We are Inigo
Inigo is an estate agency for Britain’s most marvellous historic homes, from the team behind The Modern House.
At Inigo, we believe a beautiful home is a pleasure that never ages. We connect discerning individuals with extraordinary spaces, no matter the price or provenance.
Covering urban and rural locations across Britain, our team combines proven experience selling distinctive homes with design and architectural expertise. We unlock the true value of every cottage, coach house and conversion we represent by telling its story with in-depth features and magazine-quality photography.
We take our name from Inigo Jones, the self-taught genius who kick-started a golden age of home design.
Directors
Emma has an academic background in art history, having studied History of Art at the University of Oxford, meaning she brings a deep understanding of our architectural heritage to her role. As MD, Emma draws on her experience in marketing and commercial strategy, and is responsible for the overall direction and development of the company. Historic architecture has long been a passion of hers: for her MA in art history at the Courtauld Institute she specialised in the late Victorian period, with a thesis that looked in depth at the Watts Chapel in Compton, Surrey. Before joining Inigo and The Modern House, she held roles at the Wallace Collection, Modern Art Oxford and the Affordable Art Fair.
Qualified chartered accountant David is Inigo’s Finance Director. With more than 30 years of experience as Finance Director/Chief Financial Officer across many industries, he is well equipped to head up the financial side of the business here.
While David has worked in a variety of companies, it was during a nine-year stint as CFO at Laura Ashley that his interest in interiors was first piqued. Other hobbies include travel, photography and music, although he admits his guilty pleasure has to be an episode of Grand Designs.
Before joining the team, Aoife spent 15 years specialising in management and operations roles in the art world, experience she brings to bear as Inigo’s Operations Director. This was where she honed her eye for beautiful things, working at auction houses including Christie’s, where she was business manager for the Impressionist and modern art department, and more recently as general manager of the Hayward Gallery.
With degrees in art history and mathematics, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn that Aoife’s architectural interests lie in the engineering of the Victorian era, particularly those examples that have been lost – the Crystal Palace, for instance. It might explain why, when she’s not working, Aoife spends her time exploring cities and learning about the histories of railways and world fairs.
Appraisals Team
Having grown up in an early 1930s Arts and Crafts house India has, from a young age, fostered a passion for homes that reflect their architectural vernacular. She spent her early years driving around the country looking at historic buildings with her conservationist father, so she has a particular affinity for the sustainable elements of old buildings and how they can be repaired and restored.
India has a wealth of experience appraising homes across the country. She leads Inigo’s Appraisals team with a dynamic and conscientious approach, which she has honed over many years at our sister company, The Modern House. Prior to this, she worked in commercial art galleries for six years after completing a degree at Cambridge and a Masters at Goldsmiths.
Before joining the team at Inigo, Katherine undertook an MA in Architectural History at Edinburgh University. While she specialised in British modernism, she spent many semesters studying classical architecture – where better to do this than in Scotland’s magnificent city? As a result, she confesses to having something of a soft spot for Georgian architecture.
Her love of beautiful things does not solely encompass houses; prior to joining Inigo, she also did a stint in fashion PR. This has endowed her with quite the discerning eye, which she brings to her role at Inigo as well as to her out-of-work activities, which include exploring London’s galleries and travelling to new places.
Kate grew up wanting to be an archaeologist. While that ambition hasn’t (yet) come true, she now brings her interest in history and vernacular architecture to her role as Appraisals Manager at Inigo. She has first-hand experience of what it’s like to live in and love a historic home: shortly after moving to the UK from the USA, Kate bought a tumbledown 16th-century farmhouse in Herefordshire. With a lime-plastering course under her belt, she set about its sensitive restoration. And while she’s full of fondness for her ramshackle rural sanctuary, it hasn’t dampened her dream of one day living in an airy Georgian house with perfectly symmetrical features.
Before joining Inigo, Kate cut her teeth in the antiques industry at Lorfords, before working with the British Antique Dealers’ Association. As well as still collecting on side, these days she loves nothing more than casting her expert eye around the V&A’s collection or Sir John Soane’s Museum on a rainy afternoon. That, or plunging herself in freezing ponds, overseen by her miniature poodle, Saskia.
