Elfreda Pownall
Based in south London, Elfreda writes about houses 'full of ideas and beautiful objects' and does styling for food features. She knew she wanted to be a journalist when she was 13: 'I covered my entire bedroom, wall to wall, with pictures cut from my mother's glossy magazines.' 'I started as a dogsbody at The World of Interiors, unable even to send a fax, and learned on the job.'
An impressive and considered house in New York State layered with a mixture of styles by Steven Gambrel
On an empty plot of rural land in New York State, interior designer Steven Gambrel and his architect collaborators have conjured this elegant newbuild, which feels both contemporary and rich in history, imposing yet comfortable
Traditional Country
A fabulously pretty rectory on the edge of a Dorset village
A spontaneous viewing led to a quick purchase for Miranda Alexander, but her Dorset house, made up of two buildings from different periods, has turned out to be the perfect fit
A Notting Hill townhouse brought to life using vibrant colour and pattern
When the owners bought this Victorian house in Notting Hill, it was in good condition but with very bland interiors. They called in Studio Vero who added an array of colour and glamour to breathe new life into it.
A centuries-old ducal estate in Suffolk brought up to date by the latest generation
Having worked in the music industry internationally, Harry Grafton returned to Suffolk to become the custodian of Euston Hall in 2011 and found the house in need of revival. Since then, he and his wife Olivia have turned it into a family home and founded the Red Rooster festival in the grounds
City
From the archive: Sibyl Colefax designer Wendy Nicholls' stylish London mansion flat
After 40 years at Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, Wendy Nicholls is clear about what makes a good interior, and the decoration of her London flat reflects the style she has honed both personally and professionally
Houses by our Top 100 Interior Designers & Architects
Ashley Hicks reinvents the country house interior in a 19th-century villa in Wiltshire
Rescuing the owner of this nineteenth-century villa in Wiltshire from a crisis of decision-making, Ashley Hicks has reinvented the country-house interior by introducing hints of irreverence, his own furniture designs and bold fabrics
Country
A once-ruined neo-Jacobean house in Shropshire transformed by Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay
Taking on a Victorian country house of grand proportions in Shropshire, the interior designer Henri Fitzwilliam-Lay has enhanced its original details and combined them with the mid-century aesthetic for which she is known.
City Houses
The 1860s Italianate house of a historian and collector of Scandinavian art and design
The owners of this London house were happy to let designer Stephan Eicker be bold with his schemes for its rooms, which set off their collection of modern art
Country
From the archive: an elegant Georgian house perfectly situated in the rolling Cotswold countryside (2017)
Having lost out on their perfect house in Oxfordshire, designer Vanessa Macdonald and her husband James were delighted to find the owners later wanted to sell, and they could finally call the elegant Georgian property their own
Artist Monica Grose Hodge's Georgian flat in Hackney
During lockdown Monica Grose Hodge's tranquil flat in an 1830s house in Hackney, rapidly became a workshop for her Rag pictures, using a 19th century technique to make patterns based on 16th century Crewel Work.
A restful waterside house by Turner Pocock with a garden full of surprises
Drawn to this Georgian home in Berkshire by its tranquil waterside location, the owners tasked Turner Pocock’s designers with creating interiors that would reflect the surrounding natural beauty and provide a welcoming space for visiting family and friends
Nicola Harding's sleek and colourful design for a glorious riverside house
Set on the banks of the Thames, this 18th-century house has always been blessed with a glorious outlook. But, after an artful redesign by Nicola Harding, its interior now has a sense of flow and an easy elegance perfectly suited to a weekend family home
The warm, inviting family home of a designer known for cool interiors
She is known for her interiors for members’ clubs and hotels, but it is Susie Atkinson’s own family house in Hampshire that reveals so much about what is important to her – rooms that are elegant but also personal and inviting
Houses by our Top 100 Interior Designers & Architects
Interior designer Ben Pentreath turns his hand to an Arts and Crafts house
Ben Pentreath has given each room of this large house its own personality, combining colour and texture with interesting pieces from different periods.
Nicola Harding brings the vital spark back to a 17th-century country house
This Jacobean beauty seemed to have it all, but its new owners felt like it was lacking its vital spark. Brought in to restore a sense of character, Nicola Harding embarked on a whirlwind revamp, transforming rooms with an artful palette and creating beguiling contrasts of dark and light
A handsome Provençal house strikingly rejuvenated by Lucy Hammond Giles
A gradual yet holistic transformation of the interior of this large, handsome property in the South of France at the hands of designer Lucy Hammond Giles proved so appealing that it evolved from being a holiday house into a much loved home, when its London-based owner decided to spend a year here with her family
First in: Inside the Dower House at Beaverbook hotel, boldly transformed by Nicola Harding
The renovation and decoration of a Dower house on the Beaverbrook estate has created an inviting new place to stay, with vibrant interiors by Nicola Harding
An interior designer's Welsh cottage, inventively furnished with second-hand finds
When interior designer Lucinda Griffith fell for a cottage that took her back to her Welsh heritage but was almost beyond her means, she cleverly employed all the tricks of her trade to furnish it in a thrifty, inventive and charmingly inviting fashion
An early-Georgian townhouse in London with intriguing interiors
This early-Georgian townhouse in London has been restored by American designer Jamie Drake, who was called in by his long-term client to inject a confident combination of modern and antique pieces, exquisite craftsmanship and eye-catching colour
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A bright and breezy house in the Bahamas by Tino Zervudachi
Interior designer Tino Zervudachi has transformed this house in the Bahamas from dark and unpromising into bright and breezy, with cool blue and white colour schemes that enhance the reworked layout inside, and wraparound terraces outside with spectacular ocean views.