Features

I loved investigating the world of almshouses - with their fascinating history, and the challenges they face today - and spent some time at Appleby Blue and Charterhouse, talking to residents, CEOs and architects about what works and what doesn't...

I wrote about Emily's Walking Book Club's take on the incomparable Akenfield by beloved Church Times columnist Ronald Blythe.

Why dressing up is the antithesis to reading for pleasure.

Such a treat to interview Elif Shafak in her beautiful London home. The Turkish writer was warm, welcoming, very inspiring and had the most amazing sky-high bookshelves!

Architect Sarah Wigglesworth showed me around her gorgeous future-proofed home, and I spoke to WWM Architects about their trend-bucking new Almshouse - two very different models of age-friendly architecture.

A visit to Burleigh pottery - fascinating to see how history and the present day come together in their beautiful new collection, and their whole ethos.

As Turner makes his entrance on the new polymer £20 note, it seemed like a good time to visit his Twickenham villa - where he lived, and which he designed himself. I hadn't realised he trained as an architect, and was friends with Soane - the villa is a fascinating and beautiful spot, and I also loved finding out about the ups and downs of its restoration.

A treat to talk to David Milne, curator of this special Spitalfields house, about creating an unusual, unforgettable Christmas. Featuring some beautiful, atmospheric pics by Tori Ferenc.

I really enjoyed meeting a load of architects who told me all about the radical ways they'd remodelled various Georgian townhouses. Many of them were inspired by Georgian proportions, and the good light, and often found an aesthetic that sat hand-in-hand with modernism, oddly enough. There was also the considerable bonus of unravelling layer upon layer of history, before beginning the new work.

I nosed around the extremely impressive castle in Bishop Auckland, saw some unforgettable Zurbaran paintings and learnt a bit about the fascinating history of the Prince Bishops.

The space at the bottom of the garden is the best place to experiment with bold design - I had a really fun time talking to various architects about their beautiful sheds.

My first cover feature for the FT's House & Home section! This piece was a lovely comission: a chance to look into blue plaques - the criteria for getting one, unexpected hitches along the way, their value (taken to have all sorts of meanings), and what it's like living with one.

Victor Hugo made Guernsey his home-in-exile for fourteen years. While he was there he wrote, a lot, and he also decorated his house in a pretty eccentric, very creative way - it's one of the most extraordinary places I've ever been.

Sometimes the most interesting stories are the ones scribbled in the margins of books ... I went to The Vyne, a National Trust Tudor property, to discover the secret life of its library.

I spent a day being utterly charmed by Molly Wemyss and her mum Fiona, as they hung fabric walling in a house in Scotland. This is a very old technique that you might spot in a stately home, but Molly's company Stretch Fabric Walling has a refreshingly contemporary take on it. Lovely pics too!

Hidden away in a Dorset woodland, is an unusual, very special, architectural school campus, where all the building materials – and ideas – come from the wood itself.

While we bemoan the tragic dwindling in our public libraries, informal book-swaps - "micro-libraries" - are on the rise. I look at how, where and why.

What’s it like to live in a museum? I met some amazing people who live (actually, for real!) amongst the exhibits and artefacts.

I went to the Sussex bolthole of the inspiring Ghanaian architect, who ruffled up RIBA.

I spoke to children of various architects – from the very famous to the not at all famous – about what it was like to grow up in a home designed and made by your parents. Basically, it makes you pretty creative.

How booksellers and private librarians assemble unusual collections for individuals.

A little piece about a little obsession of mine – London’s lost rivers.

Who nicks what, and where, and why?

Why the festive time is best for a murder mystery.

An introduction to Odd Mondays – a sort of low-key salon which I host, where a bunch of friends talk about odd things of interest.

It’s not spending, it’s investing – why buying rare editions is actually good for your bank balance.