Build your dream house with Country Life
A new series in Country life starts on September 1 which will inspire country house owners to completely re-imagine their property with expert help

Following the success of Dream Acres last year, Country Life is launching Dream House, a seven-part series starting next week (September 1) in which Architectural Editor John Goodall and conservation architect Ptolemy Dean will demystify the architecture of the English country house, and provide readers with ideas about the ways their own homes might be improved. Seven figures from the world of architecture have each been commissioned, with a free rein in terms of building regulations, to redesign a house, from Classical villas to derelict farmhouses.
They are historic-building specialist Hugh Petter (September 1), progressive Classical design specialist Craig Hamilton (September 8), conservation and environmental specialist Jenny Humphreys (September 15), contextual specialist James Gorst (September 22), conservation architect Jane Kennedy (September 29), trainee architect Charles Page (October 6) and acclaimed surveyor Charles Morris (October 13).
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
‘Once upon a time they covered an area the size of Ireland’: The restoration of Britain’s native oyster reefs is shaping future marine projects around the world
Jane Wheatley reports on an innovative project to restore Britain’s once plentiful native oyster reefs in Tyne & Wear.
-
What connects Brutalism and fancy pink diamonds? The Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 17, 2025
Featuring more questions on collective nouns. The perfect way to start a weekend.