By Arabella Peterson Interiors 01.04.2025

9 of the Most Inspiring British Homes From Our Makers Series

Step inside some of the most beautiful homes in the UK, as seen in our beloved home tour series.

It was the great chronicler of domestic life, Jane Austen, who once said, "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." This sentiment is something most Brits understand to be true. While the weather might leave much to be desired, and the muddy footpaths and gray skies don’t always invite lingering outdoors, home is a warm nest away from the noise and pace of the outside world.

Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to step inside some of the most beautiful homes in the UK for our home tour series, The Makers. From Victorian terraces and country homes to inner-city flats and artist studios, these spaces are all rich in personality and charm, and all occupied by equally inspiring people – each turning their house into a home that reflects who they are and how they live.

Pandora Sykes' Playful Victorian London Terrace

Pandora Sykes’ London terrace is like a patchwork quilt of memories and personality – a home filled with character, pattern, and intention. Known for her sharp social commentary and curious mind, the journalist and author channels her research-obsessed nature into the curation of her interiors. “I’m addicted to research, often to the detriment of my sanity,” she admits, a trait that clearly informs the rich thoughtfulness of her home’s design.

Rather than moodboards, she trusted instinct and color memory to drive the decorating process – “I was turbo-nesting… my poor decorators,” she jokes. Each room is saturated in bold color choices: a turmeric-toned living room, a pink main bedroom, and vintage touches scattered throughout. “I like color and I like decoration but there’s also a restraint, I think, because I don’t like rooms to look like rainbows and I hate (hate!) clutter.”

Her love of quirky styling, vintage and antiques adds whimsy to the space – “I have leopard print curtains, so that’s obvious,” she adds – and her local picture framer knows her so well they anticipate her regular drop-ins. For Pandora, a home is never finished – it’s alive, “A house is a living thing and I like it to feel like a dynamic space.”

Take a tour of Pandora’s home.

Sarah Corbett-Winder’s Ode to British Maximalism

If you’re partial to a bit of British Eccentricity, you’ll adore Sarah Corbett-Winder’s North West London terrace. Everything from the walls to the furniture express her and her family’s personal history through riotous, joyful color – a living scrapbook of a life well lived. Known as ‘The Wardrobe Whisperer’, the stylist’s fashion philosophy spills into her interiors, where everywhere the eye meets is expressive, eclectic, and unmistakably her.

A self-confessed maximalist with method, Sarah follows a guiding principle: everything in the home must belong to the same “family.” Whether it’s a candy-striped wall, a china dog figurine, or framed children’s art, her pieces talk to one another with coherence and wit. As she explains, “Creating a home is about believing in it and following your heart and gut. You’re the one who has to live in it.”

The home is infused with sentiment and humour, too: “It’s fun, playful, practical, and homey,” she says. “I wanted us to live in every room.” Sarah’s aesthetic is fearless, but deliberate, colorful but by no means chaotic. And her design ethos reflects her evolution as a woman and mother, “With age, you get more confident. You’re like, ‘I am who I am’. If these walls could talk, they’d tell a sweet story, with a dash of mischief.

Take a tour of Sarah’s home.

Monikh Dale’s Spin on Mediterranean Minimalism

Monikh Dale’s home in London is her retreat from the city’s noise – a serene, sun-kissed villa oasis tucked underground. The stylist’s signature neutral aesthetic, seen by her dedicated Instagram followers, finds its architectural twin in billowy linens, terracotta tiles, and timber accents. “We’ve tried to make it resemble a villa maybe in Mallorca or Ibiza for a very simple, relaxed vibe,” she says.

The subterranean layout – dubbed an ‘iceberg’ house – hides a courtyard and bedrooms beneath street level, cocooning the family in privacy. “When you’re down here none of the houses around can see you, which I think is amazing for being in London.”

Monikh’s approach to interiors echoes her effortless fashion sense. “I’ve always thought they go hand-in-hand,” she says. “My space is a continuation of me and my clothes.” Everything has its place, and everything is calm – even the toddler toys are stored in stylish baskets. But the design also has deeper roots: inspired by her parents’ playful DIY attitude. “They’d be bored one Friday and just say ‘Right, we’re going to paint the whole house terracotta,’ and they’d do it in one weekend.”

Above all, Monikh’s home is so much more than aesthetic. It’s safety, it’s softness, it’s family: “Being able to bring a calm environment to my baby – it’s all that I want.”

Take a tour of Monikh’s home.

Lizzy Hadfield’s ‘Lived-In’ Literary Haven

Lizzy Hadfield’s Hackney home is a book-lover’s sanctuary where personal stories and homey style intertwine. Naturally, her floor-to-ceiling bookshelf has become the heart of the home, “There are so many moments for a conversation to begin just from looking at a bookshelf.”

