Welcome to Redcot

I have just returned from a weekend away with my girlfriends in Ramsgate. Yes, it was a random choice for a weekend away, but our location was dictated by the properties we could find (somewhere big enough for 10 of us), so we ended up in the seaside town on the Kent coast. And I'm glad for it too, as we had an amazing time in a place none of us had been to before, and best of all, we stayed in the most beautiful house named 'Redcot'.

Redcot is the house of my dreams; a Victorian red-brick detached house with 5 double bedrooms, two reception rooms, a conservatory and garden (where we had breakfast). It has amazing features - fireplaces in every room, an original monochrome tiled floor in the entrance hall, stained glass in the sash windows...I could go on....

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Me and the girls have decided that hiring a house for a weekend away is the way forward - especially if it's as gorgeous as Redcot. Seriously considering going back there for a winter break....just imagine lighting logs in those fireplaces! The nightlife in Ramsgate was a whole different story; stag parties attempting Michael Jackson moves? Middle aged couples licking each other's faces off? Maybe we'll just get some wine and stay in next time....

Inside: Mara and Justin's quirky character flat

Friends of mine recently invited me around to their new flat for brunch - Mara and Justin had moved in just before Christmas, and were just settling in. Mara had let me know that it was a little 'quirky' and full of character. I knew it was a good idea to take my camera...!

Located in Belsize Park (gorgeous area - gave me serious house envy), they live in an upstairs flat in a converted house. And what a house! Every nook and cranny was filled with visual delights - Mara and Justin have impeccable tatse that blends perfectly with the amazing original details of the property.

Lovely church pews make for a more interesting way to sit at the dining table.

Justin's record player.

Great light from the original leaded windows.

Justin's lithographs and some art owned by their landlady.

The kitchen might just have been my favourite area. I love old kitchens from the 50's and 60's. Not always the most practical, but they make me want to put on a pinny and bake a cake. This oven is to die for - and i've been told it works really well too.

Original William Morris wallpaper - sigh.

And to top it off, they live opposite the iconic Modernist Isokon building, home at one time to Agatha Christie and Marcel Breuer among others. What a view!

Oh - and the brunch was lovely too.