Fisherman's Cottage, Deal

Please excuse the extended absence – I've been doing my version of summer holidays, which is a couple of weekends in the country and a bit of pottering about the house, sorting things out, catching up on DIY and forcing myself to focus on much-neglected life-filing. (Self-employed people out there will understand...)

Anyway, on one of my trips away I went to stay at the most adorable cottage on the south coast – in Deal, Kent (above), to be precise. And it was all so beautiful, I wanted to share some snaps.

My two dear, and deeply stylish (as you will see) friends Stephen and Russell own the place – and the best bit? They're now renting out the gorgeous 1850 house as a holiday cottage. Lucky me to have had a sneak preview as their guest... Now you can do the same, photographically at least... (or go straight to the website to book if you're interested in staying at Fisherman's Cottage yourselves).

A cosy reading corner in the sitting room (and read you will – or play card games... Scrabble... Twister – each to their own – as the cottage, blissfully, has no TV).

The other side of the sitting room; yes, that wood-burning stove does work. Deal is definitely a place to go with a van – the vintage shops, where Russell found the gorgeous double lamp behind the chair, are brilliant.

The place has two double bedrooms. This was mine – I didn't want to leave...

Another corner of the bedroom: what a dinky writing desk – love the vintage maps, too.

Old school orange and pale grey: what a colour combination. I loved the mix n match but skillfully co-ordinated arrangement on Stephen and Russell's kitchen dresser. Proof that you can put anything together as long as you find a common theme to highlight (here, colour doing the trick).

Russell bought this tray for a few quid in one of Deal's antique shops earlier that day. I'd been eyeing the olive green goblet with suspicion, not sure it was anything more than a dust-gatherer – until he did this to it.

More orange accents spiking through the neutral grey backdrop. How lovely are the tin toy soldiers on horseback marching along the back of the shelves (left)? Interiors should be personal, not identikit. Even in minimalist homes a small burst of quirky display can add gallons of character. Be playful and break some rules.

Love the luxury of big shelf space so that objects – as here, in the bathroom above the loo – can breathe and be appreciated. Even the loo rolls look almost sculptural!

Isn't this botanical plant chart, from a Deal vintage store, spectacular? 

Deal is jam packed full of vintage shops, some that you could even still get away with calling junk shops (in an affectionate – even reverent – way. TLC and Sarah Hallett on the High Street were particularly good but there are heaps more, and great prices all-round. See some of the goodies I miraculously stopped myself from buying below... 

Woof! I am still kicking myself for not snapping up this little chap, he was only £18. What was I thinking?

Find out more about what the area has to offer from the horse's mouth: Stephen is a travel journalist (among many other things) who has written extensively about this part of Kent, it being close to his heart. Here's where you can read his most recent piece on the south coast.

Stunning coastline, great walking, beach huts (with wild fennel sprouting merrily around them, adding a delicious scent to the air) and a dog-friendly place to stay... Deal definitely did it for me. Again, if you fancy staying at this stylish pad, check out the Fisherman's Cottage website.