This perfectly pink hotel in Margate has me planning my next room makeover

Woman sitting on edge of made bed with brown, wavy headboard in pink panelled room — (Image credit: Natalie Jahangiry)

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Overall takeaways

Interior designer Natalie Jahangiry is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on decorating a home to suit a busy family life while sticking to your aesthetic values, too. See the rest of her articles here.

I've never really had that feeling when looking at design inspiration and thinking, that's me down to a tee. In my eyes, design is something deeply personal, and no matter how beautiful the inspiration it's difficult to see yourself reflected through someone else's vision. That was until now.

As soon as I stumbled across Margate House online a few years ago, it felt as though someone had tapped directly into my inner design dialogue. I instantly knew I needed to visit!

Why I wanted to visit

I grabbed my friend Vanessa and off we went on a train from London to Margate for a little design-filled escape. I arrived with a few goals in mind.

While I was excited to experience the new COAT collection first-hand and gather inspiration for client projects, I was equally keen to come away with a few ideas for my own home. Of course! More specifically, my master bedroom, which (unbeknown to Tom) is about to get a little revamp of its own, so stay tuned for Part 2!

Person holding up selection of pink based paint samples in fan shape

A house that feels like home

The Victorian terrace has been beautifully renovated by first time hotelier Will Jenkins alongside his longtime friend and part time designer, Charlee Allan-Quiton. It's a true celebration of pink in every sense, which suits me rather well, as you can imagine.

Dusky soft pink, peach and red warming tones wrap around the bedrooms and communal spaces in an inviting yet contemporary manner. The palette was created with Margate as its inspiration, something that quickly becomes apparent as you walk around the town.

Each colour is named after a local landmark or destination, many of which we had the pleasure of spotting during our visit. I absolutely loved that “Shell Grotto” is an actual shell grotto!

Hallway with pale pink panelled walls, graphic artwork and vintage apothecary style console table

The attention to detail across the house extends far beyond the interiors. There are thoughtful touches everywhere, from sweet jars to snack drawers, layered lighting to comfy sofas and snug little cocktail nooks, all designed to make guests feel welcome.

It's clear this is a place that genuinely cares about the quality of your stay. The result is a hotel that feels both beautifully designed and wonderfully comfortable.

Throughout our visit, we genuinely felt as though we were visiting a stylish friend's house rather than checking into a hotel. The design scheme felt so aligned with my own taste that I settled in immediately (we even went for breakfast in our PJs!).

In fact, after seeing my Instagram posts earlier in the day, my friend messaged me saying, "That Margate hotel is the most you hotel I've ever seen. It all looks like it should be in your house!" And honestly, I couldn't have put it better myself.

Woman in pink stripy pjs on coral sofa with striped cushion on either side

Dinner at Willy's

During our stay, we also dined at Willy's, named after the owner himself.

The restaurant feels like a natural extension of the hotel, carrying the same playful personality throughout. Pink and red stripes, luxurious velvet seating and softly curved architectural details work together to create a space that feels stylish without taking itself too seriously.

With its cheeky tone, excellent cocktails and relaxed atmosphere, it feels more like a beautifully designed dining room than a restaurant. And, of course, I should mention the food itself, which was absolutely delicious… I'll be dreaming about the leek croquettes for weeks.

What I took away from the experience

Needless to say, I left feeling completely inspired. Margate House was a feast for the eyes, packed with thoughtful design details and beautiful moments at every turn.

It was exactly the kind of creative reset I needed and an epic night away that has left me with plenty of ideas to take home.

Design notes

I've written previously about clever ways to bring hotel-style luxury into your home, so I wanted to build on that while reflecting on some of the design products and techniques used throughout Margate House.

Some of the furniture has been designed by Will himself and produced by local makers. Other pieces I recognised instantly from some of my favourite brands. So, with that in mind, here are the details that really caught my eye.

