Bayfield Hall in North Norfolk - a large 18thcentury country house within 120 acres of parkland - has been in Roger Combe's family for generations. His father, Robin, unexpectedly inherited it as a young man in the 1960s from his great-uncle, Roger Coke. Robin was hoping that he might be left a pair of English shotguns, so to be left the whole estate was a bit of a surprise,' says Caroline, Roger's wife.
In 2005, Roger's parents decided that Roger and Caroline, who were then living in a converted barn on the Bayfield Estate, should take over Bayfield Hall. 'Soon after we swapped homes with my parents-in-law, our fourth baby arrived,' says Caroline. 'Florence was the first child to be born at Bayfield in over 150 years."
Caroline was thrilled to find herself with such a lovely house on which to make her mark - both decoratively, but also structurally - and her confidence and sense of style can be seen throughout. 'It's been a slow process, mainly due to the cost of decorating on such a large scale, but hugely gratifying at the same time,' she says.
Once the evenings start drawing in, the family gravitate towards the 'blue room', which has a large wood burner. This room suffered some unwelcome changes during the 1960s, but a lockdown project brought it back to life. 'Rooms of this size need bold colour and scale, so we added a Totty Lowther wallpaper in a strong shade of blue. I can't recall how many rolls were required but it would have been an expensive mistake if we hadn't liked the finished effect,' says Caroline.
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Lisa Coppin
The Cotswold Company’s chief creative officer shares the pieces that mean so much to her
TRAVEL
Six of the best pineta, plus a festive trip to Covent Garden. Review of The Orange, Belgravia by Katie Pike, travel stories
OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE
Stumbled upon by chance, this ingenious material was a more affordable option than solid silver, and well-preserved examples are particularly desirable today
Merrily on high
Summoning servants since the 1700s, bell boards create instant English country-house style (even if you don't have any servants). Emma Longstaff dons her pinny
Let it snow
Nostalgic, magical and highly collectable, snow globes are curious objects of wonder that never fail to instil joy
Velvet Crush
Once the preserve of the wealthy, velvet finally touched all levels of society, thanks to advances in its production process
Celebrating in the Stable
Antiques dealer Julia von Hülsen specialises in Gustavian pieces - all of which look perfectly placed in her German home
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Victorian toy theatres charming and exquisitely designed miniature worlds have inspired theatre royalty for decades. Today, the tradition is being kept alive by a small but talented network of makers
NICHOLAS LEES
The ceramic artist talks to Dominique Corlett about new ways of working with clay and blurring the edges of solid objects
Candy CHRISTMAS
Pastel hues, vintage decorations and bowls of sweet treats: the festive run-up is gloriously joyful at Bettina Færgeman's historic Copenhagen apartment, where there's an emphasis on entertaining...