Inspiration of the Week: the playful palette of a seaside treasure

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside – especially when, as in this six-bedroom house on Margate’s Union Crescent, it means living quite so well. Grade II-listed, this joyous Georgian gem – currently on the market – is, put simply, a delight to be in. Recently and painstakingly restored, its interiors are clever and considered but, even more excitingly, they’re also full of vim, vigour and vibrancy.

In part, this is due to the colours – all mixed by the brilliant Francesca’s Paints – that cover almost every wall and lend the spaces their own distinct identity. There’s the ebullient yellow that makes the hall and stairwell positively fizz with fun, enlivening the handsome 18^th-century mouldings overhead without competing, and the moody teal of the study that feels simultaneously smart and contemporary, yet speaks to the grand period features of the space.

In the master suite, meanwhile, ashy rose – soft, but with an edge – gives way to a bathroom in inky black. Such a transition not only looks good, it works: without a door to close between the two, it’s a chromatic device that helps separate the spaces and their functions. Elsewhere, there’s palest pink, raspberry and dreamy aqua too, forming a ravishing rainbow we can’t get enough of.

But it’s not just the paint that lends this house its personality. By and by, varying textures bring both patina and depth. We love the raw concrete of the sitting-room wall, a rough counterpoint to the plush velvet sofa. We’re keen, too, on the stripped pine doors (a foil for glossy floorboards underfoot) and the kitchen’s bare plaster, which lends a welcome bit of gruffness to this glamourous room. Measured contrast is, after all, what it’s about.

And this is just inside. As well as having a garden in which to soak up the sun, all of Margate’s magic is right on your doorstep. If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air, you know where to go.