making food for someone is the ultimate act of care. She began her career working alongside Jamie Oliver, before becoming one of Britain's best-loved food writers in her own right with bestsellers like A Modern Way to Eat and One: Pot, Pan, Planet. Anna grew up in a close-knit family where food was central to everything and, for a shy child, cooking became a way to express herself. She also shares how losing close family friends in the Lockerbie air disaster instilled a lifelong instinct to be the dependable one. We explore motherhood, postnatal depression and what happens when caring for other people leaves too little room to care for yourself. This episode was recorded in Anna's Victorian House in Hackney. Join us over on Patreon to watch the full house tour. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt More of Anna: Books - https://annajones.co.uk/books Website - https://annajones.co.uk/ Weekly…

Martha Beck is a sociologist, bestselling author and one of the world’s leading life coaches. She grew up in the Mormon community in Utah, in a home that was a source of shame for her and her siblings. Her childhood was one of profound anxiety and depression, and she’s written openly about the abuse she experienced from her father. Those traumatic experiences led to a lifelong search for safety – and what it really means to feel at home. In this conversation, Martha shares why beauty became a lifeline during the darkest periods of her life, how she learned to meditate despite finding it almost unbearable at first and why she believes our homes reflect our psychological state. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Martha’s Work: Martha Beck, PhD, is a Harvard-trained sociologist, world-renowned coach and New York Times…

Jinny Blom is one of Britain's leading landscape designers. She has created over 700 gardens – and each one begins, in some way, with a search for security. Jinny trained as a psychologist and psychotherapist, working for many years in mental health, before a prophetic dream prompted her to devote herself to her lifelong interest in natural landscapes and gardens. Since then, Jinny has created spaces that promote the relationship between nature and health – from her sky garden at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to a healing garden she created with King Charles. In this conversation, Jinny speaks openly about a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse, and how those early experiences shaped the way she experiences architecture and landscape. We talk about the childhood hiding place that still influences her work today, the unusual rules she follows when designing a garden, and how creating beautiful landscapes became a way of making sense of a very difficult start in life. This episode was recorded in…

Jackie Kay is an acclaimed poet and novelist, who was previously the national poet of Scotland – a role known as the Makar. She’s the author of Red Dust Road, a memoir that chronicles a twenty-year search for her birth parents. Jackie was adopted as a baby by a white Scottish couple and grew up in suburban Glasgow. Throughout her life, she's had to explore questions of identity, belonging and family – themes that run through some of the most celebrated writing of the past forty years. In this conversation, Jackie reflects on how the love of her adoptive parents helped her navigate racism, what it means to feel at odds with your national identity, and whether it's ever possible to feel completely at home in yourself. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Jackie Kay is an award-winning Scottish poet and author of Selected…

Does modern design shelter us, or is it cutting us off from the world? Architect Stefan Behling believes that many of today's buildings have turned us into what he calls "humans in captivity”. They keep the temperature constant, shut out the sounds and smells of the outside world, and misunderstand what it really means to be comfortable. As a senior partner at Foster + Partners, Stefan has spent more than thirty years exploring sustainable architecture and human-centric design, working on projects ranging from Apple Park in California to experimental habitats for NASA. In this conversation, we explore what the science of the senses and evolutionary biology can teach us about creating spaces that genuinely support our wellbeing. We discuss why constant comfort isn't always good for us, what space travel reveals about our need for nature, and why design should prioritise the psychological over the physiological. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical,…

Sophie Hicks has helped fashion brands like Paul Smith, Yohji Yamamoto and Acne Studios translate their vision into built form. But before becoming one of Britain's most respected architects, she was immersed in the world of fashion. She worked alongside Grace Coddington and Azzedine Alaïa, styled shoots for Vogue and Tatler, and became an iconic face of the early Eighties after appearing on the cover of i-D magazine in a portrait by David Bailey. In this conversation, we explore her childhood between London and the Sussex countryside, why she pivoted from fashion to architecture, and the story behind her austere personal style. We also discuss what makes a house feel calm, her belief that spaces should do as little as possible while meaning as much as possible, and why she's fascinated by the challenge of creating a hotel that feels like home. This episode was recorded in Sophie’s house in West London. A full tour of Sophie’s home is available to our Patreon community. Patreon:…

