A fabulous collection of fabric and wallpapers inspired by the archive at Castle Howard

Towards the end of the 19th century, Castle Howard, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and begun in 1699, was decorated almost top to toe in designs by William Morris. The Long Gallery was papered in 'Sunflower' (it took 170 rolls) and, in The High Saloon, his 'Bird & Anemone' wallpaper was stretched on battens to sit over the top of the murals.

The 9th Earl and Countess of Carlisle were great friends of William Morris and the architect Philip Webb - often described as 'the father of Arts and Crafts' - designed their London house. George Howard was an artist and he was a friend and mentee of Edward Burne-Jones. He and Rosalind - known as ‘The Radical Countess’ for her political activism - were a cultured couple at the forefront of the artistic movements of their time.

When they came to live at Castle Howard in 1880, it was in need of some love. The Countess was a prolific shopper and decorator, keeping the most detailed accounts and log books, so that today we know exactly where she was shopping, what she was buying and, to a certain extent, where she was using the many rolls of fabric and wallpaper that she purchased. 'There's a sense of Rosalind buying to try, but also a sense of collecting for prosperity - particularly with wallpapers designed by her friend William Morris,' says Eleanor Brooke-Peat, curator of collections and archives at Castle Howard. 'She went through various different decorating phases, starting with Japonisme in the 1880s.' Many of the rolls of fabrics and papers, as well as fragments and complete curtains, remain in the archive today.

When the current custodians of Castle Howard, Vicky and Nick Howard, came to live here six years ago they, like every generation, embarked on some necessary restoration and redecoration. This ranged from introducing en-suite bathrooms to an ambitious ongoing project to reinstate one of the state rooms, which had not been restored after a huge fire in 1940. They have worked closely with the artist and interiors expert Alec Cobbe, drawing on his extensive knowledge of historical decoration, and, more recently, have brought in interior designer Remy Renzullo to help with the decoration of their private rooms in particular.

'We've done it iteratively,' explains Vicky, who says that she is keen to build rooms 'bit by bit' and to make sure they feel right. 'For our private rooms, it is about a mix, rather than being too museum-like in our approach,' she continues. The rooms she shows me feel beautiful but inviting. 'My hope is that they look as if they have been like this for decades,' Remy says of his ongoing work, which involves small tweaks in some places and whole schemes for others.