As festive parties see normally closed doors wedged open, an ever-simmering judgment sport cranks up. Can you ever really know someone until you have been to their house?
His utilitarian yet playful designs for Muji, Alessi and B&B Italia have made him if not a household name, a household presence. An exhibition in Philadelphia celebrates his everyday superpower
A French postman constructed an ‘ideal palace’ in his vegetable garden. It’s a wonder of ‘outsider architecture’ that combines the marvellous, the mystical and the grotesque
We go off piste in this festive edition, celebrating trees that are a gloriously gaudy mix of irony and nostalgia; table settings that are otherworldly; and natural decorations that are more moss than mistletoe. Our gift ideas include gadgets for nature lovers, visually sumptuous books and elegant house ‘portraits’
A beguiling mix of rock ’n’ roll excess and movie-star glamour makes this Hollywood fixture our writer’s ideal home-from-home
Is your tree the ‘right’ kind of wrong? ’Tis the season to navigate the forest of good ‘bad taste’
Now is not the time for nuance: decorate with gilded acorns, wild windswept glasses, and a centrepiece of seaweed and rock
Architects and interior designers are working together to create properties that subtly unify the external and the internal
Heath Robinsons are at their most alive right now — never happier than when concocting a crazy contraption for cooking or a devilish home improvement
From ‘deconstructed displays’ to novel ways with seed heads, bracken and rose hips, there’s a world beyond holly to embrace
They can add softness and warmth to decor — but are a savvy storage hack too
Foodies and families are transforming the cultural landscape of the coastal Kent town once renowned for smugglers and pirates
Eastnor, a high temple of Victoriana, has seduced kings, clerics, and Shiv from Succession. Now, its châtelaine is channelling its style into a line of furnishings
Better social infrastructure can foster resilience in densely-populated urban environments
Discover horticultural treasures hidden behind Venetian walls or amid snow in the Arctic Circle — and step inside the private worlds of titans of art, architecture and design
Because the celebration starts with a beautiful card
When the Paris-based architect sees something he loves, he buys two — one to keep, and one to give away
All they really require is access to green space and time to spend there. But a metal squirrel baffle et al may just enhance their enjoyment
From a Barbados beachfront villa to a private island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago
Increasingly given as presents, these commissions tell stories by building a family’s memories, secrets and in-jokes into their foundations
The Tudor property was extensively added to and became a manor house in the 18th century. It is now on the market
The writer’s Bloomsbury home offers a glimpse into the development of his concern for social justice — and his flamboyant tastes
The interior brings modern luxury design to a 17th-century ‘hôtel particulier’
A former human-rights lawyer turns to design, and finds a common expression
Aboca, an unusual museum in a Tuscan palace, illuminates the ancient relationship between humans, plants and medicine
The resilient, low-maintenance plant with a primordial pedigree (250mn years) is being reappreciated for its ability to temper, texture and ‘add oomph’ — especially in winter
Brighten up the dark days with paperwhite narcissi, hyacinth and amaryllis
It has hosted a century of celebrations, in houses from Surbiton to Trinidad — and in so doing has become a character all of its own
Internal migration has been in decline since the 1970s, but the febrile mood post-election has intensified the numbers voicing a desire to move somewhere more aligned with their values
The best tables, shopping and shows for the festive season
A trend kick-started for many during the pandemic has taken on a life of its own, accelerated by pub closures and the cost of a pint
Go undercover with these winter throws
Established in the 17th century, the Penicuik Estate is now welcoming its first paying guests
Playing with expectations and orthodoxies is pushing the boundaries of the built environment — from a ‘cork-insulated creature on hooves’ to a mob of red-brick meerkats
Following personal and professional turmoil, the designer has moved into a 1970s villa whose ‘challenging’ aesthetic is an oddly inspiring canvas
Drawn by an outdoor lifestyle and architecturally savvy developments, a youthful cohort is setting up home on the lush volcanic island
The Irish author needs a blank wall, a wide desk and a menagerie of inanimate creatures — ferocious Chinese dragons and a wooden mouse in a polka-dot frock among them — to work
