On The Modern House Podcast, our host and co-founder Matt Gibberd invites design enthusiasts to select their top three living spaces in the world. The guest of this episode is indeed a design enthusiast, but she’s also quite the expert: it’s Margaret Howell. Listen to the episode here.

“Looking back, what has been my biggest influence is this natural quality of things that I experienced as a very young child growing up,” Margaret says. She was born in the Surrey countryside of Tadworth and raised by her father, who worked in a solicitor’s office, and her mother, an assistant at a dress makers. As a result, she grew up with an appreciation of fabric and making clothes. It was in 1972, following on from studying Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College in London, that Margaret began honing her skills as a shirtmaker from her then-home in Blackheath, south-east London. She opened the first of her eponymous stores in 1976.

Over the course of her 50-year career, Margaret has cemented herself as a leader in the clothing industry – and has collected a CBE for her contributions along the way, too. “I’ve never regarded it particularly as ‘fashion’ – I was just making,” she explains. Ask anyone who’s familiar with Margaret’s work to describe what she does and it’s likely they’ll list three things: a quintessential Britishness, quality craftsmanship and materials. So it makes perfect sense that this trio unites her top three living spaces. But arguably the biggest takeaway from her choices is her penchant for wood, the strong, natural material that runs underfoot at her beautifully designed London flagship store and studio, where this episode was recorded.

Listen to the episode now to hear the personal stories behind the three places Margaret chose. Plus, she discusses her early memories of design and endless love of making things. As always, we would be grateful it if you could rate and review us, and be sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode. Happy listening.