Wednesday Musings: Where to find the answers to your interior design dilemmas

Following a reader’s question about which episode of the podcast contained the most recent books review (no 87) I wanted to tell you a little more about it. I’m never sure how many of you listen to The Great Indoors so for those of you who are new to it, and for regular listeners, I wanted to make sure you all know that it is now in a weekly format.

Sophie Robinson and I started it in October 2018 making it one of the first and now longest running interior design podcasts around. There are now 88 episodes you can listen to – the information doesn’t go out of date and they usually last between 30 and 45 minutes – very occasionally we run over that if we have an interview or are visiting someone’s house, back in the pre-pandemic days.

When we started many people were confused as to how we would be able to discuss such a visual subject and make it work without pictures but, I have to say, well over 2.5 million downloads later that that hasn’t proved to be a problem.

For a while I ran show notes on here for those of you who preferred to read rather than listen but it became a doubling up of content and, since the podcast has been largely self-funded since the start of Covid when sponsors were thin on the ground, it was hard to justify the extra time it took.

Now, however, we are back – after a five month burnout break – and have taken the show weekly so there’s more for you to dive into while walking the dog, painting a wall or having a break with a cup of coffee – all those things have been cited as listen along activities.

Previously we ran two episodes a month where we discuss a couple of interior design topics – tips to make your home more eco-friendly (74) Is rental furniture the answer (79) and working out your personal interior ingredients to create the perfect home recipe (51) are added to a design crime (often sent in by listeners): Is your shower curtain trying to kill you? Can patterned carpet ever make a come back? Why white paint and grey tiles should be banned.

To that we have now added an interview – most recently Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen who told us why minimalism is misogyny (86) and Joa Studholme, the creative director of Farrow & Ball (coming up). We have also done house tours  with Fearne Cotton, Skye MacAlpine, Laura Jackson and Pearl Lowe.

And the fourth episode of the month will be a Style Surgery where we answer your design dilemmas. So if you have any burning interior questions do send an email (and if you can a voice note recorded on your phone) to [email protected] and we will work our way through the list. The most recent surgery included questions on how to link your interior design to the view outside, will artex ever return and how to find your style.

In addition to all that there is a thriving Facebook Group at The Great Indoors Podcast, with over 9,000 members all chatting, discussing and advising each other on their own interiors.

So whether you want to simply listen or actively participate do give the show a listen and see what you think we’d love to have you on board.

As a review in The Irish Independent said: “Interiors make great listening – rowdy, funny and extremely well-informed. The UK’s first professional interiors podcast, The Great Indoors, has defined the genre.”

Listener reviews: “cracking advice, when to spend, where and how you can save and do so with humour. Their warm, genuine friendship comes through so I feel I’m right at the kitchen table with them”.

This podcast has “taught me so much and the way you bounce off each other just makes it so real and hilarious”.

So have a listen if you fancy, leave a review wherever you get your podcasts and send us your interior design dilemmas and you might even be on the show with us. And if that’s not enough you can now watch the rough cut on You Tube.