The Little Beach House in Tankerton Welcomes American taste with Kentish Style
There’s a corner of Kent which, while resolutely British with its pebbly shingle, beach huts and muted grey skies, offered something that reminded one of our latest Bloom Stays’ owners of their American upbringing; something in that coastal cool vibe.
The Little Beach House (along with its sister – the ‘Tiny’ beach house…a hut on Tankerton Slopes) is one of the latest additions to the Bloom Stays family and a shining example of great design ideas simply executed yet nothing compromised in the name of style.
The owner, Marissa, found the house as part of a hunt she embarked on during the Covid lockdown in 2020. Intending to swop London life for a larger house on the Kent coast she has always thought she’d live there full time and therefore when she started to renovate it, it encapsulated her own ideas and style and for her, leaning on local craftsmen, artists and ideas to bring it back to life.
It was finished just a year or so ago, but her personal circumstances have changed and for now, she has moved abroad so it made sense to let the house to holidaymakers until she’s ready to return.
‘Local’ is Marissa’s watchword when it comes to interior style and she has employed that ethos throughout the house. It’s beautifully decorated in shades of grey, teal and greens reflecting walking on the beach at Tankerton in the winter.
She also reflected that palate in the ‘Tiny beach house’, the beach hut just a stone’s throw away (or so) from the main house on Tankerton slopes. As Marissa said the beach hut is enjoyed by her American friends ‘in the summer’ and by her British friends ‘in the winter with a cup of tea’. A special relationship with the weather indeed.
The art inside is from Whitstable-based artists and reflects her own muted, stylish tastes. Panelled walls and a beautiful kitchen bring warmth and personality to the house. Marissa was keen, as this is a holiday house and therefore meant to have a sense of fun, to create clever nooks and crannies for relaxing or just great games of hide and seek.
The bunk beds are a brilliant example of this and they were designed and built bespoke to the room leaving them practical enough to be easy to change and keep tidy yet big enough to offer real comfort in the room. Children will also love playful touches such as the ‘shark’ chair (Marissa’s first purchase here).
Another favourite spot enjoyed without leaving the house is the hot tub on the deck in the garden. Out there too alongside the ‘Big Green Egg’ grill and outdoor kitchen set up, there’s also a ‘Cornhole’ outdoor game set (an American import that’s well worth a try).
The Little Beach House certainly encapsulates everything a British break should be… relaxing, stylish and with a great sense of fun thrown in. All you need to pack is that windbreak.
Explore Little Beach House.
