Seaside living: a Margate housing development is inspired by beach huts

A mere hour away from London by train, Margate is known for its cultural heritage, tourist charms and glorious sunsets over the Channel coast, as famously immortalised by JMW Turner. And now, this sunset could be within your daily views, should you choose to set up camp in one of Guy Hollaway's latest residential offerings.
The series of 11 beachfront houses was created for Harriss Property. The architect sought to reinterpret the 'iconic English beach hut typology', explains the developers.
Indeed, Hollaway, who grew up and lives locally, feels very close to the recent regeneration wave that hit Margate – starting with the Turner Contemporary museum by David Chipperfield, opened in 2011, and followed by several leisure and hospitality destinations spread across the coast since.
'Here, we wanted to create the ultimate beach hut for 21st century living', says Hollaway. 'Architecturally, our open-plan design allows for flexible spaces that are ideal for the modern family.'
The house's simple outlines – clad in larch wood and topped by a pebbled flat roof – are matched by an equally straightforward and pared down interior, where everything was purposefully chosen to be functional and durable. The high level finishing brings the element of luxury needed, while the clean spaces remain flexible.
The complex includes two single storey homes and nine two-storey builds; the latter feature an open plan kitchen, and living and dining room areas on the ground floor. On the same level, a double bedroom and bathroom are set next to a spiral staircase leading to the master bedroom and en-suite located on the first floor.
The complex consists of 11 properties – two single-storey builds and nine two-storey houses
The interior was kept purposefully simple and pared down, in order to create a flexible space that focuses on the water views
At the same time, details and finishes were completed to a very high standard, adding a sense of luxury to the development
The two-storey houses feature an open plan kitchen, living and dining room area on the ground floor
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Guy Hollaway Architects’ website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQ
In the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
By Jack Moss Published
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellion
The new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and Soldier
New exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
By Hannah Silver Published
-
This modern Cotswolds home draws on its ancient woodland context
This contemporary Cotswolds home, designed by NCA Architecture with interiors by Echlin, is a slice of the Mediterranean in the English countryside
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A Danish twist, compact architecture, and engineering magic: the Don’t Move, Improve 2025 winners are here
Don’t Move, Improve 2025 announces its winners, revealing the residential projects that are rethinking London living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This Hampstead house renovation in London transcends styles and periods
The renovation of a Hampstead house in London by Belgian architect Hans Verstuyft bridges the classic and the contemporary
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
New book takes you inside Frinton Park Estate: the Essex modernist housing scheme
‘Frinton Park Estate’, a new book by photographer James Weston, delves into the history of a modernist housing scheme in Essex, England
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Conran Building's refresh brings a beloved London landmark into the 21st century
Conran Building at 22 Shad Thames has been given a new lease of life by Squire & Partners, which has rethought the London classic, originally designed by Hopkins, for the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Sadler’s Wells East opens: ‘grand, unassuming and beautifully utilitarian’
Sadler’s Wells East by O’Donnell and Tuomey opens this week, showing off its angular brick forms in London
By Tom Seymour Published
-
2025 Serpentine Pavilion: this year's architect, Marina Tabassum, explains her design
The 2025 Serpentine Pavilion design by Marina Tabassum is unveiled; the Bangladeshi architect talks to us about the commission, vision, and the notion of time
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
We celebrate the emerging London architects to be excited about
These emerging London architects are some of the capital's finest ground-breakers, movers and shakers; heralding a new generation of architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published