BESIDE THE SEASIDE

This house is all about its seafront location, so owner and designer Ally Power worked hard to frame the views - then gave it the coolest coastal look ever

- Mary Weaver

With extended family already ensconced in a seaside home on the south coast, interior designer Ally Power and husband Lawrence were looking to find something nearby that their three children could grow up in. ‘Our base is south London, so the Kent coast is an easy getaway for weekends and holidays,’ says Ally. She and Lawrence, who is a sales director in finance, found their run-down, sea-view Victorian terraced house at the beginning of lockdown – before coastal homes became quite so desirable. ‘On reflection it was a bargain, despite being in total disrepair,’ she says.