Name: Katharine & James Howard (and daughter Amelie, 1 year)
Location: South London, United Kingdom
Size: 1600 square feet
Years lived in: Owned; 2 years

Before I ever set foot in Katharine and James' south London home, I knew that it would be beautifully designed to the last detail. After 13 years spent working for UK design bible The World of Interiors, Katharine certainly knows what she likes: a stylish mix of classic British and French country style, with lots of pattern, sparkle and shine.

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Name: Lauren and Tyler Knight (and their two daughters, due in March)
Location: Notting Hill, London, United Kingdom
Size: 800 square feet
Years lived in: 8 months; rented

Lauren and Tyler's small-but-perfectly-arranged flat in Notting Hill, West London is a testament to their love of travelling, the small pleasures of life, and most of all, each other. It might sound corny to say so (the fact that this tour was shot on Valentine's Day makes it more so), but as anyone who's a fan of Lauren's infinitely readable blog Aspiring Kennedy knows, this is a girl to whom personal relationships with her nearest and dearest are paramount, and nowhere is that more evident than in her home.

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Name: Mike Reid, Designer
Location: Hackney, London
Size: 490 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years; Owned

When Mike Reid moved into his garden flat five years ago, the space was poorly proportioned, divided into a living room, a small kitchen with a hatch, a cramped bathroom and a very large bedroom. After living in the apartment for several years, he recently redesigned the layout to better suit his needs. The kitchen and the living room have been opened up, creating a light and spacious entertaining area, the bathroom has been transformed into a sleek shower room, and the bedroom now accommodates a walk-in wardrobe.

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Name: Rachel Jones and Josh Sims
Location: Hackney, London
Size: No idea — average London terrace size!
Years lived in: 10 years; Owned

Fashion designer Rae Jones, her husband Josh, and their little boy live in a classic Victorian terrace in London's East End. With its high ceilings, large windows and period features, the house is the perfect place to exhibit the couple's carefully curated collection of twentieth century furniture and accessories.

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After studying and working as a chemist for a decade, Conrad Engelhardt was ready for a creative change of pace. Years of collecting wine corks gave him the idea for his first piece, a triptych that gained the notice of Terence Conran for his recently designed Lutyens restaurant in London. More

I was lucky enough to get a preview of the trends in housewares and interior accessories coming for Spring and Summer 2013 at the big trade show, Home, held in London this week. Here are just a few highlights of what to expect from some of Europe's top designers.

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As we head into the new year and try our best to refresh our lives with projects and resolutions, I thought of some of the most transformative garden makeovers that I have written about before. The kind that go from really nothing to really something. I'm participating in the January Cure (and blogging about it!), and this garden and the way it suddenly got all organized reminds me of my experiences so far. More

After hearing how hospitals in Sweden were using a unique cloth to clean with water rather than traditional chemical cleaners, UK designer Steve Pearson was inspired to create a version of his own. In 1995 he partnered with engineer John Park and a group of Korean scientists to create a line of microfiber cleaning cloths called e–cloth.

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Thanks to the internet, the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller. While a store in the UK or Australia may have felt like it was a world away, now it's just a click away. And the best part, of course, is that click is often on a "buy it" button. Oh the joys of the modern age!

• InSpitalfields: London's Eclectic Home Store
• Little Nest Modern Kids Furniture
• Elevenfiftyfour: From Modern Classics to Edgy Basics in Old Ottawa South
• Labour and Wait: Simple, Honest Design
• Merci: Parisian Concept Store
• Zeitlos Berlin: Collector Quality Bauhaus, Deco, Streamline & Mid-Century
• Not on the High Street: Where Everything Has a Story
• Famille Summerbelle: Playful Accessories for Modern Kids of All Ages
• Store Without a Home: Temporary Gallery
• Rowen & Wren: Organic Modern Housewares from the UK More

Folklore is the place to shop this Christmas if you are looking for unique gifts that are crafted with quality and care. Each piece in Folklore is hand-selected for its mindful design and durability. More