Known for her minimalist (with a self-prescribed hint of masculine) fashion, Lizzy brings the same understated cool to her interiors – white walls, natural textures, and poignant details, like framed notes from her late father, “It’s quite intimate having people in your home with these things... I get to tell that story, and it feels really lovely.”

Her favorite space is the kitchen – the gravitational centre of her days. “Basically, I want to be where the tea and books are – they’re like magnets.” While she splits her time between London and New York, it’s her Hackney home that’s her anchor.

Take a tour of Lizzy’s home.

Orlagh McCloskey’s Perfectly Curated Den of Color

Orlagh McCloskey, co-founder and creative director of Rixo, has crafted a home in West London that’s as bold and buoyant as the brand she built. Elements like DIY art, limewashed walls and custom furniture built by her husband all form Orlagh’s vibrant home which pulses with warmth, color, and creativity. Simply put, “The key to being happy at home, I think, is simply crafting a relaxing atmosphere.”

Inspired by artists like Matisse and David Hockney, and guided by the same free-spirited flair that defines Rixo, she approaches interiors like a collector, “I think taking the time to nail down some key principles of what you want within a home is the first building block, but then it’s all those little additional things that add to the curation,” she says.

Stained glass, painted ceilings, and sculptural shapes tie the home together, culminating in her most beloved corner of her home – a calming bedroom-bathroom suite, swathed in Bed Threads linen and flowing into a powder-blue bathroom oasis.

Take a tour of Orlagh's home.

Mariko Kuo’s Tranquil, Japandi-Style Sanctuary

Japanese minimalism meets Scandinavian warmth in Mariko Kuo’s London terrace. After years of working long corporate hours as a lawyer, she needed a home that would let her breathe, and she created it with care and ease. As she suggests, “I always think you can sense whether a home has been occupied by happy families or not.”

A Japandi aesthetic runs throughout the Edwardian bones of the house – high ceilings, neutral walls, and minimal ornamentation. It’s soothing without being sterile, layered in timber, marble, and natural light. Her ethos for slow simple living is clear in every room, “The more things you have, the more ‘worries’ you might have… which may send you spiralling every night,” she wisely muses. The marble-clad bathroom and thoughtfully zoned living room are spaces of retreat, while she intends to extend that calm outdoors with a custom alfresco garden space.

Mariko’s dual identity – lawyer by day, content creator by night – is central to the principle of her home: “Law doesn’t tend to foster people who need creative outlets. So I make space to express myself.”

Take a tour of Mariko’s home.

Liv & Dom’s Rustic Countryside Homestudio

Identical twins and ceramicists Liv and Dom have turned their East Sussex home, shop, and studio into a romantic homage to British cottagecore. Like their art, their interior style is eclectic, earthy, and grounded in slow-living.

Layered proudly with secondhand treasures, they attribute their knack for resourceful styling to their humble upbringing: “We didn’t grow up with much money… so ‘making’ to us has been making something out of not much!” Every corner is full of charm: a rustic dining table from a local antique shop, an Ercol chair found outside an old school, and artworks painted by their mom as a teen.

Rather than polish and perfection, their home celebrates the handmade and the re-loved. They even paint their own lampshades and furniture. Their favorite finds are often saved for their open-to-the-public studio/shop down the street, where their curated vision continues. “It’s like curating a gallery,” Dom says. “We went with the energy of the town – quaint, historical, and full of old sh*t,” Liv jokes.

Take a tour of Liv & Dom’s home.

Jessie Bush’s East London Paradise

For over a decade, Jessie Bush lived in rentals filled with off-white walls. So, when she bought her own place, the New Zealand-born fashion influencer went all-in with color – Farrow & Ball’s Kittiwake in the living room, a red clawfoot tub in the bathroom, and fruit trees in the garden. “I knew I wanted to experiment with color and I did go quite all in, much to my husband’s horror,” she jokes.

She brought her casual, joyful style to a Victorian terrace in East London – a kaleidoscopic palette of painted rooms, antique art, and Kiwi informality. “This is where we are meant to be, our place and our sanctuary for our family… “I definitely have an aesthetic, but I don’t want anything to be too fussy or perfect.”

Take a tour of Jessie’s home.

Olivia Purvis' Pastel Storybook Home

Writer and founder of The Insecure Girls Club, Olivia Purvis has created a home in South East London that radiates softness and subtle joy. Her pastel color scheme – blush pinks, sky blues, and rosewater linen – sets a calming tone throughout. “I always think back to how much I loved my teenage bedroom… surrounding myself with reminders of what feels special and good,” she says.

The details of her home tells a story: a floral ottoman here, a shell collected with her son there, postcards tucked onto bookshelves. Her living room, painted with her best friend, feels especially sacred, “It’s like a little sanctuary which feels magic.”

With a decade-long blogging career and a bestselling handbook behind her, Olivia continues to create content that centres community and care. Her home reflects that same intention: “A home is for living in, after all.”

Take a tour of Olivia’s home.