Homing In

Matt Gibberd and The Modern House
  • 4.8 (296)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY
Homing In

What does home reveal about who we are? Almost everything, it turns out. Join The Modern House co-founder and author Matt Gibberd as he talks to cultural and creative leaders about the most influential space in our lives: home. In each episode, we ask guests to talk about a home of their past; their current living space; and where they would like to end up – revealing what home means to some of our most inspiring public figures. Be prepared for tears, laughter and everything in between.  "The Best Podcasts To Listen To Now" – Vogue  Homing In is produced by The Modern House, with music by Father. The Modern House is an estate agency that helps people live in more thoughtful and beautiful ways. If you have a modern home to sell, get in touch to find out how we can maximise its value. To hear more from us: Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Instagram To get in touch, email us at podcast@themodernhouse.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life

    13 NOV · BONUS

    Nigel Slater: the food writer opens the door to his fascinating home life

    Nigel is the first podcast guest ever to make me cry. I'm a big fan of his writing, and suspected he'd be a kindred spirit, but spending the day with him in his house was an overwhelming experience I wasn't prepared for. He lives around the corner from where I grew up, in a pared-back way that feels very familiar. In this remarkably honest conversation, he outlines the essential role his home plays in keeping him on an even keel.  We discuss what it's like to suffer from panic attacks, and how they're triggered by the built environment. He tells me that whenever he arrives in a building he hasn't been to before, the first thing he does is check where the exit is so that he can plan his escape.  We touch on the childhood trauma that he wrote about in his brilliant memoir, Toast, from his mother's death to his father's bullying. We discuss the roots of his lifelong interest in gardening, why he keeps a daily diary, and the importance of smell within the home.  This is a conversation I'll remember forever. Thank you, Nigel.   This episode was recorded in person at Nigel's home in London. For more: Pick up a copy of Nigel Slater's latest book, A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy … a Memoir of Sorts Find out more about Nigel's collaboration with Perfumer H Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Pick up a copy of Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Producer: Laconic Collective Graphic Design: Ben Tucker Music: Simeon Walker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 32m
  2. Kevin McCloud: the Grand Designs presenter takes us behind the scenes of his own life

    1 AUG

    Kevin McCloud: the Grand Designs presenter takes us behind the scenes of his own life

    Kevin has been a fixture on our tellies for so many years that we feel like we know him. But, actually, I didn’t have a clue about his life story, so this conversation was really interesting for me. He tells me about growing up in what he refers to as an ‘architectural zoo’ of housing from different eras. We talk about his involvement with Footlights, the famous comedy troupe at Cambridge University, where he collaborated with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. And he explains why he’s spent years living in a camper van and why his future home will definitely have a view of the mountains. Kevin is one of the most engaging and fiercely intelligent guests I’ve spoken to on Homing In and he’s full of amusing anecdotes and top tips. I hope you enjoy the episode! This episode was recorded in person at St Anne's Court, a home currently for sale on The Modern House. For more:  Watch Grand Designs Subscribe to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration Find out more about Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live Producer: Hannah Phillips Editing and mixing: Oscar Crawford Graphic Design: Tom Young Music: Father This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  3. Skye Gyngell: a searingly honest portrait of a chef battling for her identity

    30 JUL

    Skye Gyngell: a searingly honest portrait of a chef battling for her identity

    Skye Gyngell was born and raised in Sydney, but has never felt Australian. In this honest and heartfelt interview, she paints a picture of a deeply introverted child who wanted to “turn down the volume” on everybody. Her father, Bruce Gyngell, was the first person to appear on TV in Australia, and uttered the immortal line, “Good evening, and welcome to television.” She describes him as very flamboyant (“probably a real show-off, actually”), and he would send a chauffeur-driven car to pick her up from school. Sydney in the Seventies was a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other’s business, and, as a sensitive personality, she found the attention impossible to deal with. As soon as she turned 18, she fled to Europe, and has never looked back.   We explore her life story through the lens of the homes she’s lived in… from the house on stilts that was built by her parents, to her beautiful home in west London where we recorded this episode. For more:  Head over to our website for more images of the places discussed Visit Spring and Heckfield Place Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration  Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live  Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective Production: Hannah Phillips Music: Father Graphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    51 min
  4. Ruth Rogers: London’s favourite chef on creating an iconic house

