#door case

Leather-bound books are piled like bricks against the white-painted dado of this vivid hyacinth-coloured room. The strong colour makes an effective background for the modern pictures, and the diamond-patterned matting adds a nice rural feeling as well as forming a contrast to the elaborately carved pediment above the door.

A butterfly firescreen in front of a strongly figured marble fireplace is only one idiosyncrasy in a room crammed with interesting paintings, prints, objects and memorabilia. The fresh green stippled walls, the unexpected juxtaposition of striped loose covers and chintz.

Unexpected blue walls - such colour is rare in English dining rooms - show off the handsome cornice, door cases and fireplace in this large and elegant room. The colour also looks marvellous with the green outside, reflected in the mirror, and with the interesting black and white horse pictures.