Loneliness, anxiety and a loss of belonging are among the defining crises of our time. Johann Hari believes they share a common cause. Johann is the author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus – two of the most widely read books on mental health published in the last decade. He argues that depression and anxiety are often misunderstood: not simply as biological problems, but as signals that our modern environment is failing to meet some of our deepest psychological needs. In this episode of Homing, we discuss the human need for a tribe, how the attention crisis fractures our relationships, and the practical ways we can begin to rebuild connection. It’s a conversation about one of the defining questions of our time: why do so many of us feel like we don't belong – and how can we find our way home? These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified…

Margot Henderson is one of Britain's most influential chefs, and a pioneer of “nose-to-tail” cooking. She's spent her career finding value in what others might disregard – a philosophy that extends far beyond the kitchen. Alongside her husband, Fergus Henderson, she's helped redefine the way we eat, with an approach that's simple, honest and rooted in ingredients rather than technique. While Fergus founded St. JOHN, Margot helped shape a generation of cooks through Rochelle Canteen, Arnold & Henderson and, more recently, The Three Horseshoes in Somerset. In this conversation, recorded in her home in Stockwell, Margot describes her childhood in New Zealand, where her mother introduced her to a world of French restaurants and a lifelong appetite for adventurous eating. We talk about the pull of London in the 1980s, the influence of The Face magazine, and the whirlwind romance that led to a lifelong partnership with Fergus. Margot also reflects on marriage, loyalty and care, as she discusses Fergus's…

Today's guest is psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE, one of Britain's leading experts on grief and trauma. Julia has worked with hundreds of families navigating bereavement, including members of the Royal Family. She was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales, and supported Prince William and Prince Harry following Diana's death. In this conversation, we explore belonging and why some people never feel settled where they are, tracing it back to the role home plays in early life. Julia shares practical advice on how our homes can support healing – from the personal rituals that help us mourn, to why changing a home can sometimes be the most powerful way to regain a sense of agency after loss. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. Contact: Follow Julia on Instagram: @juliasamuelmbe for tips, tools, and conversations about…

Patrick Williams is an interior decorator who specialises in period buildings and restoration projects. He views design not just as decoration, but as a form of storytelling and historical preservation. Patrick is the founder of Berdoulat, a design practice named after the remarkable house in France that his parents restored over a twenty-year period during his childhood – a project that became central to their family story and continues to shape his work today. In this conversation, we talk about grief, inheritance, and the rituals that connect him to his family roots, including a cherished family recipe he makes called "The Truth". We also explore Patrick's fascination with classical architecture and his belief that the best buildings are designed in harmony with the human body: through proportion, acoustics and the accumulation of patina over time. This is a story about memory and belonging, and how the places we inhabit keep us connected to the people who shaped us, long after they're gone. A full tour…

Should the home be considered one of the pillars of health? Dr. Esther Sternberg believes good design can heal us — and that architects should think of themselves not just as designers, but almost as health professionals. Esther is a physician and researcher whose work focuses on the relationship between mind, body and environment. She is the author of Healing Spaces and Well at Work, which explores the growing science of how the spaces we inhabit affect our health and wellbeing. In this conversation, we discuss how our environments shape the body and brain; the role of light, sound and nature in wellbeing; and how small changes to our homes can help create a sense of sanctuary in an increasingly anxious world. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, please consult a qualified professional. To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to…

