Thomas Barrie

Albion

Feature writer – @britishgq @_houseandgarden @VFLDN . Contributor – @sohohouse @KCRWPressPlay @TheFaceMagazine. Mook with dreams of knighthood

Articles

Are sofas getting bigger?

1 week ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

Boz GagovskiPeople who say size doesn’t matter are lying. However, what the statement often implies is that bigger is better, which isn’t the case when it comes to furniture, by any means. Size is important to get right, but an oversized item of furniture in the wrong place can throw an entire scheme off. Not least a sofa. Recently, sofas seem to have been growing. So-flation is rampant.
What colour is ecru? Examples in real houses

2 weeks ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

A constant reference when it comes to paint colours, ecru can be found in Patrick O'Donnell's Worcestershire house. Ecru, like mauve, taupe and cyan, is one of those dubious and hard-to-pin-down colours that crops up repeatedly in interior design. Like the others, ecru sits between several other better-known colours, and its exact visual parameters are somewhat up for debate. Here’s what we can say for certain: ecru is a blend of grey, beige, cream and a dash of yellow.
The pros and cons of engineered wood flooring

2 weeks ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

In the dining area of Daisy Sims-Hilditch’s flat, the floor throughout is Neptune’s ‘Savernake’ engineered wood flooringDean HearneOne of those once-mysterious materials that have come to dominate the market in relatively short order, engineered wood is an excellent solution to the occasional difficulties that solid wood flooring can surface.
40 idées de cadeaux pour les sportifs à offrir en 2025

3 weeks ago | gqmagazine.fr | Jessie Atkinson |Thomas Barrie |Esat Dedezade |Daphne Bugler

Pour la plupart d'entre nous qui cherchons une idée de cadeau pour une occasion spéciale, les produits de fitness ne nous viennent pas spontanément à l'esprit.
Anatomy of a Room: a Chelsea townhouse sitting room by Taylor & Turner

4 weeks ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

When the new owners of this Chelsea townhouse came into possession of it, they asked Harriette Cayzer and Anneke Gilkes of Taylor & Turner to soften it and bring out warmth in its interiors. It had been a very contemporary and spare space under the previous owners – beautiful and consciously designed, but not appropriate for the clients, who had a young family and wanted somewhere both to host and entertain, but also in which to escape from the bustle of the outside world.
Where does George Clooney live? Inside the star’s extensive portfolio of houses

1 month ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

George and Amal Clooney are perhaps the platonic ideal of a power couple: globetrotting superstars who only work to enhance each other’s spotless reputations, dropping in and out of film premieres and UN conventions alike with but a brief pause now and then to flog a Nespresso machine or two. Naturally, such a lifestyle demands (doesn’t it?) a half-dozen-plus stunning houses around the world, from the lush valleys of Lombardy to the hazy hills above Los Angeles.
The best films set in Paris

1 month ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

The Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur, the Seine, the Arc de Triomphe. Tourist hotspots of the city of love that are high on the list of any first-timer's itinerary. But along with the typical picture-postcard images of the endlessly popular French capital, are hidden corners, quiet neighbourhoods and stories from history that aren't shouted about in guidebooks.
The IKEA pieces interior designers come back to again and again

1 month ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

IKEA is something many of us become aware of even before we really show an interest in interior design – a place to run around between cheap beds and disembodied kitchens as children, or somewhere we picked out bargain pieces to furnish our student rooms or perhaps our very first flats. But it’s also a source of wildly useful, practical furniture elements that can enhance a house or flat without breaking the bank.
All the Chelsea Flower Show 2025 gardens to see in May

1 month ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

From 20-24 May, the great and the good of gardening will descent upon the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea to attend the 2025 edition of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Show, the annual pinnacle of the horticultural calendar. As ever, there are several dozen model gardens exhibiting, each with a unique look and theme.
Where does Paul McCartney live? Inside his homes from St Johns Wood to the Hamptons

1 month ago | houseandgarden.co.uk | Thomas Barrie

Paul McCartney on his 25th birthday at his house in St John's Wood. 18th June 1967. Mirrorpix/Getty ImagesSir Paul McCartney needs no introduction. You know the score and the story – Merseybeat, the Beatles, Linda and Wings and animal rights and solo records and, for a time, what felt like a performance of “Hey Jude” at every public event from the 2012 Olympics to the Royal Wedding. That’s Paul McCartney, national treasure.