Rachel Ogden

Rachel Ogden

Contributor

Rachel Ogden is a freelance journalist with more than 20 years’ experience of writing, editing and sub-editing. Since 2007, she's worked exclusively in interiors, writing about everything from extending your home to kitchen worktops, flooring, storage and more. She specialises in product reviews, having reviews hundreds of small and large appliances and homeware. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, in 2018, she was shortlisted for Lifestyle & Interiors Journalist of the Year in the Property Press Awards.

Ideal Home Truths

Where is your happy place?

My happy place is wallowing in my bath – I managed to just fit a deep Fired Earth claw-footed rolltop tub in my bathroom – there are millimetres between it and the slate-clad wall. There's nothing I like more than a good long soak with some fragrant bath oils, a glass of fizz and a magazine or book. I had the exterior spray-painted by my neighbour, who's a mechanic. I tell everyone that it's French Grey but the reality is that it's probably more like Vauxhall Astra grey.

What's your home addiction? 

I have an unfortunate addiction to clocks at home – every single room has at least one if not more. My favourite is a German wall clock I found in a charity shop, complete with a soothing tick, pendulum and bongs on the hour and half-hour. I had to replace a couple of small parts and oil the mechanism to get it ticking again, which was like bringing it back to life. We have a wood-fired stove in the same room – the crackle and pop of the fire is lovely with the tick-tick of the clock in the winter.

The problem with a clock addition though, is that when the clocks change, I'll spend a good half-hour going around the house altering them all.

 What is your next home project? 

My next home project is probably going to be a porch – not the most exciting thing but I'd love to have somewhere to leave wet shoes, brollies and coats without having them clutter up the hallway. I might even try and squeeze in a condensing heat pump tumble dryer.