English Decoration

In English Decoration, the acclaimed London-based architectural and interior designer Ben Pentreath presents a survey of the best of the English style.

“English decoration is making a bit of a comeback these days, and Ben Pentreath is partly to thank—not just because he’s finessed the young Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington Palace flat.” Architectural Digest

Eighteen homes, many of which have never been previously photographed, provide the source material for architectural and interior designer Ben Pentreath’s wide-ranging investigation of the classic English look. The houses include Ben’s homes in London and West Dorset, alongside those of Earls and artists, writers and architects, book designers and gardeners. The book is arranged room by room and Entrance Halls, Living Rooms, Kitchens and Dining Rooms, Bedrooms, and Bathrooms are each considered in turn, together with simple Rooms of Utility and spectacular Rooms of Display. The book begins with an essay on the English style in decoration and ends with an essential style directory, helping you to achieve the look wherever you live.

Ben Pentreath is a leading figure in the London design world. An author, commentator, and regular columnist for the Financial Times, he combines a busy architectural practice with a growing interior design studio, a popular weekly blog (pentreath-hall.com/inspiration) that boasts an army of followers, and his eponymous homewares store, Pentreath & Hall. Ben is also the author of the best-selling English Houses (also Ryland Peters & Small). He lives with his husband Charlie McCormick in West Dorset and London.