Maisons fatales illustration by Tim Marrs Feb 10, 2012

Maisons fatales

A tiny photograph of a stone house covered in ivy sparked an obsession. Twelve years on, it still hurts to remember the one that got away

Perspective

Ed Hammond
The estate agent in all of us has sniffed the chance of turning a quick buck during the Games and we are damned if some nonsense about fair play gets in the way
Neither a guillotine approach nor a slow strangulation of lending is a solution when dealing with a borrower who can’t play ball
– Ed Hammond
Agony Uncle Feb 10, 2012

Get the romantic look

A Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow is far from grotesque and creaky, but iconic and smooth. Go and get it, and disregard what other people might think

David Bailey in the stone outbuilding serving as his art studio Feb 10, 2012

At home: David Bailey

The celebrity photographer talks about beautiful women, the swinging sixties and why the media are to blame for his hedonistic image

Edith Piaf house Feb 10, 2012

Grasse gets greener

A ‘rough diamond’ on the Côte d’Azur, the perfume capital of the world is regaining its lustre – and attracting buyers – with its history and authenticity

skyline of Victoria, London Feb 10, 2012

Next stop London Victoria

A £2bn scheme is afoot for a new ‘destination’ district where people will want to work, shop and socialise rather than simply pass through

A garage designed by Michael Rhodig Feb 10, 2012

Interiors: Prize pit stops

Functionality meets showroom as car buyers invest in luxury garages equipped with bespoke flooring and LED lighting that showcase vehicles as works of art

Red roses Feb 10, 2012

War of the roses

As Valentine’s Day approaches, the thorny issues behind the international flower trade come to the fore. Will ethical flowers win a girl’s heart?

Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho' (1960) Feb 10, 2012

High anxiety

Tall buildings – a return to the medieval idea of the tower as symbol of ascent or of rising up above the masses – evoke fear, pride and isolation

The Great House, St Peter, Barbados Feb 10, 2012

Hot property: Famous owners

Beachfront villas and country estates once occupied by the likes of Bruce Willis, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and David and Victoria Beckham

Belgian chocolatier Igor Van Gerwen fishing on the Mersey River in Tasmania Feb 10, 2012

Expat lives: Milking it down under

Belgian Igor Van Gerwen found Tasmania an unlikely market but an excellent source of ingredients for his artisan chocolaterie

Highlights