With his accomplished sartorial background, Hadden is well versed in beautifully made things – something he brings to bear as Appraisals Specialist at Inigo. After graduating with a degree in Buying and Merchandising from Manchester Metropolitan University, he went on to work in bespoke tailoring at esteemed design houses on Savile Row, managing international trunk-shows. His passion for interior design later encouraged him to complete a course at Oxford University in 18th-century Decorative Arts and Architecture and to take up antiques dealing in his free time – he’s also a regular visitor to London galleries and a keen long-distance runner.
Having joined our team in its earliest days, Georgia is something of an expert on what defines an Inigo home, which makes her perfectly suited to her role as Senior Appraisals Specialist. It’s a job that she says leaves her feeling constantly inspired, seeing all the brilliant and inventive ways people restore their historic homes so that modern life can continue inside. Georgia honed her eye for the visual as an art history student at the Courtauld, where she particularly enjoyed learning about the Bloomsbury Group and Victorian art.
Georgia’s job takes her high and low across the country, so it’s lucky that she loves being on the road and seeing Britain’s most beautiful corners. When she’s not travelling, however, she enjoys walking and volunteers on organic farms and kitchen gardens – bringing lots of veggies home to cook with.
As New Client Coordinator, Hannah books appraisals, draws up contracts and finesses the finer details of all our listings. Her sunny disposition and cheerful demeanour means she’s perfectly placed as the first point of contact at Inigo. Having graduated with an Architecture degree from the University of Cambridge, she has an exhaustive understanding of Britain’s built history, but also a love for the stories behind buildings and those that use and live in them. She is always keen to talk to people about the homes they love. Crafty and creative in her spare time, her dream home would be a Tudor cottage, preferably with a walled garden in which she could potter and paint.
Nothing gets past keen-eyed Katya Edwards, our Listings Editor, who makes sure all our write-ups are word perfect. Her love of reading (particularly fiction written by women) has helped hone her skills, as has her career thus far, much of it spent working at the Daily Mail, both on the books desk and as a culture and celebrity editor. Katya has contributed her words to a clutch of well-respected titles too.
When she’s not writing or arranging flowers for her friends’ weddings (Katya’s also a trained florist), she enjoys ogling London’s wealth of Georgian buildings – though she’d take a cottage with a porch over a tall townhouse any day. When it comes to interiors, she particularly enjoys Luke Edward Hall’s irreverent approach to decorating and Ben Pentreath’s ability to update the classics.
Prime Team
James is head of Prime appraisals at Inigo and is responsible for executing valuations in urban and rural locations across Britain. After graduating with a degree in History from Newcastle University, he worked as a broker in the City for eight years and as an art consultant for another three before coming into his current role, where he’s able to indulge his taste for classical architecture. James’ interests are as diverse as his professional background – an avid painter, he enjoys composing oil portraits (or more experimental pieces when he’s off commission) as well as woodwork, gardening and playing music.
Corey oversees Prime sales at Inigo, a role she brings bags of charisma and much experience to, having overseen many of The Modern House’s most prestigious sales. Before Inigo she completed a degree in Fine Art from Curtin University in Western Australia, a course that led her to positions at fashion brands including Marc Jacobs. She also coordinated public-sector arts projects at her family’s business, Hemingway Design. Her love of pattern and colour is evident in everything from her wardrobe to the interiors of her modernist flat, where a typical weekend includes shirt-making sessions on the sewing machine, soundtracked by her ever-expanding collection of vinyl records.
Drawing upon extensive personal experience in buying, restoring and selling period and listed properties, Jamie works to bring Britain’s most beautiful homes to Inigo, specialising in the prime market. A former editor and consultant in the fashion world, he combines a sharp aesthetic eye with a deep appreciation of architectural history, and enjoys working with clients to uncover the unique features and peculiarities that make up the unique story of each home we represent. Though, when it comes to architecture, his taste is diverse; he has a particular soft spot for the English Baroque and Georgian periods – if you want to get him particularly excited, just put him in the vicinity of a cantilevered stone staircase.
