My best auction buy: Hatta Byng

We have the great pleasure this week of speaking to Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden magazine, about her favourite auction find, giving us a glimpse into the spectacular interiors that she is working on at her Regency home in Yorkshire.

What is your favourite item from auction?

We’ve just taken on my parents-in-law’s house in Yorkshire so we are buying quite a bit at auction at the moment but the most extravagant – and exciting – acquisition has to be the early 18th century, Italian Baroque tester bed we bought from Christie’s recently.

It sounds wonderful. What made you fall in love with it?

It’s madness really, covered in blue braided yellow linen and topped with agave finials. We’re not even sure if the roof will take the weight of the tester, but our bedroom is a rather fantastic room (it would have once been the first floor drawing room) and we are hoping that it will look rather sensational against a backdrop of chinoiserie wallpaper. It better do!

How did you find it?

We bought it from Christie’s in May. I’d in fact admired it from afar in the Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler showroom on Pimlico Road for many months before, but although I loved it, I thought it was far too grand, old even, and a ridiculous dream!  But my husband spotted it in the auction catalogue and the stars aligned – he’s far braver about spending money than I am. I had been struggling for months about what exactly our bed was going to look like as it’s quite a big room and this seems an exciting solution. Luckily the bed itself is new!

It’s an incredible find; when do you hope to be able to put it in place?

Currently it's being stored, while we undertake work to the house, a Grade II* Regency house near York. Hopefully by this time next year, it will be in and up and looking wonderful. 

Bed testers are a simple way to achieve a luxurious impact in a bedroom scheme. Hatta bought her tester bed from The Collector sale at Christie’s in May 2021. They are relatively rare to auction, so it’s always worth keeping an eye out on thesaleroom.com for antique pieces.