35 The Strand, Deal

I rather fell in love with the wonderful seaside town of Deal when I visited at Christmas time and I am already looking forward to planning a return trip. This was made all the more imminent when I got a copy of Keepers Cottages newsletter welcoming a new property to their books – 35 The Strand. It is just along the road in Walmer, overlooking the sea and sporting some rather gorgeous interior decor. I love the mixture of clean neutral walls with big hits of colour and the relaxed homely feel that has been created. It is lovely to see a holiday home that has had some real love and attention lavished on it. I think it is time for a little holiday by the sea – don’t you?

              

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Delightful Deal

I think that the British seaside is a wonderful place to be at this time of year and after spending the Christmas week in Deal in Kent, I have completely fallen for the place. I booked a cottage (I highly recommend Keepers Cottages) which was very fortunately in the Middle Street district which I now know is the place to be. There is Georgian gorgeousness about the buildings and the streets between the sea front and the high street are charming but still have a lovely rawness about them. Interestingly, there are a number of delectable shops and restaurants that seem to have sprung up recently and would be just at home in the trendy bits of East London as on the Kent coast.

A house on the High Street

These are the sort of houses you find between the sea front and the High Street in the Middle Street conservation area.

I think Farrow and Ball arrived in Deal before I did – I bet that is Pelt.

Lovely interiors, art and gift shop Dunlin and Diver on the High Street selling Thornback and Peel (which I thoroughly approve of!) and other fab things

Hoxton Store opened just before Christmas and completely gorgeous

Super stylish shop with something for everyone stylish – and a tiny (stylish) art gallery at the back. Taylor-Jones and Son

Great wine bar and wine merchant – run by a French man, need I say more.

Very inviting pub in Middle Street

The two restaurants I can recommend are 81 Beach Street which is excellent (don’t be fooled by the website which isn’t excellent but you can successfully book through) and Dunkerleys which has great food and a somewhat, erm, Faulty Towers inspired approach to service and the two that top of my list when I go back are Victuals and Co and The Dining Club based on local recommendation and by pressing my face against the window when they were closed.

            

I was sorry to leave this delightful town but visiting again soon is on my list of resolutions. Happy New Year to you all.

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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

We are lucky enough to be working on a fabulous house in Ramsgate at the moment (updates on this to follow) so yesterday, after work was done and given there was a barmy summers afternoon going on, I found it impossible to drive past Margate without stopping. On a flying visit, I did a too quick tour of the Turner Contemporary gallery which inspired the life out of me and a wander around the Old Town which if you are looking for some vintage, retro, mid-century modern, one of a kind action, is the place to go. I will be returning.

The Turner Contemporary with it’s fantastic views

Inside the gallery, the current exhibition is Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing

The Old Town is just a few steps from the sea front and the Turner Contemporary

Do you remember the Jolly Boys outing to Margate and the blown up coach? Still makes me laugh.

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Nautical style as featured in Cambridge News

Summer holidays are on the horizon and the seaside is calling; get a flavour of the sea with this guide to nautical style for your home. From fresh and breezy stripes to rustic  linens, the key to this look is keeping it simple and making the most of the natural light.

Nautical living dictates a no-nonsense approach to interior decorating; hardwearing materials and sturdy fabrics are essential to withstand sandy feet and dripping seawater.  This rustic kitchen has practical seaside living sorted; the whitewashed walls and floor are sturdy and simple and the cheery blue shelf and traditional AGA add character and colour.

If you’re lucky enough to live right on the river or by the sea you will know that the light reflecting off the water can lend a magical quality to the light in your home. Emphasise this (or create an illusion of it) by keeping your backdrop bright with lots of white to capture every little bit of sunshine that filters in. You can then pick cheerful textiles to complement this simple backdrop like these beachcomber fabrics by GP& J Baker.

A simple blue striped fabric is a nautical staple and no one does stripes better than Ian Mankin. These fabrics from his denim range are hardwearing, practical and fun; use them to upholster chairs, hang as curtains or create sturdy cushions, and they will instantly shout ‘seaside’.

But you don’t have to stick to blue and white for a nautical look. The soft dusty red and yellow stripes of this linen by William Yeoward for Designers Guild have a soft, vintage feel which evokes the weatherbeaten charm of the traditionanal British seaside town and captures the essence of traditional seaside life in a more subtle way.

And finally, nothing says summer more than dining alfresco. The simplest meals are sometimes the best and a rustic runner in a hardwearing ticking instantly dresses up an outdoor table. Just add freshly baked bread, locally caught fish and a glass of something cool for the perfect seaside lunch.

Image credits: Fired Earth, GP & J Baker, Ian Mankin, Designers Guild, The White Company

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Lovin’ the Linen

The new Rapture and Wright catalogue has just dropped through the Angel and Blume letterbox and it really is worth a look. This lovely British company specialises in linen and linen union printed cloths that work beautifully for curtains and blinds but also (as you can see from their gorgeous web images) for upholstery, lampshades and bed headboards.  They have produced four of their fabric patterns as wallpaper which really shows off their beautifully drawn designs to their best advantage. Take a look, we don’t think you will be disappointed!

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If you dream of sand dunes and salty air…

How pretty is this seaside-style blog post by The Paper Mulberry. When we received an email to let us know that The Paper Mulberry had used one of our images in a blog post we hopped over to take a look and what a discovery! This pretty blog is filled with evocative, dreamy moodboards of gorgeous interiors and pretty colour combinations. Click here to see the rest of the post and for full image credits. And extra points if you can spot the Angel + Blume image in the moodboard above.

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Set Sail with Nautical Stripes from William Yeoward

How great are these striped fabrics by William Yeoward for Designers Guild. I love nautical stripes all year round but I think they are especially suited to the breezy months of summer and one look at these lovely images has me reaching for my straw hat and deck shoes and dreaming of lazy summer days by the sea.

The Polperro collection is inspired by Cornwall and the fabrics perfectly reflect the fresh, relaxed atmosphere of the English Coast. Describing his new collection Yeoward explains “There is something about the English coastline that is so unique. There is a quality of light and a sense of freedom for me that is found here. I love the colours of the landscape, the boats, the sailcloths, rolling pastures and the ocean spray: these to me are the essence of my being.”

I love the variations on the classic blue and white colour palette. The inclusion of a jaunty red stripe instantly adds cheerful seaside twist to a dark blue and white. And the soft dusty red and yellow stripes above have the perfect amount of faded glamour to evoke relaxed country-style coastal living.

Image Credits: Designers Guild

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