Carmel and Mick have transformed their seaside home into a flamboyant and creative space perfect for their family to pursue their musical talents. Bexhill-on-Sea is better known for bungalows than for period houses – even the seafront boasts a long, low-rise modernist building in the shape of the iconic De la Warr Pavilion. So finding a large period property turned out to be a task and a half for Carmel and Mick when they decided to up-sticks with their four children fifteen years ago and move out of London.

Mick and Carmel’s room is a bright and airy retreat. Accents of olive green and red, combined with Carmel’s stencils, work together to create a rather Mediterranean feel

Mick and Carmel’s room is a bright and airy retreat. Accents of olive green and red, combined with Carmel’s stencils, work together to create a rather Mediterranean feel

Upstairs, tasseled scarves and velvet curtains veil the entrance to the master bedroom

Upstairs, tasseled scarves and velvet curtains veil the entrance to the master bedroom

Mick’s study is packed from floor to ceiling with his collection of board games

Mick’s study is packed from floor to ceiling with his collection of board games

Carmel has boldly used paint effects and richly flamboyant touches in every room

Carmel has boldly used paint effects and richly flamboyant touches in every room

The dining room fireplace is surrounded by oriental and Moroccan influences, the rich tones highlighted by glowing Venetian glass

The dining room fireplace is surrounded by oriental and Moroccan influences, the rich tones highlighted by glowing Venetian glass

Carmel and Mick have transformed their seaside home into a flamboyant and creative space perfect for their family to pursue their musical talents...

Carmel and Mick have transformed their seaside home into a flamboyant and creative space perfect for their family to pursue their musical talents

In the dining room the surface of an ornate cabinet is filled with miniature paintings in gilded frames and objects from the couple’s travels

In the dining room the surface of an ornate cabinet is filled with miniature paintings in gilded frames and objects from the couple’s travels

A window is generously swathed with metres of rich green fabric in the more formal of the two drawing rooms

A window is generously swathed with metres of rich green fabric in the more formal of the two drawing rooms

The family’s passion for music is evident in the family drawing room where Carmel has painted the walls and ceiling to create a tent-like effect, not dissimilar to a circus’s big top

The family’s passion for music is evident in the family drawing room where Carmel has painted the walls and ceiling to create a tent-like effect, not dissimilar to a circus’s big top

The yellow breakfast room is covered in still life pictures and cascades of ivy

The yellow breakfast room is covered in still life pictures and cascades of ivy

The kitchen is painted and tiled in a Spanish palette of rich terracotta and sunshine yellow

The kitchen is painted and tiled in a Spanish palette of rich terracotta and sunshine yellow

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether
  • styling: Lucy Fleming

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