Journal

After years of pared-back interiors, colour, pattern and personality are finding their way back into our homes. We explore the return of maximalism - and why more can sometimes be more.

We tend to look through windows rather than at them, yet few elements of a house have more influence over how a room feels. They bring in light, frame what lies beyond and, often without us noticing, determine where we choose to sit.

To mark 30 years of Nash, we revisit six very different homes sold during this anniversary year - and one piece of woodland - that say something about the houses, places and architecture that continue to catch our eye.

From medieval frames and hand-worked doors to contemporary oak extensions, timber carries the marks of how a house was made, adapted and lived in. We look more closely at one of the oldest materials still shaping the homes we build and inhabit today.

Beyond the towns and villages of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire lies an extraordinary collection of landscapes, historic estates and gardens - places where architecture and nature come together in equal measure.

Summer has a way of drawing life outdoors. Garden lunches become evening gatherings, picnics stretch long into the afternoon, and ordinary weekends become excuses to bring people together.