David Shrigley has spent his life creating art that makes people laugh. He is one of Britain’s most recognisable contemporary artists, celebrated for his deadpan drawings that mix humour, bleakness and childlike simplicity. Growing up as a shy, introspective child, on a red-brick estate in the suburbs of Leicester, David was happiest alone with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil – fifty years later, not much has changed. His artworks have an improvised quality, but beneath them lies a surprisingly ordered life. David talks openly about obsessive tendencies – anxiety, control, and the daily routines that keep him grounded. He works a reliable ten-to-six day, and ticks off each drawing as he goes. This is a conversation about the compulsion to make things and the human need to make light of life’s absurdities. A full tour of David’s Brighton studio is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Contact: Web: www.davidshrigley.com Shop: www.shrigshop.com Email:…

The spaces we inhabit shape who we become. But what does that mean for the people who have no choice where they live? Yvonne Jewkes is a professor of criminology, author, and leading expert on prison architecture. She has spent her career studying what echoing corridors, metal doors and harsh fluorescent lighting do to the people living inside prisons — and designing spaces that restore rather than punish. This conversation is also very personal. Yvonne spent more than a decade restoring a crumbling Regency townhouse, only for her partner to leave midway through the project. The house became tangled up with grief and the slow unravelling of the relationship itself. We explore the strange overlap between prisons and homes: the human need for dignity, sanctuary and control over our surroundings and the instinct to create beauty even in the bleakest places. If you enjoyed this conversation, Yvonne's book An Architecture of Hope: reimagining the prison, restoring a house, rebuilding myself is a powerful…

Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, gardener and the author of The Well-Gardened Mind. She has spent her career making the case that going outside and getting your hands in the soil is one of the most powerful things we can do for our mental health. Sue runs the Serge Hill Project, along with her husband, Tom Stuart-Smith — a garden and events space where children and groups from disadvantaged backgrounds come to learn about the profound link between gardening and wellbeing. Her research isn’t just scientific; it’s rooted in her own family history. Her grandfather found solace in gardening after the trauma of being a prisoner of war and her mother restored a large garden to cope with the death of Sue’s father. The episode builds on these stories to explore the positive hormonal effects of gardening on the body, the growing movement of green prescribing and how beauty can be a lifeline to those in recovery. This is a conversation about stepping outside, tuning into the natural world and finding a gentler…

We tend to think of home as the space inside our four walls. But for David Engwicht, home doesn't stop at the front door – it extends out into the neighbourhood beyond. David is a master placemaker and urban designer – he explores how the design of our towns and cities can either bring us closer or push us apart. With his cowboy boots, heavy-framed glasses and 'Pat Cash' hair, he's more like a rock ’n’ roll philosopher than an urban thinker. His philosophy was shaped by a nomadic childhood, living in 30 different homes and attending 26 schools. This experience taught him that home isn't something we find; it's something we create. In this conversation, David talks about the social bonds modern life has eroded and the small, everyday gestures we can make to rebuild that trust. From turning his own garden in Brisbane into a public park, to travelling the world with a folding throne in a suitcase, David’s work is a lesson in how designing for community can lead us to a deeper sense of belonging. These…

Artist Sue Webster built a career and a home by refusing to fit in — it’s why she identifies with the Mole Man so much. She found fame alongside her husband Tim Noble, as part of the post-YBA generation — their anarchic self-portraits, made from found objects and discarded rubbish, made them the “rock stars” of British art. Together they built the Dirty House in Shoreditch, which helped define the area as the epicentre of London's art scene. More recently, Sue has created an equally radical home for herself: the Mole House in Hackney, built on top of the tunnels where the so-called Mole Man spent forty years digging underground. Where some saw an oddity, Sue saw something worth preserving. The house is a love letter to eccentricity, and a rare pocket of creative chaos in an increasingly polished city. From growing up in a caravan in Leicester to carving out a place in the art world and becoming a mother at 52, Sue’s story is one of fierce independence and how to live a life that is truly authentic to…

