From a milliner inspired by topiary to a model-turned-ecological gardener and a couple who swapped jobs in telecommunications for growing vegetables, Sir David Beckham’s rural heroes tell Julie Harding why craft and the countryside are key

Charles Saumarez Smith on Architecture ● BEFORE THIS ...

How a sociable couple created an entertaining space that celebrates smart design

On an open and windswept tract of land in Oxfordshire, where once stood some derelict barns and a lone maple tree, our guest editor has created a haven for his family and his honeybees, discovers Alan Titchmarsh

Reader Caroline Crocker celebrates her chance to reclaim the family garden to create a plant lover’s paradise with a focus on climate resilience.

There is nothing quite like a barn conversion with its characterful features and nod to an agrarian past to get the pulse racing, so who wouldn’t love one of these distinctive homes magnificently transformed for rural living