Sue Stuart-Smith on Nature, Childhood and The Garden as Medicine

The spaces we inhabit shape who we become. But what does that mean for the people who have no choice where they live? Yvonne Jewkes is a professor of criminology, author, and leading expert on prison architecture. She has spent her career studying what echoing corridors, metal doors and harsh fluorescent lighting do to the people living inside prisons — and designing spaces that restore rather than punish.This conversation is also very personal. Yvonne spent more than a decade restoring a crumbling Regency townhouse, only for her partner to leave midway through the project. The house became tangled up with grief and the slow unravelling of the relationship itself. We explore the strange overlap between prisons and homes: the human need for dignity, sanctuary and control over our surroundings and the instinct to create beauty even in the bleakest places. If you enjoyed this conversation, Yvonne's book An Architecture of Hope: reimagining the prison, restoring a house, rebuilding myself is a powerful exploration into the universal need for sanctuary. To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionPatreon: www.patreon.com/HomingWithMattInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, gardener and the author of The Well-Gardened Mind. She has spent her career making the case that going outside and getting your hands in the soil is one of the most powerful things we can do for our mental health.Sue runs the Serge Hill Project, along with her husband, Tom Stuart-Smith — a garden and events space where children and groups from disadvantaged backgrounds come to learn about the profound link between gardening and wellbeing.   Her research isn’t just scientific; it’s rooted in her own family history. Her grandfather found solace in gardening after the trauma of being a prisoner of war and her mother restored a large garden to cope with the death of Sue’s father. The episode builds on these stories to explore the positive hormonal effects of gardening on the body, the growing movement of green prescribing and how beauty can be a lifeline to those in recovery.This is a conversation about stepping outside, tuning into the natural world and finding a gentler rhythm.A full tour of Sue’s beautiful private gardens is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full catalogue of home tours is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We tend to think of home as the space inside our four walls. But for David Engwicht, home doesn't stop at the front door – it extends out into the neighbourhood beyond.David is a master placemaker and urban designer – he explores how the design of our towns and cities can either bring us closer or push us apart. With his cowboy boots, heavy-framed glasses and 'Pat Cash' hair, he's more like a rock ’n’ roll philosopher than an urban thinker. His philosophy was shaped by a nomadic childhood, living in 30 different homes and attending 26 schools. This experience taught him that home isn't something we find; it's something we create.In this conversation, David talks about the social bonds modern life has eroded and the small, everyday gestures we can make to rebuild that trust.From turning his own garden in Brisbane into a public park, to travelling the world with a folding throne in a suitcase, David’s work is a lesson in how designing for community can lead us to a deeper sense of belonging.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Artist Sue Webster built a career and a home by refusing to fit in — it’s why she identifies with the Mole Man so much. She found fame alongside her husband Tim Noble, as part of the post-YBA generation — their anarchic self-portraits, made from found objects and discarded rubbish, made them the “rock stars” of British art. Together they built the Dirty House in Shoreditch, which helped define the area as the epicentre of London's art scene.More recently, Sue has created an equally radical home for herself: the Mole House in Hackney, built on top of the tunnels where the so-called Mole Man spent forty years digging underground. Where some saw an oddity, Sue saw something worth preserving. The house is a love letter to eccentricity, and a rare pocket of creative chaos in an increasingly polished city.From growing up in a caravan in Leicester to carving out a place in the art world and becoming a mother at 52, Sue’s story is one of fierce independence and how to live a life that is truly authentic to yourself.Sue's first solo exhibition, Birth of an Icon, is on show at Firstsite in Colchester.A full tour of The Mole House is available to members on Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full video home tour is available to members on Patreon:http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Most of us think we need more — more space, more things, more possessions. Japanese architect Takero Shimazaki believes we may already have enough.Takero has designed some of the most elegant private houses in Britain, including one that was nominated for the Stirling Prize. His buildings are never grand or showy. Instead, they are thoughtful and restrained.He grew up in Japan, where there’s a long tradition of embracing imperfection and accepting that materials age naturally. His grandfather — also an architect — taught him that light and proportion shape not just a building, but how we feel inside it. It’s a philosophy Takero has carried with him ever since.When his father died two years ago, he found himself confronting a simple but liberating truth: we don’t really own anything. Today, he tries not to own much. He still wears the cashmere jumpers he inherited from his grandfather.In this conversation, Takero reflects on the Japanese idea of “enough” — the belief that most of us already have what we need. He speaks about his own modest Victorian house and about how good design can create spaces that feel calm and private even in the middle of a dense city.This is a conversation about impermanence, intention, and how taking care of the things around us allows them, in turn, to take care of us.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

