Last in the series. For now at least. These are a few laundry rooms and flower rooms that we’ve designed over the years. I’ll be discussing ‘beautiful, functional spaces’ @designcentrech on Wednesday this week with @emma_sims_hilditch@jaygrierson@giles.kime #backofhouse #beautifullaundry #laundryroom #flowerroom #benpentreathstudio
Ripon Cathedral. There’s a perfectly hideous Taylor Wimpy housing development that has sprung up to the west of Ripon, threatening this view, so some strategic cropping was needed. #ripon #northyorkshire #cathedral #oldbuildings
It’s been so grey and miserable lately, that I’d forgotten how wonderful the snowdrops are when the sun hits them. #galanthophile #galanthus #northyorkshire #winter #countryside #countrylife
MEMBERS PROJECT AWARD 2025_
COMMENDATION
This year’s COMMENDATION for the TAG Best Members’ Project was awarded to Ben Pentreath, for his project: The new 'Double Helix’ staircase, Fortnum and Masons, Piccadilly.
Ben Pentreath Ltd were commissioned by Fortnum & Mason to reimagine the ground floor layout and connectivity of the iconic Piccadilly store. The goal was to restore the architectural integrity while resolving the significant congestion experienced during peak trading periods, particularly Christmas.
Following an in-depth spatial review, the team identified the need to replace the existing staircase. In its place, they designed a striking double-helix stair — a sculptural yet highly functional feature capable of accommodating large volumes of multidirectional shoppers.
With no surrounding walls for structural support, the stair was engineered to appear as though it ‘floats’ within the space — a remarkable technical feat made even more challenging by the requirement to maintain a refined neo-Georgian aesthetic. Close collaboration between architects, structural engineers, welders, and craftsmen ensured that the final design not only met these demanding criteria but also felt entirely at home within the historic Piccadilly landmark.
The Ben Pentreath Studio's project team was led by @rupertcunningham with @alice.aj.montgomery and @ja.rennie .
Congratulations Ben and the team!
#traditionalarchitecture #best_members_awards #architectureawards #excellency
#Double_helix #staircase #Fortnum_and_Masons #sculptural #functional #neo-georgian
@portviewfitout@macegroup@ramboll_uk@lwl_welding@fortnums@benpentreathstudio
A design for a new house in the South Downs, built in buff stock brick. The garden front has a delicate Soanian character with recessed arches and restrained detailing. The dormers and sash boxes are picked out in dark green. The entrance front is more rectilinear and robust. The clients had a very specific brief in terms of the layout and room sizes and they came to us to help us resolve the plan and design the exterior, hence the asymmetry of the garden front. Great drawings by @alice.aj.montgomery converted into these CGI renders by @architecture_in_motion #traditional #newbuild #countryhouse #georgian #hampshirehouse #villa #classicalarchitecture
A design for a new house in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. Built in local coursed sandstone with ashlar detailing and a stone slate roof. The building has a clear hierarchy of elements reinforced by the detailing. The three bay entrance and garden fronts have a relaxed late Georgian feel, whereas the side elevation which you see on the approach has a more formal mid-18th century character. Some of my favourite houses have been reworked over the years creating facades of slightly different characters. I’d love to know which front people prefer? #newbuild #classicalarchitecture #traditional #traditionalarchitecture #lancashire #countryhouse #farmhouse
A few detail shots from our castle project in Scotland. The new wings are conceived as slightly later than then the main tower house. Pitched in the late 17th - early 18th century, when European classicism was being assimilated into the vernacular in quite interesting ways. It was important that the detailing felt authentically naive rather than the cartoonish stuff you often find in the Edwardian ‘Wrenaissance’. I spent a lot of time poring over books and photos before setting about the detailing in earnest. This still remains one of my favourite projects and it was a privilege to work on such a unique building. Lot’s of help from @alice.aj.montgomery on the drawings, @artistorguk for the stone carving and @ajchomes for building it. Photos by @benpentreath #scottishvernacular #traditionalarchitecture #newtraditional #highlandsofscotland #scottishcastle #castlerenovation
I’ve been up in Scotland for the past two days looking at a new project and was able visit the castle project which we were lucky enough to be involved in a few years ago. The brief was to create two new wings to redefine a historic courtyard and give the family some much needed living space on the ground and first floors. The wing to the left of the castle is meant to feel like an early 18th century addition and contains a really generous family kitchen supported by a pantry, larder and scullery clustered to the north and east. Photos taken by @benpentreath last year #castle #highlands #scotland #scottishvernacular #scottishcastle #countryhouse
A few shots of our favourite bits from our Wow! House kitchen captured by @peterdixonphoto and @max.trafford I’ve added lots of tags to thank suppliers that I missed in the last post. Thank you all for your help and generosity! #wowhouse2025 #kitchendesign #regency #traditionaljoinery #traditional #traditionaldesign @leokary1@alice.aj.montgomery@benpentreathstudio@lopenjoinery
Demolition Day. Our Wow! House kitchen has now been dismantled.
