Home Matters: Creating a Home for the Life You Have

As an interiors photographer, Penny Wincer found that walking through a stranger’s home, listening to them explaining the history of the space, and the meaning of precious objects, was one of most joyful aspects of her work. And in Home Matters Penny does exactly that, taking us through the houses of 13 artists, designers and writers, inspiring us to reflect on how we want our own homes to feel.

Through beautiful photographs, interviews and Penny’s own reflections on the homes that she has lived in over the years, Home Matters brings together multiple perspectives, all centred on how we create homes to meet our needs. Looking at an eclectic range of spaces that are not often included in these conversations, each chapter of Home Matters considers a different aspect of what goes into creating a home, inviting the reader to reflect on their own memories, needs and constraints.

This book is for those who want to think deeply about their homes, as well as be inspired by the beauty and joy that others have created within their own spaces. Through asking us to consider our pasts, our current needs and to examine the values we want our homes to reflect, Home Matters shows what is possible when we look within ourselves to turn a house into a home. And when we let go of the idea of the perfect home - one that can never be achieved - we can embrace the home that works for our lives as they are.

Penny Wincer is a writer and writing coach. Her first book, Tender: The Imperfect Art of Caring was published in 2020. She has written for The Telegraph, BBC Radio 4, Red Magazine, the iPaper and co-hosts the podcast Not Too Busy To Write. Penny spent 6 years working as a fashion photographer’s assistant between New York and London, before becoming an interiors and lifestyle photographer, shooting for magazines and brands such as Country Living, Living Etc, House Beautiful, Guardian Weekend and many more. She has spent 15 years telling the visual stories of home. Penny lives in South London with her two children and is currently completing a MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths.