“Ben likes to say that his favorite color is ‘freshly laid cowpat,’” says Tamara Lancaster, design director at Ben Pentreath Ltd., referring to the flattened deposits of cow dung that litter the finer parts of the English countryside.
As one of the most sought-after architects in the U.K.—clients include King Charles—Pentreath’s literal down-to-earthiness might come as a surprise. “It’s a really sludgy, greeny brown,” Lancaster continues, and its beauty lies in its ability to conjure soggy walks, Wellington boots, and the smell of rain.
