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Oh we do love Deal, especially when we have a house to stage and this one is exceptional. Nestled within the labyrinthine charm of its Old Town, The Old Schoolhouse, once a sanctuary echoing with the recitations of children, has been transformed with a reverence for its past and a bold embrace of the present. Built over two centuries ago, this noble edifice on Stanley Road is as steeped in the spirit of Deal as the shingle beach it neighbours—a mere stone’s throw away.

When you enter the schoolhouse, with its Flemish-bond brick and roof pitched heavenward to the aspirations it once nurtured, you are hit with a stunningly brave steel staircase—a testament to modern ingenuity that contrasts the house’s past with its bold, contemporary soul. All the hall needed was a little colour and texture so we brought in a vibrant red Acer and popped it in a basket balancing it out with a beautiful antique African Senufo stool from the Ivory Coast.

The heart of the house beats strongest in its kitchen and dining room, where bespoke oak cabinetry and marble and concrete worktops exude an understated elegance. The Par Avion stools worked perfectly to soften up the bar and pops of black echoed the Le Corbusier LC2 dining table behind.

Here, where once a schoolmistress may have chastened unruly students , there now lies a convivial space for family and friends, opening seamlessly to a south-facing courtyard garden. Cherner chairs look on hopeful as the small garden offers a haven for quiet reflection or lively gatherings beneath the open sky.

A wooden plate of simple Japanese ceramics decorates the table and basket vase of dried flowers in the fireplace echoes the woven lights above.

Desks are now replaced with soft milky textured textured sofa and lounge chairs and colours brought into contrast with columned wood stands, each with its own sculptural vase, a textured tree and French Modernist floor-standing candlesticks.

A room to work or play in sits off the sitting room but could equally have another sofa area for a family with kids. Talia James Ceramics sit on the sideboard and another tree brings texture to a corner on an African style mango stool. Rugs mix and match across the concrete floor acting as zones for a desk or second sofa depending on the inhabitants.

Upstairs, the transformation continues. Bedrooms are adorned with neutral hues and soft carpets and open onto deliciously modern bathrooms through secret doors in a cupboard, while arched windows, remnants of the building’s ecclesiastical charm, invite the light of the Channel into the serene interiors.

The principal bedroom is a marvel unto itself, with a freestanding Lusso Stone bath presiding over its en suite and a dressing room bridging the pillars above.

Stanley Road, where this remarkable house resides, is an artery of Deal’s Old Town, a district of narrow, winding streets and singular charm. From its doorstep, a short stroll leads to the sea, where Deal’s famed fishing boats lie in quiet defiance of time. The pier, a monument to mid-century engineering, reaches into the waters, its glass-clad café offering vistas as expansive as the imagination.

Here, history and modernity collide in a harmony rare and precious, a reflection of Deal itself—a town that cradles its past while steadfastly charting its course forward.

Par Avion Pi barstools in the kitchen

Talia James Ceramics (2 ceramics on the sideboard) and a third on the windowsill by the bath.

Please contact lucy@modernshows.com if you see anything else you would like to buy. We source, refurbish and sell pieces used in our stagings to clients on a regular basis.

Words – Lucy Ryder Richardson. Co owner and director modernshows and modernshowspropertystaging

Photos – The Modern House