ben pentreath

In 2023, Ben Pentreath is awarded the Richard H. Driehaus Prize, given to a living architect whose work embodies the highest principles of traditional and classical architecture and urbanism in contemporary society, and reflects what the jury considers to be positive cultural, environmental and artistic impacts. Ben is one of the youngest laureates of the award.

Our studio has established a powerful reputation across a variety of disciplines. From master-planning and urban development, to private houses and playful interiors, our close-knit team works to create the best – whatever the scale, size, scope and budget of a project. Above all, we love designing places that work beautifully for the long term, and feel right for place.

Ben’s background is in Art History, which he studied at the University of Edinburgh before attending the Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture. He worked for five years in New York and then with the Prince’s Foundation, before starting his own practice in 2004. Since then, the firm has grown carefully to occupy two beautiful studios in Bloomsbury’s renowned Lambs Conduit Street. Between 2019 and 2022 we expanded into our new offices at Lamp Office Court.

Ben Pentreath’s book English Decoration, published in 2011, established his growing reputation as an author and he has been a regular contributor to the Financial Times and other journals. A sequel interiors book, English Houses, was published in 2016. His new book, An English Vision, a monograph of the work of the practice, will be published by Rizzoli New York in 2024.

In 2022, the studio became a 100% employee-owned company.

 

Directors

Rob Illingworth RIBA

Rob studied architecture at the University of Nottingham and is a qualified architect. He oversees our master-planning department. Rob joined the practice in 2009 and has built a steady reputation for sensitive urbanism and town planning.

Rob is highly experienced at the fine-grained delivery of all our development projects and typically builds a close relationship with the development teams, landowners, planning officers and consultants in steering projects forward, ultimately instilling an exceptional sense of place into all our projects.

Rupert Cunningham

Rupert graduated from Edinburgh University, achieving joint honours in History of Art & History of Architecture and went on to study architectural interior design at The Inchbald School of Design. He joined the practice in 2011 and has developed a fitting reputation for his deep understanding and passion for traditional architecture.

Rupert creates sympathetic, timeless residential spaces, imparting design precision and sensitivity. He is based in North Yorkshire and is currently embarking on the full restoration of his own Georgian house.

Zoe Wightman

Zoe moved to the practice after 15 years in the fashion industry. Joining when we were still a small company, she is responsible for the smooth running of the studio and all related operations, as well as running the team of administrative assistants and colleagues who look after the good performance of the whole office.

Zoe is passionate about creating a thriving and happy workspace for all. Her wide-ranging skills are at the core of everything we do.

Tamara Lancaster

Tamara heads up our interior decoration studio. She studied History of Art at Bristol and joined the company from Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler in 2016.

Her natural flair for decoration is underscored with a meticulous approach to all elements of the interior design process. Tamara gently guides clients through the creative process, accomplishing their requirements with reassurance and thoughtful attention to detail, and manages our busy team of interior decorators and assistants.

Jennifer Bell RIBA

Jenni joined the practice in 2016, having qualified as an architect in 2012. She has diligent experience working in the education, hospitality and residential sectors and specialises in the refurbishment of private listed buildings.

In 2021 she stepped into a director role, managing project contract administration, billing, and legal aspects of the business. Jenni studied Part I & II at the University of Edinburgh, and completed her professional qualification at Kingston.

studio profile

Senior Associates
Manan Upadhyay RIBA
Sandro Mule’ RIBA
Will Creech RIBA
Megan Hudson RIBA

Associates
Dominik Chung RIBA
Danny Holland RIBA
Alice Montgomery
Peter Deane
Mark Hodges

Junior Associates
Sam Clarry
Owen Stoneman
Chris Hill
James Alexander Rennie RIBA

Architects
Julie Maclean RIBA

Architectural Assistants
Laura Pinzon
Sophie Cunningham
Alasdair White
Reuben Higgins
Samantha Toplis
Olivia Sutherill
Francesca Vicari
Sequana Hogan

Interior Designers
Amanda Flood
Leo Kary
Josephine ap Simon
Henry Downing

Interiors Accounts Co-ordinator
Alex Curr

Interior Design Assistants
Emily Draper
Katie Chapman
Tilly Stanton

Interior Design Support
India Gillett

Bookkeeper
Lucie Mysulkova

IT Manager
Matt Felton

Studio Assistants
Stevie Mackinnon-Smith
Louis Romanus

Finance & Administration Assistant
Emma Terrell

RIBA Chartered Practice