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Today’s guest is author Juliet Nicolson. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Juliet in her Sussex home shortly after the release of her latest work - The Book of Revelations: Women and Their Secrets From the 1950s to the Present Day. As I’ve found with all of my favourite writers - from Edward St Aubyn to Joelle Taylor - Juliet has an incredible gift for balancing a sense of playfulness and wit while delving deep into the most serious topic with insight and sensitivity. We were so deep in conversation that we never got round to fully imagining her dream library space. Our conversation ranged from discussing her memories of exploring Sissinghurst Castle as a child, and going into her grandmother Vita Sackville-West’s private library for the first time, to her collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld, and to her latest work and the personal experiences that inspired The Book of Revelations.

Today’s guest is Karun Thakar - one of the world’s leading collectors of and experts on global textiles. Using his extraordinary collection of textiles, Karun tirelessly works to illuminate history through the lives and the hands of remarkable and often overlooked artists. As well as being a prolific writer, he is an active philanthropist, encouraging young people to learn about world history through textiles.    I joined Karun in his London home to talk about his life as a collector and the importance of textile history to our understanding of the world. If you want to learn more about his work, you can visit his website www.karuncollection.com

Today’s guest is interior designer Andrew Torrey. Andrew recently published a book with Rizzoli celebrating his life and journey in design. I joined him in his design studio in Manhattan to talk about what it was like to put the book together, his influences in art and design, before moving on to imagine his dream library space. If you want to learn more about his work, you can find him on Instagram @torreyllc, or buy a copy of his book - Torrey: Private Spaces: Great American Design.

Today’s guest is Heide Hendricks - one half of the architecture and design studio Hendricks Churchill. I joined Heide in her beautiful renovated farmhouse which is the subject of a book published by Rizzoli in 2023 called ‘Our Way Home - Reimagining an American Farmhouse’. We talked about what goes into the Hendricks Churchill aesthetic, Rafe’s habit of turning sketches and renderings into works of art, before moving on to her own dream studio.  If you want to learn more about the work of Hendricks Churchill, you can find them on Instagram @hendrickschurchill, or on their website at www.hendrickschurchill.com

Today’s guest is author Lucy Steeds. Lucy won the 2025 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize for her novel ’The Artist’. It’s a subtle and really atmospheric book that takes readers into the household of a great reclusive master - Tartuffe. The story unfolds through the eyes of Joseph - a young English journalist who has the unique opportunity to write about Tartuffe so long as he sits for him as a model, and through Ettie - Tartuffe’s shy, elusive niece - whose own character and brilliance slowly begin to reveal the true heart of the story. As well as a brilliant character portrait, it goes to the heart of the ‘great master’ myth, erasure, and the ways that creative genius finds a way to show itself under tyrranical suppression. Lucy and I jump straight into discussing the novel, and move on in the second half to discussing her own dream library hideaway.  I hope you enjoy it.

In this episode, I was joined by Abigail Horace, who runs her own Design Studio - Casa Marcelo. I joined her in her studio in lovely Salisbury, Connecticut, to talk about her early childhood influences - walking round New York City's great buildings with her father, and her young dream of becoming a librarian. If you want to find out more about Abigail’s work in design, you can follow her on Instagram @casamarcelo.co or look on her website: www.casamarcelo.co

This week I’m joined by author Stephen Ellcock to talk about his creative process, and the books and works of art that have inspired his work. Stephen has a remarkable gift for finding patterns among images. Anyone who has read his books or who has visited his Instagram page knows that it’s his attention to the subtle details of artistic works that make his observations a joy to follow. I discovered through our chat that what drives Stephen is a relentless and almost obsessive curiosity to find the patterns beneath what we see at first. For his readers, following these patterns offers a glimpse behind his eyes and offers the opportunity to follow the burrows that he relentlessly digs. I had the pleasure of recording this episode in Haven Talks Studios in Bermondsey, whose lovely owner Rachel was so so helpful, and on hand for all of our set-up. You can find them at: https://www.haventalks.co.uk/

This week I’m joined by interior designer James Mackie to talk about his journey from the world of fine art and Sotheby’s to taking on a new challenge heading his own design firm. I was lucky enough to join James in his beautiful purpose-built library in Oxfordshire, where he has created his own private reading space filled with the designers, artists and houses that he loves.   After talking a bit about his early years in the art world, we jump into a really interesting discussion on the country houses that continue to inspire him, and what we mean when we talk about ‘English’ style. If you’re interested in finding out more about James’ work as a designer, you can find him on Instagram @jjamesmackie, or on his website at www.jjamesmackie.com.

