Thomas Barrie
Thomas Barrie is a freelance writer and critic who was most recently a staff writer for British GQ, covering culture, fine art, sport, food and drink and technology in print and online. Tom has also written and worked for Vanity Fair and Tatler magazines, has contributed to California radio station KCRW, and over the course of his career has interviewed figures ranging from Cher and Mick Jagger to Michael Bloomberg, Gordon Ramsay and Michael Owen. Follow him on Twitter at @tasbarrie
Design Ideas
Cheap, smart uses for IKEA furniture in interior design schemes
In celebration of all things IKEA, here are several instances when designers used the Scandi behemoth in extremely smart interiors – and you probably didn’t even notice
London restaurants
The best brunch in London for 2024
From perfect pancakes to baked eggs, here’s where to find London’s best brunch dishes
The best design moments from this year’s top films
From Oscar nominees to under-the-radar indies, this year has seen a bumper crop of films grace the silver screen – and they have their fair share of design nous, too
Houses
A graceful Georgian rectory set in five acres of gentle Gloucestershire landscape
The simple lines and rectilinear shapes of her 18th-century rectory left landscape and interior designer Lesley Cooke rapt as she embarked on a two-year campaign of understated modernisation
Bedroom
89 small bedroom ideas from the world's top interior designers
Space-saving design and storage ideas for cosy bedrooms
Inside Adelaide Cottage, Prince William and Kate Middleton's Windsor Castle home
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton live in Adelaide Cottage – a four-bedroom house on the grounds of Windsor Castle once tipped for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The best things to do in Amman, Jordan's vibrant capital
While the Wadi Rum desert and Petra are top on most travel bucket lists, a stop in Jordan's storied capital Amman is not be missed in a journey through this Middle Eastern blockbuster.
The joys of decorating in video games
The appeal of video games is generally the ability to live out a fantasy – and why not an interior design fantasy?
Bars & Restaurants
The best cocktail bars in London
The best cocktail bars in London presented in one neat and useful list – thank us later (over a cocktail or two)
Design ideas for plaid and tartan fabrics
Plaid patterns, and their woven cousins in tartan, are perennially popular among designers across a range of budgets and scales – here are some of the best uses of them out there
Houses
A tranquil Wyoming log cabin with an unexpected French sophistication
At the foot of the Teton Pass in Wyoming, USA, photographer Lisa Flood and her interior designer Emily Janak have created a home that combines the best of Western design with some serious French sophistication
23 charming design ideas for kitchen nooks
A well-designed nook in the kitchen can provide inviting seating while making the most of available space. Here are our favourite design ideas
Do smart homes make our lives better?
Smart homes are all the rage, as adherents’ houses bristle with everything from remote cameras to check on pets to oven timers that can be activated from the bus home from work. But are smart homes really all that clever, or do the baubles cost more than they’re worth?
News
The best Christmas markets in London to visit in 2023
From Southbank and Kings Cross to some lesser-known gems, these are our favourite Christmas markets to find rare and lovely presents
The poisonous history of interior design
Don’t let anyone tell you that your choice of wallpaper isn’t a matter of life or death…
How to create a natural swimming pond in your garden
Think wild swimming, but in your back garden – what more could you want? We spoke to Tim Evans of Gartenart about how to create a natural swimming pond in your garden
Design ideas for walk-in showers
There is something so much more luxurious about walking into a shower than stepping into a bath – these are the best walk-in showers from the House & Garden archive
A country house stable block converted into charming guest accommodation
After the successful renovation of Ven House in Somerset, interior designer and owner Mike Fisher turned his studied eye to the derelict stable block, fashioning it into comfortable, layered guest quarters
Inside Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria’s fairytale landmark
If anything springs to mind when you hear the phrase “fairytale castle”, it’s almost definitely Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen in Germany
See pictures as royal palaces are inundated with flowers commemorating the Queen
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Green Park adjacent to Buckingham Palace has been flooded with tributes floral and otherwise, as have other locations