    25 JUL

    Ruth Rogers: London’s favourite chef on creating an iconic house

    For Ruth Rogers, home is at the very heart of everything. Her legendary London restaurant, the River Cafe, is founded on community, friendship and home cooking. Her iconic house in Chelsea, which she co-created with her architect husband, Richard Rogers, has been the backdrop to family life for forty years and has influenced a generation of homeowners to live with light and space. Ruthie invited me in to discuss her extraordinary life through the lens of the homes she has lived in. She describes with great poignancy how her house provides her with comfort following Richard’s death. She talks about growing up in the Borscht Belt near New York, and a chance encounter with Bob Dylan in Woodstock. Having personally co-founded a business in an industry I knew nothing about, I can relate to Ruthie’s inspiring story of starting the River Cafe with no restaurant experience and making things up as she went along. She tells me about how the restaurant has become a home from home, and why it’s been a breeding ground for some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, April Bloomfield and Allegra McEvedy. She talks about the influences behind her Chelsea home, from the Maison de Verre in Paris to the Italian piazzas of Pienza and Montepulciano, and why a rather special set of coloured pencils is one of the first things she would save in a house fire.  This conversation was recorded in person at Ruth Rogers’ home in Chelsea, London.  For more on Ruth Rogers: Watch our film at the home of Ruth and Richard Rogers  Visit the River Café   Listen to Ruth’s podcast, Ruthie’s Table Four  For more from Matt Gibberd and The Modern House: Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Instagram Check out Matt's latest book, A Modern Way To Live Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective Production: Hannah Phillips Music: Father Graphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min
  5. Mary Portas: the queen of the high street’s inspiring journey from homeless orphan to a London townhouse that’s all hers

    18 JUL

    Mary Portas: the queen of the high street’s inspiring journey from homeless orphan to a London townhouse that’s all hers

    Most of us know Mary Portas as a swashbuckling TV presenter with a flame-red bob, but her career away from the screen has been no less remarkable. She did the window displays for Topshop during its heyday and was the creative director of Harvey Nichols when it was immortalised on Absolutely Fabulous. Nowadays, however, she runs her consultancy, Portas, which helps brands create purpose and beauty in everything they do. As this episode reveals, her life story is incredibly rich and filled with both trauma and triumph.  This episode was recorded in person at the Portas offices, London. For more:  Head over to our website for more images of the places discussed Visit Portas  Sign up to The Modern House newsletter for weekly interiors inspiration  Check out Matt Gibberd’s latest book, A Modern Way To Live  This episode is sponsored by Vitsoe. Executive Producer: Kate Taylor of Feast Collective Producer: Hannah Phillips Music: Father Graphic Design: Tom Young Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min
  6. Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses

    5 JUL

    Cath Kidston: the floral-obsessed entrepreneur on why life isn’t always a bed of roses

    There’s barely an oilcloth, mug or ironing board cover that hasn’t been embellished with a nostalgic floral print from Cath Kidston. Because of the brand’s ubiquity, it’s easy to forget quite how influential it was when it appeared in the 1990s. What I love about Cath is that she’s living proof you can be a wildly successful entrepreneur whilst also being a kind, gentle soul. Although her name’s still above the door, she hasn’t been involved with the Cath Kidston business for many years, so I was intrigued to find out what that feels like.  She’s now set up a bodycare brand called C. Atherley, which makes all of its products using scented geraniums. Despite her love of flowers, life hasn’t always been a bed of David Austin roses for Cath and she talks very honestly about the personal grief she’s suffered through her life.  She has a great eye for interiors and we had this conversation at her kitchen table in London, with a surprisingly modern backdrop of Danish wood flooring and an Ellsworth Kelly artwork.  Cath was very generous with her time and emotions and I’m really happy with how this episode has turned out. I hope you enjoy it. This episode was recorded in person at Cath Kidston’s West London home. For more:  Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode Check out Cath Kidston’s latest venture, C.Atherley Producer: Hannah Phillips Editing: Oscar Crawford Graphic Design: Tom Young Music: Father This episode was sponsored by Vitsoe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 3m
  7. Jonny Gent: music, martinis and mayhem from the founder of Sessions Arts Club

