April marks the re-opening of a handful of notable and interesting residences to explore for those in the know.
For a culture-hit, our money is on a day-trip to Pitzhanger Manor to check out a pair of exhibitions worth name-dropping.
And Easter can mean only one thing: dusting off that patio dining table for some optimistic outdoor hosting with the prettiest of serveware…
Snooping around
The doors are open once more to iconic London houses.
The Cosmic House — the ambitious, Post-Modernist family home of late architect and landscape artist Charles Jencks — is ready for business from April 22 with Metamorphosis, a new site-specific moving-image exhibition by acclaimed British artist Isaac Julien. Tickets for the Holland Park demeure go on sale on the third Friday of each month (set yourself a reminder as they sell out quickly).
In Hampstead, visiting 2 Willow Road, the Modernist house designed by architect Ernö Goldfinger in 1939, is a must. Managed by the National Trust, the property contains the Goldfingers’ impressive collection of modern art, intriguing personal possessions and innovative furniture, as well as a slew of surprising design details. Tickets are released every Thursday (two weeks in advance) and the house is only open on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Book club
It’s a bumper month for books — and they make great gifts too.
Life Inside a Cottage (Quadrille, £30) documents a new generation of designers, makers and homeowners reimagining the cottage for modern living.
Across 20 homes in both rural and urban settings, author Nell Card explores the enduring appeal of cottage-style living. Home for Now: Living Well Without Staying Long (gestalten, £40) will resonate with renters; the founders of lifestyle brand Earl of East, Niko Dafkos and Paul Firmin, offer a blueprint for transforming temporary spaces through sensory rituals and cherished objects. The title delves into one-bed flats from London to Brooklyn and beyond.
For the green-fingered, revered floral stylist Graeme Corbett of Bloom and Burn shares all he knows about growing and arranging flowers at home in Life in Bloom: Grow, Gather & Arrange Seasonal Flowers (Frances Lincoln, £22).
And for a feelgood read, Homes for Living is the first book by linen brand Piglet in Bed (Ebury, £30). It features thoughtful essays and practical tips alongside comforting recipes by British cook Sophie Wyburd.
Exhibitioning
Make this the month you finally visit Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing (it’s on the Lizzie line, so no excuses). What was once the magnificent home of neoclassical architect Sir John Soane is now a gallery currently staging two must-see exhibitions: first up is Marthe Armitage: Pattern Maker, a celebration of the creative’s distinctive approach to wallpaper and fabric design (the 95-year-old still lives in nearby Chiswick). She is joined by Phoebe Collings-James: a rose, a bridge, a house.
The British-Jamaican artist’s works include human-scale clay paintings, armour and sculpture, and are on display in the UK for the first time.
Out of town
April 2 marks the reopening of Farleys House & Gallery, the beautifully preserved house museum and sculpture garden which was home to visionary photographer Lee Miller and her artist husband, Roland Penrose.
Tucked away in East Sussex, visitors can explore the house on a guided tour.
There is also a trio of new exhibitions for 2026, with Street Life showcasing Miller’s wide travels, and in the Farleys Cafe Gallery, Lee’s Surreal Menagerie, which focuses on Miller’s love of animals.
In Oxford, at the Ashmolean Museum, In Bloom: How Plants Changed Our World uncovers global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms, from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.
Table hopping
The Easter weekend signals the return of hosting season, so start as you mean to go on with touches of the “Ooh-where-did-you-get-that?” variety.
Flora Black’s Pea Pod Plates (£90 a pair) are almost too pretty to eat on and there are co-ordinating tablecloths and napkins, too.
Add Addison Ross’s joyful new salad servers for leafy greens (£35 for a set — every grown-up kitchen needs a pair) then garnish with Domestic Science’s charming and reusable paper decorations — think standing honeycomb snowdrops (£14.95 for two) and rosette flowers hanging from foraged branches.
And for the last laugh, dupe your guests with Scribble & Daub’s trompe l’oeil novelty candles of the hot cross bun and boiled egg variety (from £9).
