Tucked away on the edge of St. Leonards, just a short stroll from the beach, interior designer Scarlett Gowing and her husband Josh have lovingly restored and expanded their Victorian home to include a guest wing. Originally conceived as a private family extension, the couple soon recognised the potential of the self-contained space, flooded with light, rich in personality, and brimming with Scarlett’s signature design sensibility – and are now welcoming short-stay visitors seeking a refined, design-led escape by the sea.

But this is no ordinary holiday let. What Scarlett has created is a guest experience unlike any other: a warm, ever-evolving space that tells a story of texture, tone and treasured finds. A place where almost every object you see, from the embroidered cushions to the bespoke headboards and vintage lighting, is available to buy via Scarlett’s carefully curated online shop. “I loved the idea of creating a space that’s beautiful, layered and personal – but also shoppable,” she explains. “When you stay somewhere and fall in love with a particular piece – a lamp, a cushion, a wallpaper – you can take a piece of that memory home with you!”

From the moment you step inside, the space feels enveloping, thoughtful and calm. The living area – light-drenched and quietly glamorous – is anchored by a soft, lime green tone of the embossed raw silk wallpaper designed by Scarlett herself. “It’s subtle, but the texture and the way it catches the light, is really special,” she says. “It gives the room that quiet lift, especially with the sunshine coming through.” A sculptural vintage buffet, sourced locally in Hastings, adds character, while chinoiserie silk screens and vintage mirrors add a sense of history and charm.

“Colour is really important to me,” Scarlett says. “But I like it to feel nuanced – tonal washes that sit back and let texture take the lead.”

All of it, artfully placed, impeccably sourced and available to purchase.
In keeping with Scarlett’s love for texture and natural materials, oversized cushions and mohair throws add softness and tactility to the sofa, whilst underfoot a bold graphic design rug in the sitting area flows towards a rich terrazzo-style stone floor, in soft taupes and greys, in the open-plan dining area and kitchen beyond.

The dining space features a fabulous table designed by Portuguese furniture makers HMD, surrounded by characterful vintage seating. “There’s something quite grounding about the mix of heavy linens and natural wool with more refined vintage pieces,” Scarlett notes. “I like the idea that things don’t match perfectly. That’s what gives a room its soul.”
The kitchen, cleverly designed to accommodate both cosy dinners and larger gatherings, has a distinct, elevated simplicity. Timber cabinetry is topped with a tactile marble-effect stone, while tongue-and-groove has been used on the walls to add warmth and texture mimicking the woodwork of the traditional English dresser and injecting subtle heritage flair. “It’s a space that works just as well for holiday breakfasts as it does for events,” Scarlett adds. “Eventually we’ll be opening up the garden and creating a decked area with a BBQ – something special for guests who book out the whole space for celebrations.” Each of the three bedrooms continue the narrative of thoughtful detail and tactile comfort. The main suite features Scarlett’s own hand-embroidered wall panels and an oversized upholstered headboard, complete with built-in side tables. “It was a bit of a design experiment,” admits Scarlett. “I wanted something that felt textural and sculptural, but also deeply personal. The embroidery draws on a mix of influences – there’s a touch of Aboriginal art, some Japanese motifs and nods to my own Australian heritage.”

The result is a restful and poetic room, with a rich palette of muted silks, deep-toned velvets, much of which can be bought via Scarlett’s website. A heavyweight flax linen bedspread adds to the sense of cocooning, while deep-set window seats invite slow mornings with a book and coffee.

In the adjacent bedrooms, the layering of soft heritage tones continues. A powdery plaster-pink room features contemporary interpretations of traditional stained glass, while duck-egg blue and natural rattan appear in another space, where a gently undulating vintage French bedstead has been upholstered in velvet.

“Colour is really important to me,” Scarlett says. “But I like it to feel nuanced – tonal washes that sit back and let texture take the lead.”
Even the bathrooms are considered with care. Downstairs, Italian handmade tiles – subtly veined and luminous – bring depth and elegance to a compact space. Upstairs, the same style of tiles reappear, linking the two rooms through continuity. There’s also a sculptural pedestal sink in carved stone, and a collection of Murano vintage shell wall lights – a gentle nod to the home’s coastal setting.

What’s remarkable about Scarlett’s guest wing is how effortless it all feels. While the design is undoubtedly elevated and refined, there’s a real sense of comfort and hospitality at its core. Every corner feels personal, considered, and above all, loved. “I didn’t want it to feel like a show home,” she says. “It had to feel like an elegant family home. Like a space that’s been lived in, and layered over time rather than an empty soulless space.”

The evolving nature of the interiors adds another layer of intrigue. As Scarlett sources new vintage finds and creates textiles, wallpapers and bespoke furniture, pieces will rotate, change and will be constantly replaced. “You could stay one summer, come back the next, and it’ll feel different again,” she says. “It’s a living, breathing space.”
This sense of flow and reinvention is echoed in the way Scarlett approaches her work more broadly. With a background in fashion and a deep understanding of materiality, her design language is rooted in emotion, memory and tactility. “I’ve always been texture-driven,” she explains. “I love fabrics, the weight of wool, the sheen of silk, the grain of wood. For me, the feeling of a space is more important than anything.”

For guests, that feeling is what lingers long after they leave their seaside cocoon. The warmth of the lighting, the softness of the bed linen, the gentle layering of colour and natural materials – it’s a kind of quiet luxury, the kind that soothes the senses and settles the soul. And for those who want to take a piece of that feeling home? It’s all just a click away.