Bohemian Rhapsody

An exuberant approach to decor, with rooms enveloped in colour and pattern, has brought this historic home merrily into the 21st century...

- AMANDA HARLING

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.