Home Truths

Sarah Sherman Samuel’s approach to her career is a modern one - she didn’t have a set path and moved across the country a couple of times, going where the wind took her and landing jobs where she could when she arrived. But her flair for taking a good photograph, coupled with some early career training in spatial design, saw her deciding to renovate her own home and document it online. Her California sunshine aesthetic resonated, and her project began to be shared and re-shared, growing her an army of fans who still follow along to catch a glimpse of her beautifully lit home - so beautifully lit, in fact, that when we put a corner of her house on our cover, complete with mustard yellow armchair and dappled light, the cover line that summed up her approach simply said ‘golden hour.’ Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Amberg’s luxury leather goods - his bags, his purses, his baby slings and his floors, are characterised by their buttery softness, by the caramel tones and bright colours, and by how lovely they are to touch. But although his goods tend to belong in a fairly rarfied world, Bill himself is welcoming, passionate and playful inventor, constantly looking for new ways to improve on the material that has been the enduring love affair of his career. He came of age in London at the same time as Tom Dixon, when there was a punky attitude and anything goes approach to design, and its fascinating to see how that feeling has stayed with him throughout his career. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode is sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kit Kemp's hotels and books and blogs are known for a sense of wonderful, joyful refinement. Bright colours, bold patterns and a real ebullience characterise her work, seeing her become one of the most loved designers working in the industry today. Yet she has no formal training, and much of what she knows she learned on the job, by following her instinct and having an understanding of space and scale. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This week's episode is sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He has worked on some of the most revered hotels in the world, from Claridges and The Connaught to The Standard in New York, but Guy Oliver started life very differently. As a closeted gay navy recruit interiors became his retreat, and his passion led him to apprentice in some very grand Scottish homes before taking over and rebranding the agency he now runs, Oliver Laws. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, and hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode is sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He defines his designs as Modern American Glamour, and while Jonathan Adler has added glitz and gilt to every part of the home, he began as a potter working all day long to create pots for stores such as Barney's. He has turned his work ethic into an empire, using his skill as a creative to learn new techniques and try new things, opening stores, designing homes and hotels and becoming - in his words - the luckiest potter in the world. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Designer Martin Brudnizki has worked on almost every iconic hotel and restaurant to have opened in the last 15 years or so. From Scotts to Sexy Fish, from Soho Beach House in Miami to Dean Street Townhouse in London, he's masterminded the interiors of each one. His brand of comfortable sophistication has see him become much in demand, launch his own furniture line and expand to run a company with offices in both London and New York. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode is sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interior designer, author, store owner, manufacturer and teacher Abigail Ahern has come along way since accidentally finding herself running a design team without quite knowing what she was doing. Setting up a global brand, she has learned to trust her tastes and be open about herself - in doing so she has won an army of fans. As her latest book, Everything: A Maximalist Style Guide, is published, Abigail looks back on how she got to where she is today. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International designer Ini Archibong has lived a pretty incredible life. His lack of fear around asking for help has seen him walk into an architect's office off the street and convince them to train him, has seen the internet fund his fledgling career and has meant he's been able to design collections for brands such as Se and Hermes. He grew up in LA, moved to Singapore and has since settled in the mountains of Switzerland, where his approach to putting his ambitions out into the world has helped turn him into one of this generation's most dynamic creatives. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Harlequin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to describe the career of Athena Calderone - no one label covers everything. She works in interior design, she's an author, a recipe writer, podcast host and influencer in the truest sense of the word. Her work has been on the cover of Livingetc twice, and her style continues to influence how we put our pages together, taking inspiration from the way she curates and collects. In this episode she talks about how she turned her eye for design into a career, the lapses in confidence and the tricks she used to get over them, plus how she goes about sourcing all her objet. And stay tuned, for at the end of the episode, senior textile buyer for Heal's Hannah Thistlethwaite shares her thoughts on how fledgling brands can get noticed. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This week's episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The designer Yinka Ilori seems like an overnight success - in the last couple of years his bright colours and bold designs feel like they've come from nowhere, fresh and exciting and new. But the reality is very different, and Yinka started working in design over a decade ago, refurbing old chairs he found on the side of the road into pieces that bridge the gap between art and design. He took a small loan from the Prince's Trust and supplemented it with shop work to create the growing studio he has today, and this fascinating look back at his career explains how. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He's known as one of the most knowledgeable and interesting people around on sustainability, as well as one of the most innovative designers there is. Sebastian Cox has been finding new ways to work with wood and its byproducts since launching his degree show in 2010, and his passion and drive have seen him become an authority on eco practices. Having worked with Burberry, deVOL and even published his own manifesto, listening to his mad-inventor-like way of working is an inspiring glimpse into how he got to where he is today. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in 1970, Tricia Guild set up Designers Guild on an unloved corner of the the King's Road in London. The UK was just coming out of the swinging 60s and Tricia was at the forefront of a new movement filled with relaxed, joyful and colourful interiors. As she celebrates 50 years in the business she looks back at the way the landscape has changed, and how she helped to change it, working with artists, scouring the world for inspiration, and breaking glass ceilings as a woman in business. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, and hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in the 1990s, Matthew Williamson launched himself as a fashion designer, catching the eye of people like Kate Moss, Jade Jagger and Alek Wek, who helped propel him to the top of his game. He went from keeping his collections in his bedsit to having four flagship stores around the world before gradually pivoting to interiors. He now runs a smaller - but no less successful - design studio, working on public and residential spaces, while collaborating on rug, tile and lighting launches. This is the fascinating tale of how he went from a young fashion student to dining with Karl Lagerfeld to creating much beloved interiors schemes. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Tom Dixon fell into the design scene in the 1980s he viewed himself as very much outside of the establishment. His work was experimental and he formed a collective with other young designers like Thomas Heatherwick to create what they wanted. But he quickly became noticed, then lauded, then part of the establishment, then its figurehead, designing iconic products like his Copper Ball pendant, creating the interiors for Shoreditch House and Sea Containers House, and running an empire at Coal Drops Yard in London's King's Cross. Here, he talks about how he did it. Plus Eleanor Nadimi from One Night Eight Five, a textile and accessory company that launched in 2016, shares her experience of setting up an interiors brand. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac. This episode was sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the Design Director of Soho House, Linda Boronkay has shaped much of how we all decorate today. She looks after projects such as White City House, Soho House Mumbai and Soho House Barcelona, managing vast teams of people all at the same time. But getting to the top hasn't been easy, and while Linda shares advice on making it in big design agencies - having also worked at Martin Brudnizki and Tom Dixon - she talks openly about the imposter syndrome that followed her ascent. Home Truths is a product of Livingetc, hosted by Pip McCormac, and sponsored by Heal's Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International designer Lee Broom reveals how he went from a two person band designing furniture in his flat, to having stockists all over the world, stores in London and New York, and more awards than you can shake one his famous Crystal Bulb lights at. This episode is hosted for Livingetc by Pip McCormac, and sponsored by Heal's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.