English Vision, An

Pentreath is renowned as one of the foremost designers of new traditional buildings and country houses in the world. In celebration of his London-based firm’s twentieth anniversary, Pentreath presents his authentically, yet playfully, classical approach.

English Vision, An is the first of Pentreath’s books to present his own output in its entirety—from his personal residences in Dorset, London, and Scotland that brought him international fame to many old and new houses that he has designed and some of the larger, town-scaled projects that make his practice unique in the world of traditional design. Although the results range from his colourful and romantic versions of the English country cottage to traditional splendour, there are underlying ideas that inform the breadth of his output—a sense of scale, proportion, craft, detail, sustainability, and appropriateness—that have a universal relevance today.

Pentreath has authored as well as taken all photographs in this book, which looks at some thirty case studies, large and small, including many previously unpublished works. The designs encompass an understanding of materials, texture, classical and vernacular detail, colour, richness, and simplicity by turn—as exemplified in both sumptuous and honest interiors, grand country houses, and pragmatically organised town plans. While being steeped in a learned classicism, Pentreath’s work is celebrated by young and old around the world, as exemplified by his coverage in major media outlets.