Colour capping and colour drenching

I loved how the hotel used two of my favourite painting techniques: colour drenching (one colour to cover the walls and ceiling) with COAT's Love Lane in the main reception room to hug it and invite you in, then swapped to colour capping (painting the ceiling in a darker or lighter hew on than the walls) in the bedrooms.

Our bedroom was painted in Dirty Sherbet with a red ceiling, which created interest and defined each zone perfectly. The pink and red breakfast room was another highlight, the dark red woodwork against soft pink walls reminded me so much of our living room at home. Loved it.

Kitchen area with pink walls, red cabinetry, wooden floor, large leafy houseplant on floor and white and red chequered tile splashback

Pink AGA

I have to give a special shout out to the kitchen in the breakfast area, the checkerboard red tiles, the copper pans, dark red units with brass handles and, the star of the show, the epic pink AGA. What a statement piece.

If only I could have one at home... Oh dear my brain cogs are working overtime! Sorry Tom.

Pink AGA in kitchen with red cabinetry beneath white and red chequered tile splashback

Layered lighting

There's various different lights dotted around the hotel that are particularly beautiful, each alone making a statement but coming together to create the perfect glow.

I recognised a few so thought it would be my duty not to be a gatekeeper and show you where you can get them from also:

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Living room with two red sofas facing each other across slimline wooden coffee table in front of of brick covered fireplace area — (Image credit: Natalie Jahangiry)

Wavy beds

OF COURSE… you'll recognise the pictures of the absolutely instagrammable wavy beds that appear in the hotel. I think some of these may have been custom-made, however I did track down one of the frames (from Drift Inteiors) from a room we didn't stay in.

This option from Daetti, and this one from Olivia's are also along the same tracks.

Close up of brown wavy bed headboard in front of pink panelled wall with pastel artwork

Creative artwork

A lot of the artwork dotted around the hotel is bespoke. However, I managed to track a few down that feature mainly in the bedrooms themselves.

There was Life in Battersea, Seven Times Woman and The Lion is Ready to Jump, all from Project 26, a leading dealer of vintage Polish posters. There are a few other canvas paintings from the company Kavel Rafferty, too.

Framed pink graphic poster hung on brick fireplace wall beside open clothes rail

Seated Swooning

I also LOVE the fringed sofas in the reception area, and you can thank me later but I know where they are from too – it's the Petworth in Carmine Crushed Velvet from Swoon.

Red sofa with red and white striped cushions in front of bay window area in red panelled room

Luxury window dressings

Layering curtains is quickly becoming my favourite design detail, so I was more than a little excited to find café curtains paired with beautifully double pleated drapes in our room.

Made by London Curtain Girls, the curtains throughout the hotel were crafted from a soft, linen-like fabric in warm off-white and cream tones. They added such a romantic touch and softened each space beautifully.

Two cream boucle armchairs sitting in bay window area with semi-sheer cafe curtains

Overall takeaways

Staying at Margate House feels joyous. It's a true ode to the local area being both stylish, fun and perfectly pink. It's exactly the sort of charm I'd love to incorporate more into my own home.

So stay tuned for Part 2 of this inspiration journey, where I'll be decorating my own master bedroom, inspired by my stay at Margate House, the seaside town itself, and my long standing love affair with pink. The real question is… how much pink is too much pink? I guess we're about to find out.

Natalie is a designer through and through, with over 15 years of experience. She began her career in graphic and web design and has explored a wide range of industries along the way. These include advertising, of which she worked in some of the top agencies in London, creating an award-winning Persian food company (based on her family heritage) and building a renowned wedding stationery company pre-pandemic.

However Natalie’s real passion lies with interiors. She currently is the co-founder of Design & Refine Interiors, a London-based studio she runs with her friend and fellow wedding contractor, Jenna Hewitt. Natalie also heads up a design offering (Nat’s Design Studio), helping small businesses stand out and grow their brands through strategic, tailored design.