'It’s a slow-cooked, nourishing soup with 1,000 lovely ingredients swirling within it. Each has its own special contribution. The only thing none of us have ever been able to stand is when the ingredients are all new': Ben Pentreath on English style

One of the most important rules of English decorating is that there are no rules. Confused? Don’t be. It’s simply an aesthetic that requires a certain mindset, believes Ben Pentreath.

The dining room of a Regent’s Park house decorated by Ben Pentreath, with a mural by Alasdair Peebles and table by Eero Saarinen.

One of the most important rules of English decorating is that there are no rules. Confused? Don’t be. It’s simply an aesthetic that requires a certain mindset, believes Ben Pentreath.