After studying French and Spanish at university, Kate worked for David Mellor Design. She then practised as an interior stylist, primarily in period homes in west London, which gave her the thorough understanding of historic homes that she now brings to her role at Inigo.
Her affinity for historic homes was first sparked in childhood, which she spent in a 17th-century former farmhouse in the heart of the Peak District. When not exploring the hills and valleys of the countryside, she can be found in galleries and restaurants, or undertaking a spot of printmaking.
As Prime Viewings Coordinator, Beth is a pro when it comes to spinning multiple plates simultaneously. It’s a skill she honed working in live events and theatre productions in Melbourne, before she embarked upon an MA at the Courtauld. While her undergraduate studies in art history had given her a good grounding, it was during her master’s degree that Beth really sharpened her eye for architecture and design; she particularly enjoyed learning about the crossover between building and furniture design in late 18th-century India. When it comes to British homes, however, Beth’s tastes are somewhat more everyday – the beauty of a butler’s sink, for instance, or of flagstones worn by thousands of footsteps – she’s fascinated by the details in historic homes that tell the day-to-day life stories of people who used to live and work there.
Sales Team
As the leader of Inigo’s sales team, Lucy encourages a collaborative and informed approach, ensuring we offer the best service possible. A Photography graduate with a background in location acquisitions for film and TV, she has overseen countless sales at The Modern House, giving her a deep understanding not just of the market, but the emotional importance of every one of our homes. She enjoys arts and crafts in her spare time, and is a particular fan of the architectural style of the same name, which she appreciates for its sublime individuality.
A skilled negotiator dedicated to providing superlative service, Tansy brings a collaborative and balanced mindset to her sales work at Inigo. Drawing upon her legal education and extensive experience selling unique and characterful homes, she endeavours to build lasting, empathetic relationships with clients to ensure our sales are as smooth as possible. She’s always had a passion for period homes, having grown up in a Georgian farmhouse in the South Downs, and continues to be inspired by the glorious miscellany of Britain’s many coincident layers of architectural history.
Gigi’s detail-oriented and empathetic approach to sales is informed by her background in event production and hospitality, as well as her personal interest in art, design and architecture – particularly the British Palladian style. At Inigo, she is responsible for ensuring the successful exchange of homes between owners, with a view to making the entire process as positive and intuitive as possible. Her interest in people and their stories have shaped her other enthusiasms, which include traveling, art history and food culture.
Prior to joining Inigo, Minnie gained 15 years of experience at some of London’s top creative agencies, using her artistic eye and acute organisation skills to help global brands execute everything from photoshoots to fashion shows. Her passion for period architecture in particular was sparked in early childhood, when she would often while away afternoons running around the grounds of Inigo Jones’ very own Queens House. Now she likes to spend her free time frequenting the culinary and cultural spots around her south east London neighbourhood, hunting down antiques, and embarking on off-the-beaten-track country walks with her dog.
Jess’ significant background in the Arts, both in marketing then theatre production, led her first to The Modern House before moving across to Inigo as a Sales Advisor, after a little over a year. With a fantastic balance of fastidious diligence and unparalleled empathy, Jess’ pragmatic approach is underpinned by a wealth of practical experience and organisational finesse. When it comes to architecture, aside from coveting residential masterpieces (obviously!) Jess has a particular affinity for public historical buildings with a rich narrative behind them; Battersea Arts Centre, for example, or Shoreditch Town Hall, which have both provided joy and entertainment for local communities over many generations and continue to do so.
When not forming an integral part of the Inigo Sales Team, Jess can be found exploring London on her vintage Peugeot road bike and shooting film on her beloved Nikon FA.
With experience in sales and client liaison in the art world – first at Hauser & Wirth, then David Zwirner – William is perfectly positioned at Inigo as Sales Advisor, making sure everything runs smoothly in the sales process, both for sellers and prospective buyers.
