The Rose — Deal, UK

The British seaside resort revival is creeping round the shoreline of Southern England extending lately to Deal, a former fishing port where the North Sea and English Channel meet. Already equipped with charm in its winding lanes, colourful façades, and antique shop offerings, its hospitality game has been upped recently with the re-working of the former high-street boozer, The Rose, as a boutique hotel.
The dream project of Wallpaper*’s former design editor Alex Bagner, and her husband Christopher Hicks – who as the great grandson of a former Thomson & Son Brewery owner, which owned The Rose until it was sold in the 1950s, is a landlord with a passionate connection to the pub's past – the new-look Rose is on a mission to lure in locals and out-of-towners alike.
Setting out to restore the establishment to its Victorian glory days, while rooting it in present-day Deal, Bagner’s brief was to overhaul the interiors and make it a home: eclectic and uncluttered in style, with a mix of Victorian, modern and mid-century aesthetics, lots of bold colour and print, and artwork which feels like a lifetime's collection.
To carry this off, the couple called upon a string of close creative contacts including London-based interior designers Harding and Read – who are the duo behind The Garden House at Surrey’s Beaverbrook hotel – stylist Michelle Kelly, and architects MAD Atelier. The artwork meanwhile, has been curated by Carl Freedman Gallery’s Counter Editions in Margate.
A true test to drawing in the locals is the quality of the food and drink offering. The Rose has nailed this with Hicks' beverage expertise and the help of executive chef Rachel O’Sullivan, once at Polpo and London’s cult café The Towpath. Dishes are built around local ingredients, such as hand-harvested samphire, but are not a slave to the tyranny of the tag ‘local’. Chicken Schnitzel is served with fennel slaw for example, violet artichokes with white beans and aioli.
House pickles and cauliflower cheese croquette bar snacks, an inventive brunch menu, and coffee from Climpson & Sons should keep the hungry happy, while the king-sized beds, organic mattresses, light as a feather duvets, daring colour and print combinations and clever vintage/modern/custom-made mix of furnishings will please sleepy sybarites.
ADDRESS
91 High St
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Nothing takes its first step into high-end audio with the new over-ear wireless Headphone (1)
Created in partnership with KEF, the Nothing Headphone (1) is designed to shake up the sector and present over-ear audio in a wholly new way
-
In Copenhagen, Charlotte Taylor gave us a glimpse into the mess of real life
At 3 Days of Design, Charlotte Taylor staged ‘Home from Home’, a group exhibition in collaboration with Noura Residency, showcasing the chaos of the everyday, from unmade beds to breakfast leftovers
-
Stephen Burks and Malika Leiper transform everyday mats into sculptural seating in Senegal
Using woven plastic mats and zip ties, the New York designers explore local vernacular and creative adaptation at the Albers Foundation’s Thread residency
-
This hidden London culinary haven is a refreshing take on the steakhouse
Mr Porter, a new steakhouse, bar and lounge in central London's swish Mayfair, is a hidden haven of strong flavours and minimalist dining
-
A European-style café opens next to London’s Saatchi Gallery
Designed by Dion & Arles, Cafe Linea serves fresh pâtisseries, global dishes and sparkling wines in a stunning Grade II-listed setting
-
Ready to unplug? Sign up for this digital detox retreat in Cornwall
Offline escape provider Unplugged has partnered with Cabilla Cornwall to offer a phone-free, nature-immersive group experience on Bodmin Moor
-
Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project is London’s tastiest (and weirdest) summer tradition
The cult pop-up has returned, transforming a Belgravia corner into a sleek, steel-clad shrine to British pantry nostalgia
-
The best bars in London for bartending greatness
From chic hotel cocktail classics to game-changing flavour combinations, our resident drinks correspondent, Neil Ridley, explores ten of the best bars in London
-
NoMad London’s new restaurant fast-tracks you to New York’s jazz age
Martin Brudnizki Design Studio conjures up old-world glamour at Twenty8 NoMad, where the menu features nearly as many martini variations as main courses
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria Angelina
A Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
This Hackney bar is reviving London’s legacy of lesbian spaces
Designed by Studio Popelo and Wet Studio, La Camionera emerges as a vital sanctuary for London’s FLINTA* community, honouring it right down to the details