Most of us think we need more — more space, more things, more possessions. Japanese architect Takero Shimazaki believes we may already have enough. Takero has designed some of the most elegant private houses in Britain, including one that was nominated for the Stirling Prize. His buildings are never grand or showy. Instead, they are thoughtful and restrained. He grew up in Japan, where there’s a long tradition of embracing imperfection and accepting that materials age naturally. His grandfather — also an architect — taught him that light and proportion shape not just a building, but how we feel inside it. It’s a philosophy Takero has carried with him ever since. When his father died two years ago, he found himself confronting a simple but liberating truth: we don’t really own anything. Today, he tries not to own much. He still wears the cashmere jumpers he inherited from his grandfather. In this conversation, Takero reflects on the Japanese idea of “enough” — the belief that most of us already have what we…

For fashion designer turned ceramicist Henry Holland, reinvention isn't about starting over – it's about evolving on your own terms. Henry first made his name with the cult fashion label House of Holland, famous for cheeky slogans like 'Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey' and 'Let's Breed Bella Hadid'. But in recent years, he has pivoted to making homewares and contemporary ceramics, using the Japanese technique of nerikomi. With his East London house currently being refurbished from top to bottom, Henry is living in a home of two halves. It’s the perfect metaphor for this transitional stage of his life. His parents separated when he was young, and he split his time between the two households. One was ordered and structured, while the other was more creative. It’s clear that he lives his life today with the influence of both. There’s the playful version of him that we’ve seen pictured at parties. But there’s also a deeply determined side that’s about proving people wrong, which partly stems from the bullying he…

We think of home as our ultimate refuge – a sanctuary from the noise and pollution of the outside world. But what if the space meant to protect us is actually the one we should be questioning most? Dr. Jenny Goodman, a practitioner of ecological medicine, has spent years examining how modern life exposes us to toxins and sharing practical steps we can take to reduce exposure. Jenny breaks down the "cocktail effect" of everyday cleaning products, the common mistakes we make with food storage and the reason she chooses a Wi-Fi-free domestic life. This isn’t a conversation about getting everything right. No home is entirely free from toxicity, and it’s about personal choice. But Jenny teaches us the importance of paying closer attention to our surroundings – and making small, considered changes that may have a positive impact in the long term. These discussions are intended for general information and should not be considered medical, psychological or professional advice. If you have concerns about your health…

Beyond the whirlwind of galleries and exhibitions, Tate Director Maria Balshaw's home holds the quieter, deeply personal moments of her life. Growing up in Northampton, she longed to escape her characterless new-build house and nurtured a desire to be different. Her current home in Kent is a reflection of that creative rebellion, with medieval beams at its centre, classical sash windows on one side and Crittalls on the other. Maria grows vegetables in her garden year-round, swims in the sea nearby, and measures time by what’s coming into flower – a way to be at one with nature and shed the stress of an urban working week. Her mother spent her final months in this house, sitting on the terrace in the sun, watching buzzards circle the valley, convinced one of them was her late husband waiting for her. At the end of March, Maria is stepping down from her position at the Tate after nine years, signing off with a major Tracey Emin exhibition. She knows exactly where she’ll be the following morning: in the garden,…

Why are some people drawn to minimalist architecture while others prefer nostalgic rooms filled with antiques and personal artefacts? Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton believes the answer might lie deeper than taste. For many years, Alain has explored the emotional forces that shape our inner lives – from love and loss to status anxiety. Through his educational organisation, The School of Life, he has focused on wellbeing and self-understanding. Much of this thinking connects directly to the built environment. In his book The Architecture of Happiness, Alain argues that buildings are never neutral: they can steady us, unsettle us, and quietly influence who we become. In this conversation, Alain reflects on his own relationship with domestic space – and how, in many ways, he has spent a lifetime trying to recreate the modernist calm of his childhood home in Switzerland. Together, Matt and Alain explore beauty, belonging and control – and examine why so many of us turn to architecture in search of a kind…

Landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith has spent most of his life on the same plot of land, tending its gardens and letting the land shape him in return. Tom has designed gardens at places like Chatsworth, Tate Britain and The Hepworth Wakefield. He’s won nine gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, and was awarded an OBE in 2023. But long before any of that, he was a child roaming Serge Hill in Hertfordshire, the estate his grandfather bought decades ago. Tom spent his childhood climbing its trees and staging Shakespeare plays. And apart from a brief spell away, he’s lived just 200 yards from his childhood home for almost his entire life. Tom’s wife, Sue Stuart-Smith, is a psychotherapist and author of the book The Well Gardened Mind. Together, they created the Serge Hill Project – a part of the estate where community groups, schoolchildren, young offenders and people recovering from illness can get hands-on with the soil and experience the uplifting power of nature. This is a conversation about landscapes,…

Anxiety is something many of us carry quietly. It can shape everything, from how we move through the world to how we feel at home. In this episode of Homing, Dr Alexandra Shaker explores how the home can become a sanctuary and how physical environments can either soothe or unsettle us. Alexandra is a specialist in anxiety disorders with a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her book The Narrowing combines her personal experiences of panic attacks with what she’s learned over years as a practitioner and researcher. The conversation traces some of the root causes of anxiety and practical ways to live alongside it, from mindfulness and sleep hygiene to the importance of community and belonging. Matt and Alexandra discuss how spaces, lighting, sounds, and materials can trigger panic, and how the home can be adapted into a calming, grounding refuge. This episode is about understanding anxiety in the body, the power of practical support, and how a home can centre us and keep us grounded through difficult times. These…

Author and podcaster Elizabeth Day spent years chasing a vision of the ‘perfect’ home life, only to discover that reality can look very different. She grew up in the Northern Irish countryside, in a home that was physically safe but shadowed by unrest in the wider community. Childhood fears of monsters under the bed were replaced by the reality of masked terrorists, which has made the concept of home as a place of safety so central to her life today. In the high-pressure early years of her journalism career at The Evening Standard, Elizabeth sought to create peaceful, restorative spaces – first in her own apartments, and later in the relationships she invested in. Her path has also been marked by profound challenges: the unexpected breakdown of her first marriage and a 12-year fertility journey that ultimately ended in disappointment. As a high achiever with a clear picture of her life goals, learning to navigate what she describes as “failure” has been far from straightforward. She describes her life in…

In the first episode of a new strand of Homing, Katherine May frames the home as a place to slow down and take refuge from the overstimulating world beyond. Katherine is known for her bestselling book Wintering, which explores the importance of rest and retreat during the fallow periods of life that we all experience. The conversation delves into what happens when we allow ourselves to notice natural rhythms and cycles: the solstices, the shifting light, and the subtle signals that tell us when it’s time to slow down. Katherine describes home as a sensory environment – almost as an extension of the body itself – and how the spaces we live in can either soothe the nervous system, or quietly overwhelm it. The conversation turns to boredom and creativity – and why giving children unstructured time and space can be one of the most generous things we do for them. Katherine helps us understand the home as a place where we can learn to restore ourselves, enabling us to go back out into the world with renewed…

For interior designer and art curator Natasha Landers, home is where the public and private worlds meet. Her Walthamstow house is a curated gallery, where Black art is not just displayed, but lives among her daily life. Natasha grew up in a Hackney council house, sharing a bedroom with her brother in a home where space was tight, but imagination wasn’t. From an early age, she found ways to express herself – decorating her bedroom and reworking her clothes. She was the first in her family to go to university, leaving the noise of East London for the stillness of the Welsh valleys. The silence was unsettling. No traffic. No sirens. Just the realisation that home isn’t only about place – it’s about what your body recognises as safe. Today, Natasha is a diversity consultant, working in boardrooms where she's often the only Black person in the room. Spaces where she’s learned to hold her ground – and gently challenge how others see the world. Her home has become part of that work, and she opens it up as an…