William has both a BA and an MA in art history from the Courtauld, but his appreciation for visual culture runs deeper. He grew up in a Grade II-listed thatched cottage in Somerset, a place he says ignited his interest in Britain’s historic architecture – and his love of lived-in homes with uneven floors, wooden beams, plastered walls and forgotten jars of chutney in larders.
Marketing Team
As well as taking charge of our marketing strategy and campaign planning, Holly uses her sharp eye to point out potential opportunities for business growth – all skills she’s gotten down to a fine art after spending more than a decade building brands. Prior to starting at Inigo, she cut her teeth in the sustainable fashion world; first at ethical footwear company TOMS, where she was EMEA Brand Marketing Manager, and later at THE-ACEY, a responsible womenswear label which she founded and ran for five years. This eco-conscious mindset naturally lends Holly to the additional role of Inigo’s Sustainability Advisor, in which she helps us have a positive impact on people and the planet in everything we do.
Ruby is Inigo’s champion when it comes to external press coverage and is responsible for combing through our listings to uncover the stories that will make headlines. Liaising between the sales and marketing team, she helps to make sure every Inigo home receives the attention it deserves, while also overseeing our internal communications. A History graduate of the University of Edinburgh and avowed flaneuse, she enjoys exploring London on foot, delving into hidden corners to uncover its wealth of architectural marvels.
Editorial Team
Charlie steers the course of Inigo’s brand direction, ensuring our values are upheld across the company, and oversees our content strategy, ensuring we offer a continual stream of insight and inspiration via our digital magazine, the Almanac. Having studied Classical Studies at university, he’s the man to consult when it comes to doric columns and triumphal arches – in fact, he’s particularly interested in how the architecture of the ancient world influences homes of later periods. But not all his preoccupations are so academic: he’s also a fan of seasonal cooking and long country bike rides, which he enjoys whenever he can get a spare moment. Before Inigo he worked in the design press, at Monocle and Wallpaper* City Guides.
Having grown up in a 16th-century farmhouse in Somerset, Grace confesses to having an unshakeable love for wooden beams, dark flagstones and unevenly plastered stone walls. She brings this love for historic homes to her role as Senior Content Editor for Inigo’s Almanac, where she commissions, writes and edits features.
Prior to joining Inigo, Grace worked at The World of Interiors for six years, first as a sub-editor and then as managing editor. This, plus a childhood spent exploring National Trust houses and architecturally interesting buildings from all periods, sees her perfectly placed on the Inigo team. When not delving into Britain’s best historic houses, she can be found foraging for folk ceramics and crafts, or making the most of London’s theatre scene.
Elliot is Inigo’s only in-house photographer and is in charge of bringing to life the people, projects and interiors that we spotlight on Inigo’s Almanac. He graduated in 2008 with a BA in Documentary Photography and has since been building a body of work that focuses on exploring the relationship between humans and the environment; however, he also revels in capturing the imagined narratives and period details of historic buildings. When not behind the camera, Elliot enjoys surfing or delving into cookbooks to find new Chinese dishes he can put his hand to in the kitchen.
Operations Team
Sophie, our Studio and Operations Manager, harbours dreams of one day renovating a high-ceilinged house (preferably Georgian) with a Juliet balcony – the more natural light the better. Until then, though, she’s happy growing her already extensive collection of cookbooks, walking around London (she’s a city person at heart) and visiting museums – Tate and the Museum of the Home in particular.
Before joining Inigo, Sophie spent 12 years as a stage manager, overseeing the running of productions in some of the world’s best theatres in both London and New York. Her experience of spinning many plates makes her perfectly suited to Inigo – as does her love of a good flea market.
Rhiannon is responsible for keeping Inigo’s inner-workings running smoothly, working with teams across the business to ensure our software tools are as efficient as they can be. Her background is in both real estate and hospitality, meaning that she combines a thorough knowledge of the market with a people-focused approach to tackling every technological challenge. Based in York, she is permanently surrounded by beautiful buildings and bucolic countryside – both of which she makes the most of in weekends spent hiking, climbing and exploring.
