It’s not often a photo of a sink stops me mid-scroll, but the bright green paneled bathroom at Melton Hall did. I assumed it was an interiors shoot for Architectural Digest, but a minute of rabbit-holing led me to the Airbnb listing. I was sold.
Maybe it was the checkerboard pool, the mention of 7.5 acres with a walled rose garden and wildflower meadow, the Mickey Mouse children’s room, or the proximity to the coast. With spring school break approaching, it felt like the perfect family staycation.
From the listing my expectations were high—and Melton Hall met them. Contemporary interiors sit respectfully within period features. A pillared front door opens onto a light, airy entrance hall with modern art and high arched ceilings. To the left, a sophisticated living room feels set up more for adult time than family chaos: a white chaise longue faces large windows overlooking a pristinely kept garden. For TV, you press a button and a screen rises, concealing the renaissance painting behind it. It captures the house perfectly: modernity woven into heritage.
As we explored the three floors, my children immediately started plotting a game of hide-and-seek. It was exactly the sort of house for that.
Each room is consistently tasteful—no fuss, just considered details: floor-length curtains, curated art, and comfortable beds. The highlight for my kids and a favorite design quirk for me was a press-on-bookcase that opens to a cozy movie room, equipped with Monitor Audio Dolby Surround Sound and a deep sofa that could comfortably seat seven. On predictably rainy British afternoons we curled up under a blanket and scrolled through Netflix.
It wasn’t all films. For Easter break I set up an egg hunt: eggs tucked in the little crooks of antique garden statues, in a tree by the vegetable plot, by the tennis-court fence, atop the brick wall around the small pond, and beside the sculptural Willy Guhl loop chairs by the pool. It was a smash hit before any chocolate had been eaten.
One afternoon we drove to the nearby Unruly Pig, ranked in the UK’s Top 50 Gastropubs, where we shared Skrei cod loin, Iberico pork, and a macaroni cheese that arguably shouldn’t have been on a kids’ menu because it was that good.
I usually prefer hotels for family trips—less cooking and cleaning—but Melton Hall’s kitchen nearly converted me. Standing at the huge stainless-steel island, chopping garlic with a satisfyingly sharp knife and listening to my playlist on crisp Audio Pro speakers, I felt that delicious escapist thrill that comes with being somewhere truly special. That, in a nutshell, is Melton Hall: beauty and thoughtful design that lets you escape.
Back home I found the property’s Instagram—the green bathroom was where it started. The bio reads, “A historic Suffolk home reimagined for escapes.” That’s exactly what they’ve accomplished.