For fashion designer turned ceramicist Henry Holland, reinvention isn't about starting over – it's about evolving on your own terms.Henry first made his name with the cult fashion label House of Holland, famous for cheeky slogans like 'Do Me Daily Christopher Bailey' and 'Let's Breed Bella Hadid'. But in recent years, he has pivoted to making homewares and contemporary ceramics, using the Japanese technique of nerikomi.With his East London house currently being refurbished from top to bottom, Henry is living in a home of two halves. It’s the perfect metaphor for this transitional stage of his life.His parents separated when he was young, and he split his time between the two households. One was ordered and structured, while the other was more creative. It’s clear that he lives his life today with the influence of both.There’s the playful version of him that we’ve seen pictured at parties. But there’s also a deeply determined side that’s about proving people wrong, which partly stems from the bullying he experienced when he was young. Henry is not afraid to reveal his sensitivities, opening up about everything from panic attacks and imposter syndrome to the disappointment he felt when his fashion brand closed down in 2020. This is a conversation about reinvention, resilience and the tension between who we’ve been and who we’re becoming.This episode was recorded inside Henry’s home in East London.A full tour of the house is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

We think of home as our ultimate refuge – a sanctuary from the noise and pollution of the outside world. But what if the space meant to protect us is actually the one we should be questioning most?Dr. Jenny Goodman, a practitioner of ecological medicine, has spent years examining how modern life exposes us to toxins and sharing practical steps we can take to reduce exposure.Jenny breaks down the "cocktail effect" of everyday cleaning products, the common mistakes we make with food storage and the reason she chooses a Wi-Fi-free domestic life.This isn’t a conversation about getting everything right. No home is entirely free from toxicity, and it’s about personal choice. But Jenny teaches us the importance of paying closer attention to our surroundings – and making small, considered changes that may have a positive impact in the long term.Please note: the views expressed in this episode are those of the guest and are not intended as medical advice.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponline ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Beyond the whirlwind of galleries and exhibitions, Tate Director Maria Balshaw's home holds the quieter, deeply personal moments of her life.Growing up in Northampton, she longed to escape her characterless new-build house and nurtured a desire to be different. Her current home in Kent is a reflection of that creative rebellion, with medieval beams at its centre, classical sash windows on one side and Crittalls on the other.Maria grows vegetables in her garden year-round, swims in the sea nearby, and measures time by what’s coming into flower – a way to be at one with nature and shed the stress of an urban working week. Her mother spent her final months in this house, sitting on the terrace in the sun, watching buzzards circle the valley, convinced one of them was her late husband waiting for her. At the end of March, Maria is stepping down from her position at the Tate after nine years, signing off with a major Tracey Emin exhibition. She knows exactly where she’ll be the following morning: in the garden, in her wellies, at the start of the growing season. This is a conversation about movement and rootedness – and about what it means to build a home that can hold both.This episode was recorded inside Maria’s home in Kent.A full tour of the home and garden is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full visualised home tour is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Why are some people drawn to minimalist architecture while others prefer nostalgic rooms filled with antiques and personal artefacts?Writer and philosopher Alain de Botton believes the answer might lie deeper than taste. For many years, Alain has explored the emotional forces that shape our inner lives – from love and loss to status anxiety. Through his educational organisation, The School of Life, he has focused on wellbeing and self-understanding.  Much of this thinking connects directly to the built environment.In his book The Architecture of Happiness, Alain argues that buildings are never neutral: they can steady us, unsettle us, and quietly influence who we become.In this conversation, Alain reflects on his own relationship with domestic space – and how, in many ways, he has spent a lifetime trying to recreate the modernist calm of his childhood home in Switzerland.   Together, Matt and Alain explore beauty, belonging and control – and examine why so many of us turn to architecture in search of a kind of psychological skin.  This is a conversation that goes to the heart of what Homing is about: how we build safety, both in the spaces around us and within ourselves. This episode was filmed at Alain’s house in North London.To hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineFor exclusive walking tours – from Dan Pearson’s year-round outdoor kitchen to Polly Morgan’s taxidermy zebra – join us on Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith has spent most of his life on the same plot of land, tending its gardens and letting the land shape him in return. Tom has designed gardens at places like Chatsworth, Tate Britain and The Hepworth Wakefield. He’s won nine gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, and was awarded an OBE in 2023.  But long before any of that, he was a child roaming Serge Hill in Hertfordshire, the estate his grandfather bought decades ago. Tom spent his childhood climbing its trees and staging Shakespeare plays. And apart from a brief spell away, he’s lived just 200 yards from his childhood home for almost his entire life. Tom’s wife, Sue Stuart-Smith, is a psychotherapist and author of the book The Well Gardened Mind. Together, they created the Serge Hill Project – a part of the estate where community groups, schoolchildren, young offenders and people recovering from illness can get hands-on with the soil and experience the uplifting power of nature.This is a conversation about landscapes, legacy and what it really means to stay rooted in one place.The episode was recorded at The Apple House, a modern pavilion on the estate designed by their son Ben.A full tour of the building and its surroundings is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMattTo hear more from us:YouTube: Subscribe to our channel, Homing with Matt, to watch the video versionInstagram: @homingwithmattTikTok: @homing.with.mattContact: Email us at [email protected] Gibberd’s book, A Modern Way to Live, is available here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by @simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by @lena.winkler.creative.office Produced by @podshoponlineThe full visualised tour of Tom’s estate is available to our Patreon community.Patreon: http://patreon.com/HomingWithMatt ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★