As Inigo’s Website Manager, Rory makes sure every corner of our site runs smoothly. While his professional preoccupation has always been at the intersection of technology and people – he’s worked on strategic projects for a children’s charity and managed risk at a paediatric hospital – he’s always had a thing for beautiful buildings. He’s even been known to host running tours of London, involving another of his extracurricular passions. He especially enjoyed sharing the story of the Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace.
When he’s not working wonders with computers (or running marathons; he’s done five to date) Rory can be spotted swimming or cycling around town. His curiosity about other cultures is best satisfied by visiting other countries whenever possible, but he enjoys a bit of armchair travel too – he loves translated fiction.
Our Founders
Drawing upon their shared experience as design editors and journalists at esteemed publications such as The World of Interiors and Wallpaper, Matt and Albert co-founded The Modern House in 2005.
Its innovative approach to estate agency, in which the value of good design is placed first and foremost, has led it to be described by GQ as “one of the best things on earth”.
It is this same appreciation of quality, architectural integrity and the history of art and design that led them to launch Inigo in 2021.
Our Inspirations
Our inspirations are diverse: from the freewheeling creativity of the Bloomsbury group to the finest fashion houses and Britain’s most brilliant craftspeople – and, of course, the grand classical visions of Inigo Jones himself.
We pursue this love of the idiosyncratic in everything we do, whether that’s appraising an immaculately preserved country house, or discovering exciting new talents offering fresh perspectives on the past.
The Guild
Our Guild is a select group of creatives and thinkers united by their eclectic taste and eye for the extraordinary. In their inspired ideas and creative pursuits, they exemplify what we’re about.
Sophie Ashby’s irresistibly friendly interiors are the result of what she calls “continual foraging”. That might mean sourcing art from across the globe, or working directly with craftsmen and artisans to develop special pieces, or it might mean picking her way across the colour wheel to discover new, arresting combinations of tone and texture. Any which way, the result is always bursting with character, approaching the antique with a curious eye, yet bringing it all together with a bracing modernity.
Her own home in London’s Spitalfields, which she shares with husband and fellow Guild member Charlie Casely-Hayford, has an impressive history. Not only is it a beautiful example of the Georgian style – which she admires for its “proportions and elegance” – it also formerly belonged to the interior designer and writer Jocasta Innes, author of the 1982 colour bible Paint Magic, whose spirit lives on its rendered terracotta walls. “Apparently she was inspired by the colors of China where she grew up,” says Ashby. “It’s something that just feels really rich and unique.”
A brilliant fashion designer, an impeccable dresser and, most importantly, a charming human being, Charlie Casely-Hayford is, in our humble opinion, the very best kind of triple threat. In his work for Casely-Hayford, a label that he co-founded in 2009 with his father, the late Joe Casely-Hayford OBE, he continually delves into Britain’s sartorial and subcultural past, returning season after season with clothes that take time-honoured tailoring techniques to bold new places via modern cuts, daring prints and sporty details.
Charlie’s boutique on London’s Chiltern street – long a destination for anyone looking for a bespoke suit with a bit more of a kick to it – is worth a visit not just for the beautiful clothing but also the soulful interiors, designed by his wife and fellow Guild member, Sophie Ashby. Go to admire the antique dressers and African art and, perhaps, to catch a glimpse of such illustrious clients as Tinie Tempah and Jodie Comer. But, be warned, you may just emerge with a new peacoat.
Duncan Campbell is a multidisciplinary designer whose eclectic sensibility brings colour and wit to everything he touches. As one half of the creative studio Campbell-Rey he has been tapped in the past by the likes of Bentley, Christie’s, Zara Home, and Clos19 for projects ranging from art direction to event design. Today the studio is focused solely on interiors and product design, with residential projects in London, New York and the Netherlands underway, as well as Campbell-Rey’s ongoing collaboration with the Venetian glassmaker Laguna B.