For Dan Pearson, working with the landscape isn’t simply his profession — it’s how he makes sense of the world. In this emotional conversation, he opens up about self-image, mindfulness and the alchemy of gardening – something that can feel like magic, but is really about careful attention and a deep respect for the natural rhythms of life. Dan fondly recalls his childhood home: a dilapidated house where wildlife knew no boundaries, with rat holes under doors and vegetation pressing up against the furniture. Today, he lives in a modest stone farmhouse with small windows, nestled into the side of the valley, with a huge landscape that opens out in front. He and his partner cook and eat in their outdoor kitchen year-round, watching the weather roll in over Freezing Hill. At the bottom of the garden, there’s a pond for swimming or meditation. It’s the embodiment of the prospect-refuge theory. This is an episode about humility, about living in sync with nature and understanding that as human beings, we're part…

For homewares designer Matilda Goad, balance isn’t just a design principle – it’s a way of living. Her home is a reflection of that: comfortable and familiar, but full of playful touches. Growing up in a country cottage, boredom became a lesson in invention. With her grandfather an artist and her mother a fashion designer, Matilda was surrounded by creativity from an early age and developed a strong drive to prove herself. That ambition runs through everything she does. From designing her iconic scallop-edged lampshade to opening a new hardware store off the Pimlico Road, Matilda has a talent for taking the functional and adding a playful twist. Her home in London is an extension of her visual identity and the backdrop to some of life’s most significant moments. Both of her children were born at home – one in the sitting room, the other in the bedroom. For Matilda, home is psychological safety: a place that can hold everything. We talk about sensitivity to environments, using anxiety as fuel, and the…

For a special Christmas episode of Homing, I was invited into the home of cookery writer and ultimate host, Skye McAlpine. Skye is like a modern-day “Mother Christmas”. She was raised between London and Venice by parents who were great bon viveurs, and her childhood home was an open house, filled with guests, conversation and celebration. It’s there that she absorbed the idea that a home is meant for sharing – a philosophy she has carried into both her life and her work. If you follow Skye online, you’ll see that her kitchen is at the heart of everything she does; a space to cook and gather those she loves around one long table. For Skye, hosting is an expression of love, and choosing a favourite event is, in her words, “like choosing a favourite child”. The glamorous version of her life is only one side of the story. Skye also shows me the unseen, everyday moments of life at home. During our tour, she laughs about the dust that gathers on every surface, which makes her cough. We talk about insomnia,…

Max Rollitt is a highly respected interior decorator and antiques dealer. Extraordinary pieces pass through his hands every day, yet most of the objects he chooses to live with at home have little monetary value. Instead, they are tokens of respect and love. The conversation begins with Max’s childhood in Winchester, where he struggled at school because he processed information in images – something we’d now recognise as dyslexia. It’s this visual approach that is the foundation for a ‘Max Rollitt’ interior: decorating a home the way an artist composes a painting. Nowhere is that sensibility clearer than in his family farmhouse in the South Downs. Every piece of furniture and object has a story to tell: artworks from his sons, photographs of his wife, and handmade gifts from his mentors. During our private home tour, some of these objects even moved Max to tears. We also talk about how to create a nurturing environment for creative children, the grounding effect of rural life and finding personal fulfilment…

Much like her taxidermy-based sculptures, Polly Morgan is an artist who delights in looking beneath the surface. Her home in Camberwell is deliberately minimalist - a space viewers may recognise from Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. As she prepares to move out after 13 years, with most of her possessions already shipped off to the countryside, she reflects on the highs and lows of her time there. Growing up in the Cotswolds, Polly’s childhood was characterised by watching animals die and by seeing her father dissect bodies to understand anatomy. Those early experiences formed her way of seeing, not as something morbid, but as a curiosity about life and its endings. Entirely self-taught, Polly has always worked slightly outside of artistic convention. She speaks about wanting to notice what most people overlook, to find the parts of things that are usually hidden. It’s with this same outlook that she talks about the loss of her sister and mother, and the decision to say goodbye to her city life as she prepares to…

