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How an eco-friendly interior designer transformed a former milking parlour into a multi-purpose space in the middle of the PandemicGrace McCloud meets the masterminds behind the transformation of a disused milk parlour in Berkshire.
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Forget Bond, the understated George Smiley is fiction's greatest spyAs a new exhibition in Oxford charts John le Carré’s legacy, Emma Hughes takes a closer look at his most enduring creation, George Smiley.
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Country Life's top 10 garden stories of 2025, from Alan Titchmarsh's hardy annuals to David Beckham's Cotswolds paradiseWe look back at the most-read architecture stories on the Country Life website in 2025.
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‘I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a ballet dancer’: The English National Ballet's prima ballerina on playing Clara in The Nutcracker and her consuming passionsLotte Brundle meets Ivana Bueno, who is dancing the role of Clara in The Nutcracker this year at the London Coliseum.
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The policeman turned goat-herder turned beautician, whose goats' milk soap became a sensationBeautiful soaps always make a wonderful gift, and that's why the goats' milk soap-maker Nick King is one of our heroes of Christmas.
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How the spirit of Andy Warhol lives on through ChristmasAndy Warhol found Christmas a tricky time, yet threw himself into the festivities and, when he decided to illustrate his series on American myths, he had no doubt he should include the jolly old man in the bright red suit.
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How Britain’s biggest and best country houses are decking the halls (and façades) for ChristmasNo one does Christmas better than Britain's country houses (probably).
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Helmingham Hall: The ancient garden at a medieval hall where the drawbridge is still pulled up every nightHalf a millennium of careful tending at Helmingham Hall in Suffolk — home of Ed and Sophie Tollemache — has given this garden a rare magic, most noticeable in the depths of winter. Tilly Ware paid a visit; photography by Clive Nichols.
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Giles Kime: Cushions, rugs, upholstered stools and sofa blankets are the ingredients of a pleasing new trendAre you going soft, asks Country Life's Interiors Editor, Giles Kime?
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The plants to give for Christmas which will keep flowering for yearsJohn Massey of Ashwood Nurseries grows thousands of Christmas plants each year — making him one of our Christmas heroes. Here are his tips for the best ones to give.
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A gift for every interest — and every deadline: The best coffee-table books to give at ChristmasAmie Elizabeth White rounds up some of the best coffee-table books of 2025.
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Has the secret of Vermeer’s most enigmatic masterpiece finally been revealed? A British art historian’s controversial claim to have uncovered the true identity of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'Andrew Graham-Dixon talks to Carla Passino about Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' — an iconic example of Dutch Golden Age art and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
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Why the interior design industry should ignore Pantone’s colour of the year and stick to its gunsA colour your landlord would adore is not one worth celebrating, argues Lotte Brundle.
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'Real children like it… I think it frightens some adults, but very few children': 75 years of The Chronicles of NarniaAs C. S. Lewis’s enchanting children’s classic 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' turns 75, Matthew Dennison pulls back the coats to explore its evergreen spell.
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Power, prestige and passion: Where to see more than 100 of the world’s best dynastic jewelsMany of the world’s most astonishing jewels are on display together in Paris — and they once belonged to Europe’s most powerful families.
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Dragonflies, flowers, dogs and lobsters: The 17th century nature brought back to life by the paintings of Alexander MarshalAlexander Marshal — this country’s first major botanical painter — deserves to be better known, writes Tiffany Daneff, after seeing his luminous originals in the Royal Collection.
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How to create spectacular arrangements for your Christmas tableCandles, crabapples and a Champagne bucket are all your need to transform your Christmas table, says Amy Merrick. Just don't mention cut flowers.
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When Chelsea was grazing and pasture, not gazing and posture, this house was a Georgian dairy. Now it's a townhouse on SW3's swishest streetWill Hosie takes a look at The Old Dairy, a beautiful old home in SW3 that's seen the entire area grow up around it.
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The greatest flowers make the greatest artA search for still-life subjects led Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country
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Country Life's luxury editor's Christmas gift ideas for the home and gardenOur luxury editor's round up of the best Christmas presents for house and garden proud mothers, fathers, siblings, partners and friends.
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‘Each one is different depending on what mood I’m in, how I'm feeling and how my energy is’ — meet the carver behind Westminster Hall's angel statuesBespoke woodcarver William Barsley makes unique scale replicas of the angels that gaze over Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace of Westminster.
