A Design Lover's Guide to Margate (with a Little Detour to Ramsgate)

I recently had a big birthday and was lucky enough to be treated to a kid-free weekend in Margate. I've wanted to go for years. As an interior designer, I'm always collecting: colours, textures, a shopfront I love, the way someone has hung a picture. My saved folder of Margate posts on Instagram has been growing for so long that I worried the real thing couldn't live up to it. It did, and then some. Margate, you're my spirit town!

What makes it so special for anyone who loves design is the mix. It's full of artists, makers and independent shops, with kitsch and camp joy at every turn. Right alongside that you've got gritty post-war concrete (you can't miss Arlington House on the seafront) and faded period houses just waiting for someone to breathe new life into them. Bright and faded, polished and a bit rough round the edges, all sitting side by side. That tension is exactly what I love in a home. The spaces I design are characterful and lived-in, never showroom-perfect, and Margate is that idea as a whole town.

So here's my weekend, in the order we did it, with the design moments I think are worth making a trip for.

Where to stay

We stayed at Margate House, and I'd recommend it to anyone! It’s the epitome of a boutique hotel in that it feels unique, it’s essentially a very large and beautiful home with 8 rooms. The palette is pink, red and sand and the style is period charm meets eclectic playful styling. There were vintage furniture pieces, playful artworks, retro touches and plenty of beautifully curated ‘moments’ like stacked design books, pretty glassware and a vintage bar cart used as a little sweet shop.

It’s restaurant, Willy's, is downstairs, which made the birthday dinner very easy. We sat at the bar and ordered lots of little plates and drank delicious cocktails. The restaurant is also a popular brunch spot and has a terrace for al fresco dining which looked tempting even on an overcast day.

Saturday: coffee, shops, and filling my camera roll

We started with coffee and brunch at Forts Coffee. The coffee was incredible and they had a great selection of beans to purchase. The walls were beautifully raw in their appearance, with sanded back layers of paint with glimpses of plaster and an old orange paint. Great floor tiles and rosey marble tables.

Then the shopping, which for me was all research. Honestly! Each shop had its own point of view, which is what I look for when I'm sourcing for clients: things chosen with care, not just shelves filled. I focussed on homewares but I find fashion stores usually offer an interesting point of view and influence interior design. Stores of note were; Aarven a collection of fair trade hand made products, the highlights were block printed textiles, and hand made paper products. Then Zoë Murphy’s screenprinting studio, her illustration style felt iconically Margate, couldn’t help but purchase a tea towel! Margaux and its sister homewares store Pearl were a real treat, they felt current and nostalgic. Silly stores was pure nostalgic joy, I left smiling! Les Animaux has a separate menswear and womenswear store with some interesting curated homewares. My design career started in menswear so it will always be a passion for me. On a Whim was another gem, my favourite things being playful ceramics, like wobbly floral candle holders. The Margate Bookshop had a great selection of female writers and books about witchcraft, and it was nice to see my top Summer reads were being recommended there. I also came across a little street market and bought a big plastic ring, which I'm counting as my first piece of Margate kitsch.

We refuelled at Rise & Bun - incredible!! Which subsequently ruined any sort of lunch plan as we were full. We spent the afternoon in galleries, it was amazing to visit Margo McDaid’s shop, I’ve had my eye on a Margo piece for quite some time! The Tracey Emin Foundation was also a joy to see, Tracey is an icon to me and having just been to see her Retrospective at Tate Modern it was great to see this space and the support she mentorship she is able to provide within this space. Next we visited Joseph Wales Studios where there was an exhibition entitled Kitsch and was a great insight in to the Margate art scene.

In the evening we had drinks at Off Licence, Little Swift, and Cockle & Hen, they all offered great atmosphere and great drinks!

Sunday: records, rollercoasters, and Zoltar

We had brunch at Cliffs and came away with a few records for hubby’s collection. This space was very cool! Then it was off to Turner Contemporary and a look out to the sea and to see ‘Another Time’, Anthony Gormley’s cast iron sculpture.

Then it was Dreamland. From a design point of view it's a feast: vintage signage, fairground colour, and nostalgia everywhere you look. I rode the mini rollercoaster and paid my usual visit to Zoltar, the Margate mystic. I visit him at every seaside town I go to for his wisdom.

A detour to Ramsgate

Before heading home we went over to Ramsgate. With it’s harbour and its handsome old terraces, it reminded me so much of Plymouth, where I was born. It's calmer than Margate and a little more subdued. I headed straight to Our Curated Abode and drooled over Toyo tool boxes before settling on a shell trinket dish, a metal ruler and some new WXY insence. We got coffee at Staple, then went shopping at Potters, I found an amazing clock and wanted to buy an out-of-my-budget side table.

What I took away from this trip

The best trips always change how I see my own home and my clients' homes, and this one did. Margate taught me again that kitsch and considered can happily live together. A playful object next to something refined makes both of them more interesting. It reminded me that you don't need to hide a building's age or grit, because that's often where its character lives. And it made me want to be braver with colour, the way the shopfronts and Dreamland's signage are.

Most of all, the places I loved most felt like someone had made them. Every shop and café had a point of view, and that's all I ever want for the homes I work on. They should feel personal and a bit unexpected, and they should tell your story. If Margate is sitting in a saved folder of yours, this is your sign to go. 🧡