Home & Garden

Seven podcasts exploring interiors, architecture, gardening, renovation and the art of creating beautiful spaces. Listen, discover fresh ideas and decide how you would rank them.

From candlelit palaces to grand hotels, chandeliers have always been about more than lighting a room. They were designed to catch the eye, reflect light and, often, announce exactly how much money and power was in the room. Here are seven fascinating moments in the history of the chandelier.

in case you are looking for a list of kitchen necessities

RANKD Team Poblacion edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

RANKD Team Williamsburg edition.

What makes an Islington home worth wanting? Is it a beautiful period property on a quiet, tree-lined street, or being in the middle of everything? A private garden or a terrace above the rooftops? Georgian proportions or the convenience of a new-build? In a borough where two homes a short walk apart can offer completely different ways of living, these are seven local dilemmas with no universally right answer. Rank them by what you would actually choose to live with — not just what looks best in an estate agent’s photographs.

Islington is one of London's richest neighbourhoods for interiors inspiration, but the most useful ideas are not always found in an expensive showroom or a perfectly photographed house. They can emerge from an antique map, an unexpectedly comfortable chair, the proportions of a Georgian terrace or the way a tiny public garden makes room for planting, paths and somewhere to sit. This RANKD explores seven different ways to think about the spaces we live in. Camden Passage offers character and history through objects with previous lives. Upper Street introduces contemporary furniture and considered accessories. Clerkenwell provides a window into the materials and technical decisions behind modern design, while the Business Design Centre offers occasional opportunities to discover new ideas through exhibitions. Independent shops reward curiosity, garden squares demonstrate the power of thoughtful landscaping, and Islington's historic terraces offer enduring lessons in proportion, light and architectural detail. Each entry includes a specific local example and a Google Maps link. Some are shops you can browse, some are public spaces best experienced on foot, and others require checking event schedules or visiting arrangements. The point is not to reproduce an expensive Islington townhouse. It is to notice what makes a space work, then borrow the ideas that make sense for your own home.

Islington’s best green spaces are not all big parks. Some are wildlife havens hidden beside railway lines; others are lovingly tended community gardens or historic squares that feel like private gardens in the middle of London. These seven offer different reasons to get outside — from spotting wildlife to discovering an overlooked corner of local history.

Islington is often described as a borough of beautiful period houses, but that description conceals a far more interesting architectural story. Walk between its neighbourhoods and the differences become striking: the restrained Georgian elegance of Canonbury gives way to the theatrical Victorian detailing of Barnsbury, the leafy villas of Highbury and the converted industrial buildings of Clerkenwell. Elsewhere, terraces, mansion blocks, suburban houses and twentieth-century estates reveal different answers to the same question: how should Londoners live? This RANKD explores seven Islington neighbourhoods through the character of their homes. The emphasis is not on property prices or the prestige of an address, but on architecture, history, streetscape and the relationship between buildings and their surroundings. Each selection represents a distinctive chapter in the borough's development. Canonbury illustrates the appeal of proportion and understatement. Barnsbury shows how Victorian architecture could be expressive and ambitious. Highbury combines substantial residential buildings with greenery and space. Clerkenwell reveals the transformation of a working industrial district into a place to live. Angel demonstrates the elegance of compact urban terraces, Tufnell Park introduces a more suburban domestic scale, and Holloway provides a wider picture of London's changing housing needs. For every neighbourhood, we have selected a particular street or architectural landmark worth exploring, with a Google Maps link to help you find it. These are places to observe from the public realm rather than invitations to enter private homes. Seven neighbourhoods, seven different architectural personalities, and a reminder that Islington's residential appeal is much more varied than its familiar image of expensive Georgian townhouses.

A house can have everything it needs and still be missing the one room that would make it feel extraordinary. A proper library for disappearing into, a dressing room that turns getting ready into a ritual, a cinema that makes staying in an event. These are seven rooms that go beyond practicality: spaces that would change how you spend your time, entertain your friends, or simply enjoy being at home. The question isn’t which room looks best. It’s which one you’d give up the most to have.