Chris Packham has always fascinated me. As a broadcaster, naturalist, and conservationist, he’s helped millions connect with wildlife and the natural world through shows like BBC’s Springwatch – but sitting down with him in his home, I realised how much of his story is about creating refuge, both at home and within himself. In this deeply personal conversation, Chris speaks candidly about his childhood in Southampton, being diagnosed with autism in his forties, and how he has designed a home that helps him manage sensory sensitivities – ironically filled with furniture and artwork that is deliberately uncomfortable. He reflects on solitude versus loneliness and how nature provides safety, structure and healing when the human world feels overwhelming. It’s a conversation about finding comfort in discomfort, about refuge and resilience, and, above all, about what it means to feel at home in the world. It’s also one of the most memorable episodes I’ve ever recorded. This episode was recorded in person at Chris'…

The Homing podcast explores the importance of home in shaping who we are. Join Matt Gibberd, author and co-founder of The Modern House, as he takes listeners inside the homes of inspiring guests to examine what really happens inside our walls – how they influence our emotions, creativity and sense of self. Featuring leading voices from art, film, wellbeing and beyond, Homing is a thoughtful journey into remarkable homes and the minds that shape them. Be prepared for tears, laughter, and everything in between. "The Best Podcasts To Listen To" – Vogue Homing is produced by Podshop, with music by Simeon Walker. Homing is an independent podcast and operates as a separate venture from The Modern House Limited. While Matt Gibberd is a co-founder of The Modern House, all opinions expressed on Homing are solely those of the host and his guests. To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel Homing with Matt Gibberd, to watch the video version Instagram: @homingwithmatt TikTok: @homing.with.matt Contact:…

Bethan designs everything from furniture to lighting and textiles, and some of her work is currently on display at the Design Museum in London. She presents herself to the world like a human peacock. She dyes her hair different colours, wears layers of vivid clothing, and puts dots on her cheeks. Her flat in east London isn’t exactly demure either. We recorded this podcast in the company of various hats and handbags, a jar of balloons in liquid, and a lamp shaped like a jellyfish. In this conversation, we dig into the differences between collecting and hoarding. The objects Bethan lives with are like a cast of characters in a film. The way she arranges them isn’t just about what looks good together; she’s also thinking about the stories they tell. Going back to her childhood, she tells me about dressing like “a 1950s cool dinner lady”, and how watching TV inspired her to apply for the Royal College of Art. We talk about the impact of bullying, and how she’s been shaped by her dyslexia. She’s a fascinating…

Today's guest is the wonderful Lakwena Maciver. Lakwena is an artist whose work has exploded out of the Instagram generation. She uses bright colours and patterns inspired by her African heritage and bold written slogans. Given that her work is so positive and uplifting, I was really interested to find out that she's a natural pessimist with a very tough inner critic. So the words that appear in her art, which say things like 'Do Better' and 'Raise Your Hopes', are actually messages to herself. She kindly invited us to her house in east London to record this episode, and I really enjoyed finding out more about her home life. She reveals that she didn't really fit in anywhere as a child, so she was one of the only Black kids at her school and at home, she was an introvert in a household of extroverts, but she found drawing, which she describes as a process of empowerment. The act of putting pencil to paper helped her make sense of everything she was experiencing. We discussed a refurb she's done on her house,…

Christopher was President of the Royal Academy for eight years and given a knighthood in 2021. I first met him a few years ago, when The Modern House was selling his beautiful home in Camberwell. Shortly after that, he had a joint exhibition in Los Angeles with my wife, Faye Toogood, so I got to know him better during the week we were out there together. This podcast gave me the chance to go a bit deeper, and I really enjoyed finding out more about his life. Despite always finding himself in positions of authority, Christopher paints a picture of a naturally shy and introspective character. He and his wife, Charlotte Verity, moved out to Somerset a couple of years ago, and we had a snoop around their studios before sitting down to record this podcast in their lovely Georgian farmhouse. Christopher gives me a fascinating insight into what it's like to be a professional painter: from the importance of the space he's working in, to the rituals he goes through and what he's thinking about. He tells me about what…

