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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 of a wonderful ecosystem much larger than ourselves.   The episode was recorded at Dan’s home in Somerset. A full tour of his garden and outbuildings is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Dan also publishes Dig Delve, an online magazine about his Somerset garden, with photography and editorial by his partner Huw Morgan.  Homing listeners can use the discount code HOMING2026 for 15% off annual or quarterly subscriptions. Website: www.digdelve.com Instagram: @digdelve  Dan’s personal Instagram: @coyotewillow To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version Instagram: @homingwithmatt TikTok: @homing.with.matt Contact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusic Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office  Produced by @podshoponline The full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 discipline required to sustain creative drive. She shares practical rituals to reset, from breathwork exercises to lighting techniques, and the realities of building a business slowly and organically. This episode is about purpose, momentum and how our homes mirror the lives we’re building. – Matt An extended version of the tour is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version Instagram: @homingwithmatt TikTok: @homing.with.matt Contact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusic Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office  Produced by @podshoponline The full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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, doomscrolling, introversion, and the importance of not letting the pressure to appear perfect stop you from putting yourself out there. This is an episode about place, belonging, childhood, and what it really means to make people feel at home. So before your Christmas dinners, I hope you give this episode a listen and absorb Skye’s wisdom for creating a table full of love. This episode was filmed in person at Skye’s London Victorian townhouse. – Matt To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video version Instagram: @homingwithmatt TikTok: @homing.with.matt Contact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusic Identity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office  Produced by @podshoponline The full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 through spirituality. This episode is about how the objects we surround ourselves with are more than aesthetic items – they are containers for people and experiences. This episode was recorded in person at Max’s farmhouse in the South Downs. – Matt An extended version of the tour is available to our Patreon community. Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 return to the countryside. This is a conversation about artistic process, growing older, family, and learning what to hold on to and what to let go of. This episode was recorded in person at Polly’s home in Camberwell. To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] For more content and exclusive walking tours:Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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' home in the New Forest. To hear more from us: YouTube: Subscribe to our channel Homing with Matt, to watch the video version Instagram: @homingwithmatt TikTok: @homing.with.matt Contact: Email us at [email protected] For more content and exclusive walking tours: Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] For more content and exclusive walking tours:Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt Matt Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496 Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 character, and I really enjoyed getting to know her better.     For more: PLATFORM: Bethan Laura Wood Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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, and how she's had to learn to compromise with her husband, especially when it comes to carpets. We talk about the importance of taking the time to reflect on your successes, why she'd secretly like to live in a hut in Uganda. For more: Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 it's like to live with another artist – how they need to give each other space, and how they critique each other's work.    And we discuss the important houses in his life, notably the Victorian villa that he extended with the help of the architect Jamie Fobert.    I've got a huge amount of respect for Christopher, and I found this conversation so fascinating. I hope you enjoy it too. For more: Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 ever, and optimistic about the future.   This episode was recorded in person at Zandra's home in London. For more: Pick up a copy of Zandra Rhodes' latest book, Iconic Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

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 you, Nigel.   This episode was recorded in person at Nigel's home in London. For more: Pick up a copy of Nigel Slater's latest book, A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy … a Memoir of Sorts Find out more about Nigel's collaboration with Perfumer H Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Kevin has been a fixture on our tellies for so many years that we feel like we know him. But, actually, I didn’t have a clue about his life story, so this conversation was really interesting for me. He tells me about growing up in what he refers to as an ‘architectural zoo’ of housing from different eras. We talk about his involvement with Footlights, the famous comedy troupe at Cambridge University, where he collaborated with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. And he explains why he’s spent years living in a camper van and why his future home will definitely have a view of the mountains. Kevin is one of the most engaging and fiercely intelligent guests I’ve spoken to on Homing In and he’s full of amusing anecdotes and top tips. I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was recorded in person at St Anne's Court, a home currently for sale on The Modern House. For more:  Watch Grand Designs Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Find out more about Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Producer: Hannah Phillips Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford Graphic Design: Tom Young Music: Father This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Skye Gyngell was born and raised in Sydney, but has never felt Australian. In this honest and heartfelt interview, she paints a picture of a deeply introverted child who wanted to “turn down the volume” on everybody. Her father, Bruce Gyngell, was the first person to appear on TV in Australia, and uttered the immortal line, “Good evening, and welcome to television.” She describes him as very flamboyant (“probably a real show-off, actually”), and he would send a chauffeur-driven car to pick her up from school. Sydney in the Seventies was a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other’s business, and, as a sensitive personality, she found the attention impossible to deal with. As soon as she turned 18, she fled to Europe, and has never looked back.   We explore her life story through the lens of the homes she’s lived in… from the house on stilts that was built by her parents, to her beautiful home in west London where we recorded this episode. For more:  Head over to our website for more images of the places discussed Visit Spring and Heckfield Place Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration  Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live  Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Follow The Modern House Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective Production: Hannah Phillips Music: Father Graphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For Ruth Rogers, home is at the very heart of everything. Her legendary London restaurant, the River Cafe, is founded on community, friendship and home cooking. Her iconic house in Chelsea, which she co-created with her architect husband, Richard Rogers, has been the backdrop to family life for forty years and has influenced a generation of homeowners to live with light and space. Ruthie invited me in to discuss her extraordinary life through the lens of the homes she has lived in. She describes with great poignancy how her house provides her with comfort following Richard’s death. She talks about growing up in the Borscht Belt near New York, and a chance encounter with Bob Dylan in Woodstock. Having personally co-founded a business in an industry I knew nothing about, I can relate to Ruthie’s inspiring story of starting the River Cafe with no restaurant experience and making things up as she went along. She tells me about how the restaurant has become a home from home, and why it’s been a breeding ground for some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, April Bloomfield and Allegra McEvedy. She talks about the influences behind her Chelsea home, from the Maison de Verre in Paris to the Italian piazzas of Pienza and Montepulciano, and why a rather special set of coloured pencils is one of the first things she would save in a house fire.  This conversation was recorded in person at Ruth Rogers’ home in Chelsea, London.  For more on Ruth Rogers: Watch our film at the home of Ruth and Richard Rogers  Visit the River Café   Listen to Ruth’s podcast, Ruthie’s Table Four  For more from Matt Gibberd and The Modern House: Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration Follow us on Instagram Check out Matt's latest book, A Modern Way To Live Follow Matt Gibberd on Instagram Watch our Homing In films on YouTube Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective Production: Hannah Phillips Music: Father Graphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★