Artist Residence Brighton

About Artist Residence Brighton

Artist Residence began here, in a Grade II listed townhouse at the head of Regency Square facing the remains of the West Pier. The story is well told and happens to be true: the owners advertised free board for artists in exchange for decorating the rooms, and the results - murals, salvaged furniture, hand-painted walls - gave the place a character no design consultancy would have produced. It has since expanded into the house next door and now runs to twenty-seven rooms.

No two rooms are alike. They range from small attic rooms to larger sea-view rooms and suites at the front, with original artwork in every one, reclaimed and vintage furniture, and bathrooms that are contemporary rather than quirky. The building's Regency proportions mean high ceilings and tall windows on the main floors, and the front rooms look straight down the square to the sea.

Blake's Bistro occupies the ground floor and functions as an all-day room - coffee and pastries in the morning, brunch, then bistro cooking and cocktails in the evening - and the breakfast has a following of its own. There is also a small bar and a set of comfortably scruffy sitting rooms that make it easy to stay in when the weather turns.

Regency Square is a practical base as well as a handsome one, because the large underground car park sits beneath the square itself, which is close to unique in central Brighton. The beach is two minutes away, The Lanes about ten, and North Laine fifteen. It suits couples and design-minded travellers; families are less well served, and the stairs in a listed townhouse are what they are.