A Georgian Townhouse Filled With Hand-Painted Details and Soft Colors

On one of Margate’s most historic garden squares, this handsome Georgian townhouse pairs its early 19th-century architecture with a wonderfully personal interior including hand-painted murals.

Dating from around 1820, the double-fronted house overlooks Hawley Square and retains all the elegance expected of the period, from tall sash windows and wrought-iron railings to beautifully balanced classical proportions.

Inside, the interiors are far from formal. Recently renovated and thoughtfully reconfigured with the guidance of interior designer Lonika Chande, the house has been transformed into a richly layered home where soft pastels, bespoke joinery, and hand-painted decoration sit comfortably alongside its Georgian features.

The entrance opens into a spacious ground-floor hallway, where blue-painted partially glazed doors lead directly into the open-plan kitchen and dining room.

In this space, the Georgian character of the house meets a playful decorating scheme. The entire room features botanical wall decoration, hand-painted by Tess Newall. The delicate pattern adds another layer to the softly colored interior.

The dining area is located at the front of the plan with a seating bench fitted into the bay window and a round wooden dining table. The patterned café curtain provides privacy while still allowing plenty of light to flow into the room.

A beautiful, original marble fireplace with blue tilework sits between the dining and the cooking area, and together with the original floorboards, it adds Georgian character to the space.

The bespoke deVOL Haberdasher kitchen is fitted with a Bertazzoni range cooker, a zellige-tiled backsplash, and a traditional butler’s sink with an instant boiling-water tap.

The utility room features butter-yellow joinery and hand-painted Delft tiles. The guest toilet on this floor features bright yellow paneling topped with a patterned wallpaper.

The first floor is home to a more formal sitting room, where a working fireplace with a marble surround provides a focal point.

Traces of the house’s original wallpaper remain visible in the alcoves, adding a wonderful reminder of the house’s rich decorative history.

The home office on this floor is lined with vibrant green shelving, a hue that is also used for the wooden window frame.

Another room on this floor is decorated as a cinema room with a large sofa, a checkered rug, butter-yellow joinery, and a fireplace with Delft blue tiles.

The bathroom on this floor features a yellow-and-blue palette. It has a marble-topped wall, a Tadelakt shower, and a vintage dresser topped with marble that serves as the bathroom vanity.

The master bedroom is designed as a calm retreat, with warm beige-toned walls and pastel blue accents in the joinery and headboard.

Another bedroom features hand-painted wall details by Tess Newell.

The top floor bathroom features beautiful blue tilework paired with a freestanding bathtub and a striped shower curtain.

The lower ground floor is designed as a series of spaces designed for creativity and entertaining. There is an art studio as well as a dedicated bar, with doors opening directly onto the private courtyard.

At the center of the house is a secluded courtyard garden that feels like an extension of the interiors. Tall walls painted sage green enclose the space, while hand-painted pink tiles underfoot add an unexpected splash of color.

The house is listed for £1.500.000 at Inigo.