Just last week, Country Life’s architectural editor John Goodall wrote a piece about an end-of-terrace house in Swansea. It was a bit of a change of pace for John, whose work normally covers palaces, castles and cathedrals… but he was excited about this project as any of the others, given that this modest, pebble-dashed house opened up in to a riot of neo-Georgian plasterwork.
This week, we have another example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover: Bayford House, a picture-perfect Grade II*-listed home on the edge of the Hertfordshire village of Bayford, a coveted village in Hertfordshire, which is for sale with Hamptons for £6,000,000.
On the outside, it’s a classic Georgian home set in 28 acres of gently rolling countryside. On the inside, it’s a house that is brimming with striking decor and pizzazz, where original features and decorative plasterwork blend with Art Nouveau fireplaces, Doric columns and floods of colour and texture.
(Image credit: Hamptons)
At the heart of Bayford House is a spacious reception hall, which features the original 18th century staircase, elegant columns and a toasty-looking log burner.
(Image credit: Hamptons)
From here, there are a handful of reception rooms, each with their own distinctive style; as the agents note, ‘the interiors invite conversation’.
The library is a prime example: it’s a riot of colour, pattern and texture. The drawing room is another, enveloped in a smooth shade of mocha and featuring a chandelier and fireplace of real grandeur.
(Image credit: Hamptons)
Not every space is so striking, but all are heavily styled and designed; the breakfast room, for example, has more of a pared-back look, with a neat collection of statement lightbulbs hanging above the table.
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(Image credit: Hamptons)
Other principal rooms include a kitchen (naturally) with stone work surfaces and Gaggenau appliances, study and a dining room.
Several more functional rooms are located towards the back of the house: a walk-in pantry, laundry room, and a boot room that leads out into the garden. These once-overlooked rooms make buyers these days swoon.
(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)Bayford House has no fewer than nine bedrooms and six bathrooms on the first and second floors. And as you may already have guessed, they’re bursting with personality too.
From a light and breezy bedroom with patterned wallpaper and exposed brickwork, to a chic bathroom that combines dark painted-wood panelling, exposed timber beams and marble, no two rooms look the same.
(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)The sprawling house includes a self-contained two-bedroom annexe, which could come in handy for family, friends, staff, or lodgers.
Outside, Bayford House has everything you’d hope to see in a modern country house: a tennis court, studio, sauna, and an indoor swimming pool set under a vaulted ceiling.
The grounds also include formal gardens, kitchen gardens, paddocks, a pond (wild swimming, anyone?), and various outbuildings.
(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)There’s more good news, too: the three years of work that’s been done at Bayford House is more than skin deep: the owners have done all the re-plumbing and re-wiring as well as the interiors overhaul.
For those looking for a project, there is one part of the estate that is still ripe for renovation: the stables.
(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)(Image credit: Hamptons)Joanna Cocking, Head of Private Office, Country at Hamptons, says: ‘The sensitive and extensive restoration of this Grade II estate – carried out by the current owners – is exquisite.
‘They have gone to great lengths to preserve and showcase architectural detail while creating wonderfully relaxed interiors for modern living.
‘It feels sophisticated – a home with heritage and artistic flair that creates an atmosphere both impressive — but utterly homely and welcoming.’
Bayford House is for sale via Hamptons for £6,000,000 — see more pictures and details