Artist Residence

Beautiful little hotel — friendly people — nice styling — well located — will definitely come back

Stayed very recently for a friends get together, 11 of us in total. The hotel staff were extremely friendly and went out of their way to book us tables for breakfast and dinner in the set of scales. Whilst waiting for friends to arrive we spent time in the excellent cocktail shack. The menu cocktails are very tasty and the guys behind the bar will go off menu for the odd negroni if needed! The set of scales restaurant has bags of ‘reclaimed’ charm; the menu is intentionally limited to dirty fish burgers and an awesome selection of sides — bolognese fries, a bloody excellent idea!
The rooms were lovely and well dressed. There was no noise heard from other rooms, just the bloody seagulls outside but this is Brighton.
Highly recommended.

My evening at the Set at The Artist Residence has been pure perfection.
The food — never has there been a more perfect arrangement of flavours on my plate. These chefs understand food unlike any chef I have met (and I’ve eaten at Michelin starred restaurants).
My starter, leeks and smokey heaven. Simple and perfect flavours came together in my mouth to create a cheesy smokey marriage of leek and euphoria. Next the mackerel. Succulent moist melt in the mouth fish with flavours of curry. Perfection. I adored every single mouthful. After we had Pig. A small square of brined and then confit pork belly, with the best black pudding ever, and a gorgeous carrot and more heavenly additions. I wanted to lick the plate. And lastly my malt mouse with bananas and well essentially sex in my mouth.
To top it all off as it was my dads birthday the wonderful people made my dad a cheese bday cake made of sourdough bread, a layer of mashed avocado, coca cola relish, and charred Sussex goats cheese. Again HEAVEN.
The service was the best I’ve ever had. The passion about the food and wine was evident from the first second we sat down. The waitresses are the most informed and engaged I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. In truth the delivered the meal from start to finish with such a cool elegance I felt almost like a movie star.
Finally the atmosphere. The set fully encompasses then cool relaxed vibe of the artist residence and created the perfect backdrop for my meal!
I cannot put into words how perfect this place is!!!

This is a small hotel near the seafront that distinguishes itself with its unique décor, and you’re just supposed to make yourself at home, which is fine once you know that. The location is pretty convenient. It’s a short walk to the Lanes, Pavilion, etc.
We had a snafu with the room (a broken shower), which meant a late check-​in, but the room (medium with a sea view) was pretty comfy. The freestanding bath and rainfall shower head are a nice touch, but the bed was far too soft and so not especially comfortable. Our room wasn’t as snazzily decorated as some of the others, but there were some nice framed pictures, and the art on the staircase is worth a look.
Breakfast is nice, served on long tables with hot food and drink brought to the table and continental breakfast items at the breakfast bar.

I’ve found my new base-​camp for Brighton. A recommendation from Mr Q in Manchester, it really was fab for an over-​night stay.
It’s a boutique hotel on a square, that overlooks the sea. My room looked out over the sea (a little further away than on the main road, but still beautiful). Can’t ask for more when in Brighton.
As the name implies, it’s an artists’ hotel: really super funky décor inside, from the bright pink door on arrival, random art all over the walls, a cocktail bar with sass, a really nice reception area that’s in the dining /​café area where they serve breakfast. It’s warm and homely, lots of natural wood — but splashes of bright colour.
The other really cool element is every room is unique, designed or inspired by a different artist. When I looked on the website, most of the rooms looked very art deco: white with splashes of colour, and odd paintings. Very cool — but also not actually my prefered style. So, when I opened my door and was greeted with an old-​fashioned almost Alice-​in-​Wonderland style room, with woodland creature paintings on the wall, a big wooden bed that looked like it was out of Downton Abbey, and a huge old fashioned mirror on the wall, I was so happy. It was entirely at random that I stayed in the room I stayed in, but I loved that even if they have bright art deco stylings throughout, the rooms really are all so different that it’s a bit like a fun pot luck, with a bed involved! I think I was room 23 (maybe 24) — just have a peek at my photos.
The staff are really friendly, although I find that almost all of Brighton is super friendly. It’s about a 15 minute walk from the station, 5 minute taxi ride at around £7. I’ll definitely be staying here next time I come back!

Holding the Hotelier flag for Brighton’s artists Artist Residence both decks out its rooms and has gallery shows for an array of interesting artists. This is a great place to see how art can be incorporated into a business like a hotel and live side by side in beautiful harmony. Awww. Being a dabbler in the arts I wish all businesses could display some more decent artwork and that maybe more people could work with decent artists generally. There is a lot of pap out there, but then good art doesn’t necessarily mean good business, though it certainly makes this place an inspiring and exciting place to spend your Brighton holidays.

If you fancy staying somewhere a little different, the Artist Residence is an interesting Regency town house with guest rooms designed by local and national street and graffiti artists.
There’s fun rooms painted and tagged by Pinky, Hutch, Limbo and SNUB23 as well as more traditional arty rooms adorned with work by Bella Clarke and Alice Thompson. All the rooms have a wardrobe, bed, TV and shower but I must admit, some of them look more shabby than shabby-​chic and could do with a quick dust and hoover!
There’s also a breakfast room and bar downstairs — which doubles as an ad-​hoc art gallery showing different artists each month. The hotel was started by a 20 year old entrepeneur apparently — which might explain why although the staff are all young and friendly, it’s often hard to work out who runs the place.
Rates are £60-£90 in the week and £90-£140 at weekends.