A Grade II-listed priory home in Norfolk

By Christianne Raymer

Published: Wednesday, 07 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Like her grandparents before her, Emma Deterding has an enduring love for India. Its influence on the interior designer is clear to see in the vibrant colours and richly embellished fabrics she has laid down over the more sedate framework of the 1530s Grade II-listed flint and brick priory that she shares with her husband Nicholas, a farmer.

Emma and Nicholas bought the house in 2011, attracted by its quirky features, generous spaces and great sense of history. ‘The original part of the house is the wood-panelled hallway on the ground floor, which I believe would have led to one big open room with a massive fireplace; now our dining room,’ explains Emma. ‘The house was gradually extended over time and the sitting room and kitchen are certainly later additions.’

Several outbuildings added to the attraction: the couple had experience of rentals and the hospitality market and could see the potential. As Founder and Creative Director of Kelling Designs, Emma is well-versed in whole-house projects, having created schemes all over the world including a big project in India that ignited her passion for the country. ‘There’s no such thing as clashing colours in India,’ says Emma. ‘Anything and everything go.’

The starting point for this house was to paint all the walls grey: ‘It’s a good neutral base,’ she says. ‘Looking back, I’ve added the odd coloured wall here and there and have since painted the sitting room and one of the bedrooms, but most rooms have stayed that same grey. Any impression of colour is all coming from the furnishings.’

Emma has been fortunate to inherit some fabulous pieces of furniture and also has great antiques shops on her doorstep, along with skilled craftspeople such as upholsterers to help revive tired pieces. Mirrors are a favourite and she uses all shapes and sizes to create effect throughout the house.

‘In a dark home, it is an easy and affordable way to open up spaces and create playful reflections and light,’ she says. Walls are filled with prints she has collected on her travels, as well as works by emerging Norfolk artists.

Of the furniture she has inherited, much dates from William and Mary and has come down through her grandparents. ‘Our bedroom furniture came from them and there is a wonderful antique chest in the hallway that came from my grandmother.’ It was full of pictures charting their lives together, she recalls. ‘None of them were labelled or dated, but it was fascinating to see their time in India before the war.’

Above it is a framed cutting from an 1851 edition of The Illustrated London News, showing a reproduction of The Reception in Full Durbar, at Wuzeerabad, of the Maharaja Goolab Sing, by the Governor-General of India. ‘Incredibly, we found that in the roof here and it was just so appropriate,’ marvels Emma.

Family is very much at the heart of this house. Having developed the barns as holiday lets, the additional accommodation comes in handy at Christmas. ‘The barns make amazing entertaining spaces when the house can’t cope,’ says Emma.

One is very much a party space: ‘If you’re a decorator, you really can’t have a normal barn, can you?’ she laughs, explaining how the dramatic stag heads were a cost-effective decorating solution. ‘They came from a friend who was paying a fortune to keep them in storage and I thought “I’ll have those thank you!” They’re perfect here.’

Back inside the main house, seasonal decorating is a riot of colour, with vivid saris used to dress the table; there is nothing staid or formal about the celebrations here. ‘We can’t pretend to be a stately home, so what are you to do?’ says Emma. ‘You just have to let it all hang out, don’t you? It’s about being fun and joyful and not too boring.’

Things really get going after the 26th, when the couple hold a party for friends between Christmas and New Year. ‘We love having people here. A home should be warm and welcoming – it should invite people to sink in and relax,’ she says. ‘And a house becomes a home when it holds things and memories that have travelled with you through the generations; things that have a story to tell.’

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The dining room walls are painted in Cornforth White by Farrow & Ball. The landscape paintings above the fire are by local artists, and the extra-wide Riva woodburner from Stovax in the dining room is affectionately known as Big Bertha.
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The ancient panelling in the hallway frames the view of the dining room. The chairs are from OKA, and Emma covered them in Wemyss Sahara Suede and faux leather from Designers Guild.
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The former priory was once a satellite for the Carthusian monks at Mount Grace Priory in Yorkshire.
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The hall, with its original Norfolk pamments and panelling, is one of Emma’s favourite parts of the house. The chest in the hallway was inherited from Emma’s grandmother and turned out to be filled with mementoes of her life in India.
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The newspaper image was found up in the roof of the house. The lamp came from Kelling Designs.
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The barns attached to the house are of long-standing interest and are mentioned in the Pevsner Architectural Guides. The couple now let them as holiday accommodation (priorybarns.com). The central chandelier was an antique find.
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Every year Emma puts the Christmas tree in front of the original front door, which is the formal entrance, but rarely used since the couple added a new entrance, fondly referred to as ‘the bus shelter’. Walls are painted in Pelt by Farrow & Ball. The grandfather clock was inherited from Nicholas’s grandfather.
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Emma Deterding, founder and creative director of Kelling Designs, uses sari silks to add colour to the table at Christmas.
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The ottoman in the sitting room was designed by Emma’s company, Kelling Designs, and is covered with a spectacular piece of handwoven fabric from Pakistan. The sofas are from Made and the cushions are from Bombay Sprout. The walls are painted in Marble III and IV from Paint & Paper Library.
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Cushions from Bombay Sprout in eye-catching Indian fabrics make the sitting room feel relaxed and welcoming.
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Striking mirrors are a feature throughout the house and this panel of small convex mirrors is one of a pair, both of which hang above matching console tables in the dining room.
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 The dining table is dressed in sari silks which are used as tablecloths, while place settings are decorated with baubles, pom poms and flowers in zingy shades.
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Emma loves to inject a bit of fun at every opportunity, using colourful napkins and bright flowers to decorate the place settings.
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The striped console is typical of Emma’s style – she had graffiti artist friend, Tony, spray it with vivid stripes. The painting on the wall is by Evelyn Binns and the lamp is by KDLoves.
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In the blue guest bedroom, Emma cites designer Kit Kemp’s bohemian but beautifully structured style as a big inspiration. The cushions and upholstered headboard are both from Kelling Designs. The blue lamps are from Pooky and the kantha throw from Bombay Sprout. The bedside tables were family pieces.
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Emma had the chair reupholstered in a tree of life fabric from India. The rug is from KDLoves.
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The collection of Queen’s Silver Jubilee mugs in the bathroom started as a bit of fun. ‘Nicholas got so cross when I sent my mug to the charity shop, I started collecting them for him,’ Emma laughs. The walls are painted in Light Blue by Farrow & Ball.
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The master bedroom is furnished with a clever mix of lucky junk-shop finds, inherited pieces and stylish design, such as the headboard covered in a fabric from Rapture & Wright.