Fiona McKenzie Johnston
Fiona McKenzie Johnston has been contributing to House & Garden since 2017. She writes the art pages as well as decorating columns for the website, having started her career with the magazine’s sister publications AD and Vogue. She has an MA in History of Art from the University of St. Andrew’s, which included the study of furniture and decorative arts, and she came to journalism via a spell in the V&A’s Furniture Department.
Fiona has lived in - and loved - a variety of houses of differing styles, from a Jacobean manor house to a 1960s-designed central London maisonette. She is now in the process of renovating and decorating a Victorian terrace on the East Sussex coast, involving much DIY. Her spare time is mostly spent on the beach with her children, or at exhibitions, or reading vintage decorating books and biographies and scrutinising the interiors and exteriors of any house she can visit – both for ideas, and because she is endlessly fascinated by how people live.
Framing made simple: an easy guide to making your art sing
A complete guide to framing, from style and technical terms to a list of the best framers in the business
In the studio with artist Andrew Cranston and his quietly beautiful paintings
With a penchant for painting on old book covers, artist and storyteller Andrew Cranston produces quiet work that contrasts with the hubbub outside his Glasgow studio
Why we should all be slow decorating
How to practice and benefit from the movement that promises improved results and enjoyable renovations
In the studio with Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa
Working across two rooms in a former printworks in east London, the Canadian-Korean artist creates immersive installations that can incorporate painting, sculpture, textiles, light, sound and performance
Dear Fiona: how do you declutter stuff you actually want to keep?
Our resident agony aunt and decorating columnist Fiona McKenzie Johnston tackles the painful subject of decluttering
Art
The best art exhibitions in London for January 2026
The beauty, joy and inspiration to be found in painting, photography, film and design. From Howard Hodgkin to Fornasetti, Egyptomania to John Constable - all the must-see art in London this month
Why nostalgia is so important to the way we decorate
From frilly cushions to Staffordshire pottery – are we addicted to looking back?
How artist Phoebe Dickinson celebrates Christmas in her Gloucestershire farmhouse
When the house Phoebe Dickinson fell in love with as a child came onto the market, the artist and her husband, the filmmaker and art dealer Luke Rodgers, knew it was kismet. Now fully ensconced and looking forward to a family Christmas, they have found the move to be life changing
Dear Fiona: my in-laws don't care about my Christmas traditions – what can I do?
Fiona McKenzie Johnston finds solutions for a reader who wants a traditional Christmas for her young children, but whose in-laws don't want to co-operate
How to pull Christmas out of the bag, even if you've done nothing until now
Fiona McKenzie-Johnston enlightens the holiday procrastinators and plan-averse among us as to how to pull together a last-minute Christmas… and who knows, it may just be your best one yet
Breaking down the Swedish approach to Christmas decorating – and how to get the look at home
The timeless elegance of candlelight and greenery, and beautiful things to hand-make and bake
Everything we know about the royal family’s Christmases, past and present
The royal family's Christmas celebrations are in some ways just like ours… and in some ways very different
How to be a good host (and a good guest) over the festive season
Some people aren't natural hosts and others make terrible guests. As we all prepare to welcome and be welcomed into each other's houses this season, here's the ultimate guide to not being a pain, whether you're hosting or being hosted
Dear Fiona: how do I fit more guests into my house than I have room for?
Our resident columnist Fiona McKenzie Johnston helps a reader stop panicking about hosting a magical family Christmas in a not-quite-big-enough house
How the scents made by a 13th-century apothecary founded by monks became iconic objects of desire
The fascinating story behind the Officina Profuma-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, and which of their beautiful products we should be buying, according to interior designers
Why the ‘frazzled English woman’ interior is an aesthetic to embrace
Should we aspire to it? How do we achieve it? And do we ever need to make our beds again?
A minimalist's guide to coping with Christmas (when the stuff just gets too much)
Whether you prefer pared-down surroundings, or simply don’t have space for the full caboodle, Fiona McKenzie Johnston shares how to manage the most maximalist season
Inside Martin Parr’s studio: a look around the late photographer’s creative space
With the sad news of Martin Parr’s death, we revisit a story from the House & Garden archive that takes a behind-the-scenes look at his foundation in Bristol
Inside the Brighton studio of painter David Shrigley, as an exhibition of his work opens in London
Welcome to the cheeky, satirical world of David Shrigley and the former office building where he teases his work to life
Can commissioning a room portrait endear us to our houses?
The appeal, history, and process of having a room eternalised in paint