Colourful Quirkiness at Artist Residence, Brighton

Brighton has an artsy, alternative vibe so it was only appropriate that we stayed in the unique Artist Residence where all 15 rooms are individually designed by artists with styles ranging from urban street art to contemporary illustrations. It’s one of the most unusual and colourful hotels we have stayed in.

Rooms

Every room at Artist Residence is different so you can choose an artist style that appeals to you. We stayed in two superior sea view rooms with very different decor.

The art work is definitely the highlight of the hotel. Pinky Vision has colourful psychedelic murals in a cartoonish style on two walls. The other walls are plain so it’s not overwhelming.

It’s a light, colourful room with pink carpet, a pink TV, and a bright blue wardrobe. The long desk seats two and in all rooms there’s free WiFi, tea and coffee making facilities, and a hairdryer.

The bed was comfortable and the ensuite bathroom clean and modern but it’s not a luxury hotel and we felt that in a few details—no fridge, the rough duvet cover, and the 2 in 1 shampoo and shower gel that my hair didn’t appreciate.

There’s a great sea view of Brighton’s West Pier.

The Mel Sheppard room is just as colourful and quirky with a full-on graffiti style design—every wall is covered in bright urban scenes and faces. There’s even a fun round bed. The amenities and view are similar to Pinky Vision.

Facilities

Artist Residence doesn’t provide a free breakfast but you can buy breakfast (from £3-7.50) in their funky gallery cafe, a homely space next to their exhibitions of emerging artists.

We found the staff very friendly and happy to provide recommendations about the local area.

Area

We couldn’t have asked for a better location in Brighton. The hotel is located on the grand Regency Square on the seafront with views of the burnt out West Pier.

It’s walkable everywhere including the train station, Brighton Pier, and North Laine—the maze of independent shops and cafes that’s our favourite part of Brighton.

Brighton is vegetarian heaven and we ate at five different vegetarian restaurants in three days. We recommend Terre a Terre and Food for Friends for gourmet vegetarian food; Iydea for a quick, cheap and tasty meal; and The Prince George—the only vegetarian pub we’ve visited.

Summary

An unusual small hotel with comfortable, funky, colourful rooms in a great location.

Highs

• Individual artist designed rooms
• Central location very close to the sea
• Friendly staff
• Free WiFi
• Good value for Brighton especially for rooms without a sea view

Lows

• No free breakfast
• No fridge
• Thin walls so you’ll hear your neighbours if they’re noisy
• Rough duvet cover

Recommended for: Anyone looking for a funky, unique but affordable hotel.

Location

Artist Residence is located at 33 Regency Square in Brighton. Look out for the pink door! It’s a 15 minute walk from Brighton train station.

Cost

Non sea view rooms are the best value and range from £65-95 for a double depending on the time of year, while the superior sea view rooms we stayed in cost £95-130. These are weekend rates so you could try asking for a midweek rate.

We liked the sea view but as the windows are small you only see it when standing by the window and I’m not sure it’s worth the extra cost. If you are on a budget I’d go for the non sea view rooms which are very competitive for Brighton.

Click here to check the latest prices of Artist Residence Brighton.