    28 JUN

    Jonny Gent: music, martinis and mayhem from the founder of Sessions Arts Club

    Today I’m chatting to the swashbuckling artist and restaurateur Jonny Gent. We recorded this episode during a busy lunch service at Sessions Arts Club, Jonny’s inspirational restaurant in Clerkenwell. It’s fair to say that he’d emboldened himself with a few martinis beforehand and what ensued was a conversation that very much represents the man himself: unstructured, poetic and generous.  Jonny’s a brilliant painter, and his artworks range from the sexualised and salacious to tenderly painted still-lifes that are a tribute to his late mother. After getting himself through art school, he met a casting director who wrote him a cheque for every painting he’d made. What followed was a journey that took him to more than 20 countries around the world, establishing art studios in everything from a cabin in Scotland to a tobacco factory in France.  Now approaching his late 40s, he’s finally starting to put down some roots. As well as having a permanent home in London, Jonny spends a lot of time in the Scottish Highlands, where he’s opened a retreat for creatives called Boath House. Like Sessions Arts Club, it explores the confluence of art, food and music.   Jonny says of his childhood, “I felt totally alone in what I found beautiful.” He begins by telling me about the Slow & Easy, the pub he grew up in, and the lasting impact of 500 strangers coming into your home every day. I hope you enjoy it! This episode was recorded in person at Sessions Arts Club, London. For more:  Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode Check out Sessions Arts Club and Boath House Take a look at Jonny Gent’s latest work Producer and Editor: Hannah Phillips Mixing: Oscar Crawford Graphic Design: Tom Young Music: Father Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr
  8. Tim Ross: the Australian comedian on the life-changing effect of modest, modernist buildings – and tinted moisturiser

    21 JUN

    Tim Ross: the Australian comedian on the life-changing effect of modest, modernist buildings – and tinted moisturiser

    A while back, Tim came to London to perform at the Isokon building in Belsize Park, and I managed to catch up with him to record this podcast.   As a small boy in the Seventies, Tim quietly absorbed the lessons of modernist architecture. He remembers accompanying his parents to a dinner party at a modern house, where the sound of laughter reverberated around the circular lounge; his career seems to have been about trying to recapture that heady moment.  In 2003, he bought his own modernist house in Sydney, a move which, he says, ‘changed my life for the better’. His fascination with architecture and design had previously been a solitary pursuit, but the house provided a way to meet like-minded people and a launchpad for his TV career.  Tim is really great company, and we talk about all sorts of things. He explains how he’s an outlier in his family, and what it felt like to perform on stage for the first time.   He tells me about the day the Beastie Boys came to visit and wouldn’t leave, why he’d rather learn to be a builder than go through the stress of another renovation project, and why he swears by the uplifting effects of tinted moisturiser. This episode was recorded in person in Brick Lane, London. For more:  Visit The Modern House website to see images of the spaces discussed in this episode Discover more about Tim Ross and his live shows See more of his Sydney home Producer: Hannah Phillips Editing: Oscar Crawford Graphic Design: Tom Young and Ben Tucker Music: Father Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
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4.8
out of 5
296 Ratings

About

What does home reveal about who we are? Almost everything, it turns out. Join The Modern House co-founder and author Matt Gibberd as he talks to cultural and creative leaders about the most influential space in our lives: home. In each episode, we ask guests to talk about a home of their past; their current living space; and where they would like to end up – revealing what home means to some of our most inspiring public figures. Be prepared for tears, laughter and everything in between.  "The Best Podcasts To Listen To Now" – Vogue  Homing In is produced by The Modern House, with music by Father. The Modern House is an estate agency that helps people live in more thoughtful and beautiful ways. If you have a modern home to sell, get in touch to find out how we can maximise its value. To hear more from us: Sign up to our newsletter for weekly interior inspiration Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow us on Instagram To get in touch, email us at podcast@themodernhouse.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Gibberd and The Modern House
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Modern House 2024
  • Show Website
    Homing In

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