In England, a house is not just a home—it’s a living and breathing cultural institution, adapting for modern life while constantly reminiscing on the past. No one understands this better than Ben Pentreath, the architect and interior designer known for transforming traditional style into the most desirable look around. His bustling practice, in Bloomsbury, is located right around the corner from Pentreath & Hall, the design shop he co-founded with Bridie Hall. In addition to masterminding homes all over the world, Pentreath worked closely with King Charles to conceptualize and build Poundbury, the urban housing development in Dorset. Fortunately, his latest project available for anyone passing through London: the redesign of Fortnum & Mason’s 318-year-old flagship store, in Piccadilly, including its new double-helical staircase (one of the few in the world), which was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s version at the Château de Chambord. Herewith, he shares his key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airline: British Airways. A lot of people hate it, but I’ve always been very happy with its rather calm approach to travel.
Airport: Kirkwall, near where we live in Orkney. There’s nothing better than going home. (For a large airport, I recently flew into Gothenburg and thought it was incredibly beautiful.)
App: Rightmove.
Bag: L. L. Bean Boat and Tote.
Bedtime: Bath and reading start at 9:30 P.M., and it’s lights-out by 10:30.
Bike: Pashley or, in London, a Lime bike.
Birthday: The next one!
Breakfast, weekday: Yogurt, nuts, and berries.
Breakfast, weekend: Eggs and bacon, the full works.
Building: There are many to choose from, but I’ll take Montacute House, in Somerset.
Car: A Morris Minor Traveller. We’ve got a Morris Minor, which we love, but I’d be happy for a half-timbered upgrade.
Child: A badly behaved but funny one.
Cocktail: A dirty vodka martini.
Cocktail appetizer: Walkers potato chips.
Diet: Don’t drink during the week, and walk every day.
Dinner, weekday: Friday night is steak night, with proper local organic meat and salad.
Dinner, weekend: Lobster caught from the sea outside our house by Johnny Peace, our local lobsterman. He brings around a plastic bag filled with as many as you want for $10 each.
Escape: Heading home to Orkney.
Excuse: “I’m sorry. I’m stormbound in Orkney.”
Friend: The one who’s always there but you don’t need to worry about. In my case, she’s called Valentina.
Hideaway: Our tiny pair of bothies—small stone cottages—on the west coast of Scotland.
Hotel: Bellevue des Alpes, in Switzerland.
Jacket: An old Barbour.
Last Meal: Ham, new potatoes, and in-season asparagus.
Lunch, weekday: It’s always just a sandwich at my desk.
Lunch, weekend: A lazy roast in the pub.
Movie: Notting Hill.
Nonfiction book: James Gibbs’s Book of Architecture.
Novel: The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe.
Novelist: Robert Harris.
Pants: All my clothes come from Uniqlo.
Pet: All our dogs are perfect, but Nancy, our long-haired miniature dachshund, is really perfect.
Piece of advice: “Only worry about the things in your direct control.”
President: Washington. They’ve been downhill since then.
Restaurant: Café Deco, in Bloomsbury.
Saying: “You can’t turn back time,” if something’s gone wrong.
SHOES: S.W.C. Dellow sneakers.
Spouse: Charlie. Luckily, I’m married to him.
Street: Regent Square—it’s almost a street—in Penzance, Cornwall.
Time of day: Five A.M. in the summer, before the world is up.
Toast: Sourdough with lots of butter and marmalade.
Vacation: Staying at home in Scotland with friends, or Italy.
View: From our sitting room in Orkney, looking out to the sea.
Wake-up time: 5:30 in the summer, later in the winter.
Weekend bag: A small Away suitcase.
Work of art: A landscape by John Nash or a still life by William Nicholson.
WRITING IMPLEMENT: A Uni-ball Eye pen with a fine nib.
Ben’s Essentials