This week I was joined by creative duo Duncan Campbell & Charlotte Rey. Duncan & Charlotte have been working together for almost their entire careers, and now have the very enviable task of crafting and assembling some of the finest interiors around the world. As a duo, they are fun, warm and approachable - making this episode a joy to record. In this episode, we jump straight into talking about how they met in their early days working for Acne in Paris, and what made them form such a close creative partnership. To find out more about their amazing work, give Campbell-Rey a follow on Instagram, or visit their website - www.campbell-rey.com

This week I had the pleasure of talking with interior designer Amy Dalrymple – founder of Dalrymple Studios – where she works globally with clients to create beautiful interiors.   In this episode we jump straight into talking about her own journey into design – the influence of growing up in a household of designers – and the inspiration she takes from the stories and advice of other creative entrepreneurs.  If you’re interested in finding out more about the amazing work of Dalrymple Studios, give them a follow on Instagram @dalrymplestudio – or check out the studio’s website at www.dalrymplestudio.co.uk

This week I was lucky enough to visit the studio of Adémidé Udoma – who is the creative director of Artisanal One – where he and his team produce wonderful clothing and objects – as well as working collaboratively with others on styling, art and creative direction. He’s creative in the truest sense of the word – thoughtful about his influences and staying true to himself and his vision with whatever he creates.  In this episode we cover what he has learned from his life in the arts so far, the vast range of creative influences that he channels when producing work, and his approach to creating with authenticity and consideration. To find out more about his work, search for him @adeudo or his studio @artisanalone Alternatively, find his website here: https://www.artisanalone.com/ I hope you enjoy it!

This week I’m joined by Bibliotherapist and artist Ella Berthoud. What started out as a conversation between Ella and her friend – novelist Susan Elderkin – turned into a career of talking to clients about their lives and prescribing reading solutions. She has written a number of books all about what she does and about the power of reading to change our lives – including The Novel Cure, and The Story Cure for children.     This episode dives straight into me asking Ella exactly how she and Susan developed the idea of becoming Bibliotherapists.

This week I’m joined by interior designer Carina Harford of Harford House. I got the chance to ask Carina a bit about the aspects of her life away from design that inform her process. We delve into the experiences and the books that help her keep in touch with herself, and that have informed how she understands her clients and what they need from their space.   This episode dives straight into a subject that I couldn’t wait to talk about with Carina, which is fashion, and she told me about some of the amazing pieces that she has stashed away.

AROYO Podcast is back this week, and I'm so delighted to announce my guest Ana SampsonAna has not only worked with some of my very favourite authors - including Joelle Taylor and Amy Jeffs - but has produced numerous poetry anthologies aimed both at adults and children.Some of her most notable works include 'She Will Soar: Bright, Brave Poems About Freedom' and more recently 'Gods And Monsters' and 'Heroes And Villains' - which are accompanied by Chris Riddell.We had such a lovely chat about the state of publishing, what it means to be surrounded by books from a young age, and her dreaming reading space.

This week I’m joined by musician and artist Susan O’Neill. We had a wonderfully in-depth conversation about the creative process, and particularly the environments that have inspired her to compose music. We also dive deep into what it means to collect and gather objects around us, and how those objects – particularly the books that we pick up for ourselves or have gifted to us - come to tell a story about our lives.   Susan recently released an album called Now In A Minute, which I’d thoroughly recommend finding on youtube, spotify, or on her website susanoneill.ie