Elizabeth Metcalfe
Features Editor
Elizabeth Metcalfe is House & Garden’s Features Editor. She joined the magazine in 2015, with a BA in English Literature from King’s College London and a Masters from the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her interest in interiors was sparked through a Saturday job working in Pentreath & Hall when she was a student. She likes writing about lived-in, layered interiors, as well as discovering little-known craftspeople. Her writing has appeared in Toast Magazine and Cereal, and she hosted talks for the likes of Christie’s and Collect Art Fair. Her first book, New English Interiors (Frances Lincoln) comes out in October 2024 and profiles the colourful, pattern-rich homes of 22 creatives. She lives in Sussex and spends her spare time rummaging for treasure at antiques fairs and walking her dog.
Design Ideas
Ideas for curtains (with all the terminology you need to recreate them)
Curtains can offer just as much to the design of a room as the furniture. Here's how to get them right.
Design Ideas
Interior designers on the art of making a bed
To duvet or not to duvet – that is the question. We tend to be very opinionated over the ‘correct’ way to make a bed, and old habits tend to stick, so we asked the interiors experts to share how they do theirs
Is open plan living a thing of the past?
What’s happened to open-plan living?
A designer and illustrator's quaint 19th-century cottage in the Normandy countryside
Marin Montagut has something of a cult following for his signature designs, and the Normandy house where he creates them all is testament to his aesthetic
Country
Country bathroom design ideas
From how to achieve a modern country look, to timeless traditional bathroom decoration from the House & Garden archive
A designer's flat in Battersea packed with clever small space ideas
When plans for a full renovation of his small Battersea flat were scuppered, interior designer Christian Bense instead had to work with what he had, creating a layered, full flat where every bit of space is used well
Inside Rita Konig's smart London house, created by combining two flats into one
Eager to have more room for herself and her daughter, Rita Kong bought the flat above her London home and combined them to create one cohesive space that has all the trademarks of her design, including inventive details, bold use of pattern and a blending of the beautiful and the practical
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Our features editor’s shopping picks for how to keep spirits high mid-renovation
From patchwork quilts to wastepaper baskets, scroll on for Elizabeth Metcalfe's wishlist
Before and after: revisiting Rita Konig's west London flat
Having first bought her London flat in 2012, the designer has now transformed it into a larger, more generous space, which features in our October issue, out now. Subscribe or download now to read the full story on the spectacular new incarnation of Rita's flat
The comfort of clutter: why stuff brings us joy
The good kind of clutter – shelves laden with books, dressers packed with ceramics and so on – not only say a lot about who we are but also soothe and provide comfort. The key to it not tipping into chaos is placing things with intent and having the odd edit.
Checking in: South Africa's legendary wine country hotel, Babylonstoren
Franschhoek’s Babylonstoren offers a playground of delights for both adults and children that will have you never wanting to leave
The art of styling your sofa (yes, it's a thing)
Styling your sofa is certainly one of the more frivolous tasks you might be faced with at home – but it's also one that interior designers have plenty to say about
An 18th-century Huguenot weavers' house in Spitalfields with characterful interiors by Rachel Allen
Interior designer Rachel Allen has put her stamp on one of Spitalfields' coveted Huguenot houses, lightening up dark spaces and adding soft colour through paint and textiles
An 18th-century Gloucestershire farmhouse with a simple, relaxed interior
Having lived in this Gloucestershire farmhouse for several years two decades ago, gallerist Thomas Dane found himself drawn back to it in 2015. Once again, it has become a treasured haven for him and his friends, who enjoy its wonderfully relaxed interiors set off by a beautiful garden
How easy is it really to get an antique armchair or sofa reupholstered?
Recovering or reupholstering antique sofas and chairs is a brilliant way to bring character and patina to your interiors, but there are things you need to look out for if you go down this path, as Elizabeth Metcalfe investigates
A charming 17th-century farmhouse in the rolling hills of the South Downs
When Lucy Cunningham was called in to make sense of the higgledy-piggledy nature of this centuries-old Sussex farmhouse, she discovered a house full of charm that needed some clever tweaks to create a harmonious whole
Two 18th-century Norfolk cottages melded into one harmonious holiday house
Tasked with combining two 18th-century cottages to create a coherent property, architect Kathryn Manning devised a contemporary extension to join them, while designer Anna Haines introduced a harmonious mix of colours, set off by antique and bespoke furniture
Have we reached peak wellness in our homes and gardens?
Steam showers, saunas and wood-fired baths are all the rage – but why are we all so into wellness?
A dream team of designers brings harmony and authenticity to a Tudor house in the Kent countryside
This Wealden hall house in Kent had some unflattering 1920s additions, so the owners assembled a group of experts to restore its late-medieval heart, exposing original structures, swapping cement for lime render, and introducing harmonious furniture and furnishings
A 1930s canal house which serves as a wonderful canvas for a creative couple's lives
This light-filled house in Bruges is a rare example of 1930s Dutch architecture and its artist owners have made it the perfect canvas for their creative pursuits