Where We'd Stay: Melton Hall

When it came to choosing a collaborator for her latest interior project, Cassandra Stavrou, founder of Proper Snacks, didn't have to think twice. "Rebecca Sicardi. We have worked together for over a decade, and she is one of my closest friends," she says, without hesitation. "I can't imagine doing a project without her." The result of their latest venture? Melton Hall, a picturesque Georgian home in Suffolk. Love was at the heart of the project, for which the pair spent three years sourcing art and furniture. The aesthetic is minimalist, but the devil is truly in the details, Cassandra explains. "It was a real labour of love between me and Becky, and a project managed within an inch of its life by my brother, Emilio. He kept us on track. The whole thing has been intimate, and made with people I love." For Becky, it was important that the house reflected Cassandra's Greek Cypriot heritage while retaining an element of unpredictability. ""We knew it wasn't going to look like the interior of a traditional English country home because that didn’t feel aligned to Cass and her family’s heritage but equally we were interested in exploring the concept of belongings being accumulated over time as they may have been historically in a home like Melton. We wanted to build a collection but it needed to feel unique to Cass and to the house." Located on the edge of Woodbridge, the house features an awe-inspiring pool (the star of the show, according to both women), a tennis court, an ancient winding rose garden and a quiet reading nook for moments of respite. The careful preservation of original features, from the fireplaces to the serpentine walls, contributes to the property's magic. "It was about celebrating the original features and bones of the house, then bringing in something fresh to show them off," Becky explains. "Less a restoration than a conversation between the old and the new." Below, Cassandra and Becky share the details behind the dreamy home, their favourite spots for sourcing furniture, and the details that bring Melton Hall to life.

Cassandra: Rebecca is the most talented person I know at making a space work for all the senses. I always say she designs like a cat. Not just how a room looks, but how it feels. Where the warm spots are. How the materials sit under your hand. She is sensitive in the way she works, and she believes in less, not more. She did the nursery for our first daughter and our first family home, built when life was particularly busy and stressful, which I wanted to feel restful and restorative. She was pregnant with twins at the time, and she created a space that felt womb-like. Becky: Yes, [Melton] House has the most beautiful bones and original features, and stripping everything else out really made space for these to be shown in all their glory. In a way, there's something quite modernist about Georgian architecture – there's a simplicity of form and order, and a considerable restraint. I knew we didn't want to overdo it with the decorating, and by its nature it provided a simple but strong background to show the beautiful furniture and artwork we were collecting along the way.

Becky: Often, for me, designing interiors is a conversation between new and old. It's one of the juxtapositions I find most interesting, I guess, because it's an analogy for life. How do we pay tribute to the pre-existing and everything that has come before while also creating something new that works well for now and the future? What do you choose to keep and what do you choose to change? And which parts of each bring out the best in the other?

Cassandra: We wrote the brief together. I trust her completely, and it is a very symbiotic relationship. We agreed that everything should feel quite restrained and elegant, but with some surprising elements: touches you might not expect to find in an old English country home. The other rule set by Becky was to steer away from big brands entirely. She lovingly sourced everything, from the light fittings to the objects, the art to the frames, from independent dealers over a number of years. Becky: There was something very liberating about designing for a traditional English country house that didn't come with any pre-existing inherited furniture because it meant we could really start from scratch. It also meant that we needed to build a large collection of furniture and art, which we did over about three years. We liked the idea that it was an accelerated version of what might naturally happen over time as you build a family home, over generations. We knew we wanted to maintain all the original features – flooring, fireplaces, architraves and cornices, doors and hardware – and although all the furniture was antique and vintage, there was something more modern about its placement and context. Context was a key element, actually. I think I probably banged on about that the most. What items should go with what to create little situations throughout the house that you stumble upon as you make your way through; how every object creates a unique relationship with another, how they bring out something different in each other, and how that can completely change the feeling of a space depending on what's placed beside what. Another life analogy, maybe!

Becky: For me, the process is very intuitive. It helps that I know Cass so well because I know when something feels "her" or not. With every client, I wouldn't want to create something that didn't feel like a reflection of them. There may be some refining and pushing outside their comfort zone along the way, but fundamentally I want it to feel authentic to them. There's no hierarchy with the art in the house and, again, we wanted it to be a collection of works from different eras. I was very specific about where the art was hung and how high or low it should be hung. Too often I find art is hung too high and you lose the relationship to it – but maybe that's just because I'm not very tall!

Becky: I’d like to give a massive shout-out to all the amazing dealers we bought from. Melton is a house of their finds, really. Some of the places I sourced from were Lawrence Prentice Stowaway, Vantage Living, Old Old Woods, Push Pull, Two Poems and Mary Hossack. We also worked with local maker Buhr Bespoke Interiors to create two beautiful tables made out of oak from the land – a breakfast table and a dining table. The incredible bespoke kitchen was made by long-time collaborator Greg Cox.

Cassandra: On sunny days, there's a swimming pool with geometric floor tiles and an arched pergola at one end for al fresco dining, designed by Miria Harris; an ancient rose garden; nearby woods for a campfire; and even a tennis court. On colder or rainy days, there's a secret cinema on the second floor, hidden behind a bookcase, which children love to discover. There are the original fireplaces, and the breakfast room sits off the kitchen, where everyone gathers to eat and plan the day, working out which beach to visit or which stretch of the Suffolk coast to explore.

Cassandra: The house is managed by the team at Stay in Suffolk. Together, we have built a trusted list of local people who can be arranged on request: chefs, masseuses, a tennis instructor and a swimming teacher. The house is also surrounded by wonderful food, from farm shops to the Greyhound Inn, our local pub.

Cassandra: It was always about bringing people together in a beautiful space. Family gatherings, groups of friends – anyone who wants somewhere lovely to be together.

Cassandra: The pool. It is a real showstopper, and it transports you straight into holiday mode.

Cassandra: The Unruly Pig at Bromeswell is four minutes away and one of the best gastropubs in the country. As mentioned, the Greyhound Inn at Petistree is our favourite local pub – it's worth it for the pies and the lardo fingers alone. For provisions, Reuben's butcher and deli is a minute from the house, and Pump Street makes some of the best chocolate in the country.

Cassandra: Woodbridge – it's a short walk through the back of the garden. We tell guests to visit the Tide Mill, the independent shops along The Thoroughfare, and the Riverside Theatre, which is a small cinema sitting right on the river.

Cassandra: The kitchen. The island is almost monolithic in stainless steel. Becky was insistent that nothing sit on it: no sink, no clutter, so it stays completely clear, ready for big sharing platters and food laid out for everyone. The joinery is handmade by Greg Cox, designed by Becky, with big chunky handles you rarely see in a kitchen and beautifully considered finger joints.

Becky: The two oak tables, in the kitchen and the red dining room, were both made by a local maker from a single fallen oak tree on the grounds. A Torie Begg 'Apparently Black' hangs in the entrance hall. It's one of the first things you see as you come into the house. I liked the idea that, historically, a huge ancestral portrait would have hung here, so we were acknowledging the scale, but the subject matter and execution feel diametrically opposed.

Cassandra: At Christmas, there's a huge tree at the foot of the staircase. In summer, life moves around the pool. In spring, there are hundreds of daffodils planted throughout the grounds, with blossom on the trees and a wild meadow at the end of the main lawn where we sometimes have sheep grazing. Each season brings a different feel to the house.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome by prior arrangement. We just ask that they stay off the furniture and out of the bedrooms upstairs.

Check-in is from 3pm.