Ben Pentreath
photo by Jason Ingram
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Well, we do have a second home already – two tiny bothies on the far west coast of Scotland – it’s a magical place, and I could definitely live there forever!
What are three words to describe your style? 1. Timeless 2. Settled 3. English
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? Well, I grew up in a lovely rambling village house in Dorset. I don’t have very strong memories of my bedroom except that my parents had been hoping for a girl (I’m the third boy) and had painted the walls pink and the curtains were bright orange flowers (this was the early 70s).
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A Fornasetti Palladiana chest of drawers. It was way more expensive than I could afford but I’ve never, ever regretted it.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Detmar Blow to design the house and David Hicks to decorate it.
No room is complete without pictures (and books, if I’m allowed two things).
People think of me as successful, but I am really just lucky!
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Air flown flowers
An hors d’oeuvre platter: Anything with a truffle near it
A bar cabinet: Aperol
A song for:
Dinner at home: Charlie is in charge of music at home
Working at your desk: Bach
Going for a run: Razzle Dazzle from Chicago
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy?
A lot of vintage china on ebay
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Not at all! I don’t really worry about clothes, I wear a uniform of blue trousers and white shirt and grey or blue jersey every day which is not a design statement but one less thing to think about!
Who is your star crush? Jake Gyllenhall I’d imagine.
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? Do a yellow and blue room.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be?
Rena Gardiner’s Book of Dorset. There are only 30 in existence and we have one.
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Longevity.
photo by Jason Ingram
A Few Favorites:
Movie: Notting Hill
Book: Bonfire of the Vanities
Scent: Santa Maria Novella pot pourri
The fabric you always come back to: GP & J Baker Magnolia
Dream project: Interesting house, nice clients… that’s all I ask for. They are all dream projects in their way.
Meal: Roast Chicken, salad and new potatoes from the garden
Drink: Red Wine
Hotel: Ett Hem
Travel Destination: New York
Artist: Ravilious
Thing to collect obsessively: Collections!
Era in the history of design: Edwardian
Museum: The Shell Museum, Norfolk
Paint Color that always looks great: Papers & Paints 4-050
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Charlie, my husband - @mccormickcharlie
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Labrador Mavis, Corgis Sybil & Enid and our cat Henry.