Zandra's home is one of the most colourful, cluttered and downright bonkers living spaces I've ever been in. We recorded this podcast just before Christmas, so there was an extra layer of sparkle on top of the kaleidoscope. Zandra walked me through her incredible life story... from being born during an air raid in 1940, to being discovered by American Vogue's fashion editor Diana Vreeland... dressing people like Freddie Mercury, and having lunch with Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. We discussed why she dyes her hair pink and wears flamboyant clothes, and why she's never seen herself in the mirror without makeup on. She told me about her colourful family history, including a dad she was embarrassed by, a mum who channelled all of her ambition into Zandra, and a grandmother who was murdered. Zandra's in her mid-eighties now. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer and given six months to live, so I wasn't sure quite what to expect. But I found someone who's incredibly full of life, working as hard as…

Nigel is the first podcast guest ever to make me cry. I'm a big fan of his writing, and suspected he'd be a kindred spirit, but spending the day with him in his house was an overwhelming experience I wasn't prepared for. He lives around the corner from where I grew up, in a pared-back way that feels very familiar. In this remarkably honest conversation, he outlines the essential role his home plays in keeping him on an even keel. We discuss what it's like to suffer from panic attacks, and how they're triggered by the built environment. He tells me that whenever he arrives in a building he hasn't been to before, the first thing he does is check where the exit is so that he can plan his escape. We touch on the childhood trauma that he wrote about in his brilliant memoir, Toast, from his mother's death to his father's bullying. We discuss the roots of his lifelong interest in gardening, why he keeps a daily diary, and the importance of smell within the home. This is a conversation I'll remember forever. Thank…

A while back, Tim came to London to perform at the Isokon building in Belsize Park, and I managed to catch up with him to record this podcast. As a small boy in the Seventies, Tim quietly absorbed the lessons of modernist architecture. He remembers accompanying his parents to a dinner party at a modern house, where the sound of laughter reverberated around the circular lounge; his career seems to have been about trying to recapture that heady moment. In 2003, he bought his own modernist house in Sydney, a move which, he says, ‘changed my life for the better’. His fascination with architecture and design had previously been a solitary pursuit, but the house provided a way to meet like-minded people and a launchpad for his TV career. Tim is really great company, and we talk about all sorts of things. He explains how he’s an outlier in his family, and what it felt like to perform on stage for the first time. He tells me about the day the Beastie Boys came to visit and wouldn’t leave, why he’d rather learn to be…

Luke has kindly invited us to his house in the Cotswolds, which he shares with his husband, Duncan Campbell, and a pair of enthusiastic whippets. I was intrigued to learn that this modern-day dandy comes from a bog-standard commuter town, and like many of the people I talk to on this podcast, his creative impulses offered a route out of mediocrity. He tells me his very personal backstory of being estranged from his father at a young age, and what it was like to come out as gay to his family. We talk about his witty, whimsical interpretation of the English Country House Style, why he believes you should invest yourself financially and emotionally in a rental, and why he chose to paint his London flat in ‘Pepto-Bismol pink’ before getting rid of it a few days later. This episode was recorded in person at Luke’s cottage in the Cotswolds. For more: Check out the work of Luke Edward Hall See images of the home he shares with Duncan Campbell over on our sister website, Inigo Visit The Modern House website Follow…

This is the first time we’ve recorded an episode in a hotel suite, and that’s because today’s guest knows more about opening doors to glamorous guesthouses than anyone else. James Lohan co-founded the travel company Mr & Mrs Smith with his wife Tamara back in 2003, and since then he’s visited nearly 4,000 hotels in the name of research. James is a gregarious character with some brilliant tales to tell.We discuss his earliest experiences as an entrepreneur, from selling cheese toasties at school, to setting up a mobile disco called Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It. He tells me about his refurbishment of a Dutch barge on the Thames – complete with flock wallpaper and a freestanding bath – and what he’s learned from hotels that we might apply to our homes. This episode was recorded in person at The Nomad Hotel, London. For more: Check out Mr & Mrs Smith Visit The Modern House website Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Hannah Phillips…