House & Home Country Living Special

More from this Series

• Is it a lunar lander? A Nissen hut? A greenhouse?

  Two architects have built a sustainable family ‘housestead’ in Suffolk that updates the historic patterns of rural life. It’s a collage of contemporary, agricultural, military and even spacecraft influences

  
• The making of a marvellously modern boot room

  For some, this traditional dumping ground for muddy shoes, coats and outdoor kit is a secret haven — as interior designers help transform it from liminal to luxe

  
• Nature calling: ‘Does anyone know how hard it is to make an app?’

  Recording daily encounters with nature increases our connection to it. But could a writer more interested in owl pellets than AI be up to the task of creating an app to up the ante?

  
• Goldfinches are like Londoners on a summer’s evening — only sober

  In my urban garden, these gregarious, garrulous birds flit from one place of refreshment to another — in their case, it’s not only charming, but a sign of inspiring powers at work