We’ve been completely bowled over by how positively this room has been received. After an 8-month gestation, it was finally brought to life after a frenetic 5-day labour in late May. Such a lot of work from so many wonderful people, thank you all! We couldn’t be more grateful for the support and help we’ve been given in the realisation of this idiosyncratic Greco-Gothick mashup.
I’ve used up my limit of 20 tags on this one, so will do a couple of follow up posts to thank our other suppliers. Almost everything in the kitchen is for sale, so do get in touch if anything catches your eye. Thank you to our amazing sponsors @lopenjoinery and @baileyandjones for trusting us with their space and working so tirelessly to realise it. @leokary1@alice.aj.montgomery for collaborating with me on this and @indiagillett@benpentreathstudio for keeping the show on the road.
Thank to the @designcentrech for having us. Photos by @peterdixonphoto@max.trafford #wowhouse2025 #colourfulkitchen #countrykitchen #georgian #victorian
Another angle of a favourite corner in our Wow! House kitchen, beautiful captured by @peterdixonphoto The @howardandsonslondon armchair is a supremely comfortable, upholstered in the @sibylcolefax chintz, Ebury Brown on glazed cotton which harmonises beautifully with the room colours. Next to the chair is an octagonal antique side table, which chimed perfectly with our Greco-Gothick vibe, and a silver plated standard lamp, both from @robertkime with a papyrus shade. The floor is covered with reclaimed pine boards, which have a satisfying creak, and the walls are painted in a custom distemper, built-up in painstaking layers by @mbmcstudios to create this deep sun-drenched mustard colour. The seascape is by John Nash and depicts the Isle of Skye and was generously leant by @stonemancollins_advisory and reframed by @stocksframing.london for the show. The bolection chimneypiece is from @jamb_london in my favourite Mongolian marble. We designed the cabinet of curiosities which Leo lined in a Jasper ‘French Tile’ paper that provides a gilded backdrop to @georgejacksonltd Georgian plasterwork and boxwood moulds. The curtain to the left was made by @atcroninworkshopltd in Fela stripe by @adambraydesigns and the copper light doors are from @retrouvius Wall lights are from @howelondon with marbled shades by Louise Daly and the antique flower jug is from @spencer_swaffer #countrykitchendesign #victorianinterior #plastercast #backofhouse #traditionalkitchen #wowhouse2025
A few favourite boot rooms that we’ve designed over the years. Some very fitted, others much looser, incorporating freestanding joinery, antiques and found pieces. I tend to prefer the latter, if there’s space, as the rooms feel much more layered and soulful. All these rooms are newly formed spaces, either in new buildings or carved out of old ones, often incorporating radical architectural interventions, but they hopefully feel quite settled. Key practical ingredients are: an external door, a mat well, a good sized bench with boot storage beneath (and ideally a radiator), a big sink, lots and lots of hooks, shelves, some cupboards for less used items, drawers, an umbrella stand and ideally a table in the centre. A fireplace is a bonus! For finishes, I like a flagged, brick or quarry tile floor as they’re bomb proof and don’t show the dirt. On the walls I like to use painted timber boarding as it’s super hard wearing and easy to mop down, but where the walls are existing plaster I tend to stick with that. Can you guess which are in new houses?#bootroom #backofhouse #countryhouseinterior #countryhouse #practicalspaces
