I’m so excited for this episode though – it’s a chat that I had a couple of weeks ago with Edward Hollis – who’s the Professor of Interior Design at Edinburgh University, and the author of books exploring the influence of our surroundings on our lives. His work delves into what’s left behind of historic sites that we know throughout history, and re-constructs them so his readers can find new ways of imagining themselves into them. His books include The Secret Lives of Buildings, The Memory Palace – which we cover a lot in this episode, and more recently ‘How To Make a Home’ for The School of Life.

I enjoyed speaking to him so much because of how his answers span so many creative worlds to link back to the meaning of space – especially music. This made for some quite weird turns – as we go from discussing the Palace of Versailles to talking about Berghain and Ibiza.

I’ve split this into two parts. In part 1, we discuss his work and his approaches to making meaningful spaces, both in his writing, and how he teaches. In Part 2, next week – we’ll go much more into the history of interiors in literature, and the different ways that they’ve been channeled by different authors at different times – covering some of his favorites, before digging into what the settings that we imagine in our dreams mean, and digging into his own.

My favourite thing about our chat was that he talks in the same way that he writes, which is precise and lyrical. To give you a taster, I think this quote from the Memory Palace sums this – and his philosophy of space.- up perfectly.

He writes: “There’s nae pockets in shrouds, they say, and none of our things belong to us. We have borrowed, inherited, and purchased them all, and one day we shall lose them. In the meantime, the rooms we live in are dolls’ houses and memory palaces. We arrange their worthless elements as shrines to departed shades – temporary meeting places, cabinets of curiosity. Settings for tiny plays and reveries, items of exchange, electronic images, texts like the one you are reading now, and ultimately, ringings that fade on the ear even as they are heard.”

Apologies for the slightly strange timing of this episode – I’m doing some work in China for the next month – which has been amazing and I hope to create some great content to share with you – but it’s also completely wrecked my schedule.

I was very lucky to be joined this week by Christen Pears. Christen is known for having created a beautiful home that she has created in the West of Cornwall, and for sharing this space with guests at her B’n’B. More recently, she has announced that she will be running reading retreats - for guests to unwind in an inspiring atmosphere, to take time for themselves.

In this episode we talk about how Christen has found creating her own home and sharing her lifestyle online, as well as what inspired her to make her space available for reading retreats, and the pleasure that comes with dedicating time to carving out that time for yourself.

If you want to find out more about these reading retreats, do follow Christen on Instagram at ‘christenpears’, or go to her website middlecolensofarm.co.uk.

I was very lucky to be joined this week by author Alice Maddicott - whose work explores and mulls over our search for the meaning of place, largely through travels and the places that she has fallen in love with - Tblisi, Belgrade, Istanbul - as well as her own home deep in the West Country.

We go on to have a really important discussion on the therapeutic role that the mind can play when creating an imaginary world as a refuge that can’t be touched by the outside.

If you want to understand more about the process of building dream reading spaces in your home and how I can work with you, do see contact information below:

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In this week’s episode I’m joined by Dr Isabella Rosner - who holds the impressive title of curator at the Royal School of Needlework. Once I managed to drag her away from her favourite topics of 18th Century tea-caddies, we discussed her favourite reading spaces - and took a long tangent to imagine the dream bathroom.

Isabella is a proper expert as well as an extremely lively, approachable and funny person. It was such a pleasure to have her on.

If you want to understand more about the process of building dream reading spaces in your home and the process involved, do see contact info below:

Website - www.aroyo.org

Instagram - @aroyo.pod

Email - aroyo.podcast@gmail.com

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by author and columnist for Country Living Magazine Sally Coulthard.

Sally is the author of over 20 non-fiction titles on nature, craft, design and the history of the countryside. Her latest book - A History of the Countryside in 100 Objects - delves deep into 100 curious objects that act as keys to the past.

In this episode, we will take all of those themes discussed in part 1, and build Sally’s dream family drawing room. A rag-tag collection of worn and comfortable furniture all pointing towards a large open fire, surrounded by walls of books, family photographs and fascinating objects dug up or recovered.

If you want to understand more about the process of building dream reading spaces in your home and the process involved, do see contact info below:

Website - www.aroyo.org

Instagram - @aroyo.pod

Email - aroyo.podcast@gmail.com

A brief introduction to what this podcast is all about. Join me weekly with new amazing guests to explore how the books and the spaces they’ve loved have shaped them.