To the Inigo Guild, Duncan brings not just a love of a good time – and thank goodness for that – but a deep passion for 18th-century architecture in all its forms, from the exuberance of English Baroque to the austerity of Neoclassicism and the mad frivolity of Strawberry Hill Gothic and Chinese Rococo. His own homes, in London and Gloucestershire, which he shares with his partner, the designer Luke Edward Hall, are living proof that la dolce vita lives on in our grey 21st century – for further proof, see his Instagram. “The mix of styles is still important,” he says “but so are the stories attached to things and the way they remind me of a place or a person or a trip somewhere. It’s much less about individual pieces, but rather the feeling of home that they evoke all together.”
Lucinda Chambers’ visual signature is an infectious sense of fun, derived from her ability to mix patterns, colours and textures with both wild abandon and supreme elegance. As fashion director of British Vogue from 1992-2017, she informed the tastes of the nation while consulting for brands including Prada and Marni, eventually becoming a designer at the latter. Today, she is the designer of Colville – a label she launched in 2018 with ex-Marni colleagues Molly Molloy and Kristen Forss – and the co-founder of Collagerie, an e-Commerce platform on which she turns her magpie-like eye upon the best high street and designer brands.
Lucinda derives her love of interiors from her mother, a resourceful single parent who brought up her children while renovating and decorating houses. Having moved 18 times as a child, she prefers to stay put these days, enjoying the continually evolving character of her Edwardian home in Shepherd’s Bush, where she has lived for 30 years. She’ll be the first to admit her vibrant interiors – awash with colour, filled with curiosities, and humming with clashing patterns – “start with a plan”, but therein lies their appeal: hers is a home where layers of lived history combine and collide in the best possible way.
As editor-in-chief of fashion’s most intelligent magazine, The Gentlewoman, Penny Martin has long flown the flag for a kind of style that leapfrogs every passing trend. Formerly chair of the fashion imagery department at London College of Fashion, and editor-in-chief of Nick Knight’s innovative online platform SHOWstudio.com, she brings both taste and an academic perspective to the field of contemporary pop culture, celebrating a mind-expanding range of accomplished women in each biannual issue, with past cover stars including talent as fascinatingly diverse as Beyoncé, Angela Lansbury, Simone Biles, Cindy Sherman and Margaret Atwood.
Though she admits that modernism is her “mother tongue”, she currently splits her time between a Victorian cottage in London and a fisherman’s house in the East Neuk of Fife, near where she grew up. “It’s not really the style of a house that attracts me,” she says, “I just want to live in a place with a strong personality, whether modern or historic.” Recently, she’s been delving further into the history of her local area in Fife, discovering many fine examples of local vernacular furniture – a pursuit, she says, “which could prove expensive.”
Katie Fontana is the co-founder and creative director of Plain English – two words that have become a shorthand for “good taste” in the interiors world. Established in 1992, Plain English creates magnificent bespoke kitchens and interiors the old fashioned way, by hand, drawing in particular on the “understated simplicity” of early Georgian design. It’s a period and aesthetic that, says Katie, “has a serenity and quietness that I find endlessly pleasing and never seem to tire of.”
To the Inigo Guild, Katie brings her finely tuned aesthetic sensibility, a passion for the handmade and an endless curiosity about the design of the past, and how it can be reimagined. “I hunt out overlooked examples and details, joinery and quirks,” she says. “All the answers are there, you just have to look for them. The skill is in choosing which parts to use.”
Charles Saumarez Smith is a writer, curator and historian whose career in the art world has established him as one of Britain’s pre-eminent cultural figures. Mixing a deep knowledge of art and architectural history with a marked sensitivity to the zeitgeist, he has steered the development of several of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts. Today, he is professor of Architectural History at the Royal Academy and chairman of The Royal Drawing School, a trustee of The Garden Museum and an emeritus trustee of ArtUK and Charleston.
Charles lives with his wife, the artist Romilly Saumarez Smith, in a magnificent Georgian townhouse in east London, which they have painstakingly renovated to preserve and restore many of its original 18th-century features. To step inside is to encounter a singular aesthetic, suffused with deep colour, entrancing artworks and layers of antique texture.
