This year’s winner of BBC One’s Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr – Brendan “Banjo” Beale, an Australian living on the Isle of Mull – has won a coveted design contract at The Village, part of the Watergate Bay resort in Cornwall.

Fans of his playful, vintage style can now immerse themselves in his creative vision at Winnow, a self-catering property sleeping 10 just a stroll away from the Atlantic.

In the middle of Cornwall’s north coast, three miles north of Newquay – terminus of the Atlantic Coast Line from Par, with connections to Exeter and London Paddington – and around five minutes’ drive from Newquay airport.

Watergate Bay bills itself as a “ski resort on a beach” populated by the hotel – built in 1900 as a railway hotel for a branch line to Padstow that never came – as well as apartments, four restaurants, coffee and pizza kiosks and surf school.

Wetsuit-clad surfers mill around the beach and its approach road, riding the waves from dawn until dusk. During i‘s visit, the contemporary hotel was busy with multigenerational families enjoying family time by the beach.

Winnow perches at the top of The Village, a hillside huddle of apartments overlooking the hotel. While it doesn’t have sea views (others in The Village do), it sits directly underneath the South West Coast Path and looks down over the Watergate valley.

Arranged over two floors, with the living area and kitchen upstairs and four bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs, it has been completely reimagined by Banjo, with bespoke wallpaper designed by runner-up Amy Davies. It’s a visual treat, though we found the sofas and armchairs better suited to admiring from afar.

Natural textures and greenery dominate the space, inspired by the landscape – charred timber-panelled walls, potted palms and succulents, a giant clam shell and rough-hewn oak kitchen units. Sustainability has been key, with chairs that look like leather but are made from pineapple tops and others from plastic bottles (though plastic toiletries are still provided).

Banjo also sourced lots of items at antiques markets, from a dining room lampshade that was once a Hungarian chicken coop, to a ship diorama and oil paintings. He also picked up driftwood and barnacle bottles from the seashore, and a lobster pot from a local fisherman. He says he is inspired by storytellers such as Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl, bringing to life imaginary worlds.

Downstairs each bedroom takes on a distinctive character by way of colour. The main bathroom is like stepping into a glamorous nightclub, all deep-sea hues and iridescent tiles, with a deep tub and powerful shower. There are two further bathrooms with roll-tops and walk-in showers.

Dogs are welcome and while there are stairs between the two levels, an exterior path winds from the front door down to the bedroom patio doors. Two hotel rooms at Watergate Bay are fully accessible, as are the restaurants.

The kitchen is big and equipped to cater for a big family (factor in a shopping delivery first), but it’s worth making time to enjoy Watergate’s restaurants. The Beach Hut sits just behind the sand and serves cakes and pastries, as well as grilled fish of the day, crab bucatini and moules mariniere, plus cocktails. Seafood is elevated at Restaurant Emily Scott on the sea wall where you would be hard pushed to find a more romantic sunset view.

Book a table at Zacry’s Restaurant for freshly baked sourdough and whipped butter and stay for charcoal-grilled meat and fish, or plant-based dishes such as cauliflower with dhal, spinach and coconut yoghurt.

It’s all about the surf. Wavehunters provides daily lessons (surf and SUP) on the beach, as well as board hire and yoga sessions. Surf lessons are available for all abilities aged seven and above, in two-hour sessions from £40pp.

If you don’t want to brave the Atlantic, it’s no less enjoyable as a spectator, either wandering the vast sweep of sand at low tide or – for hotel guests – doing laps of the glass-fronted swimming pool overlooking the beach.

On land, you can ramble the South West Coast Path directly from Winnow’s door, heading north to Mawgan Porth, Bedruthan and Padstow, or south to Newquay and the St Agnes Heritage Coast.

The Camel Creek Adventure Park is around 20 minutes’ drive away and is ideal for families with young children – mini coasters, tea cups, slides and a splash zone as well as farm animals, reptiles and a stables.

The hotel’s glass fronted sauna and terrace hot tub combine to form a spectacular place to relax while watching the surf, at any time of year or day.

Victoria Allen, Beach Retreats’ Guest Experience Manager also recommends: “Guests can get involved in becoming a Beach Guardian by volunteering a couple hours to clear beaches of plastic waste – it’s a great way for tourists to support Cornwall.”

The Village at Watergate Bay, Cornwall. Winnow sleeps 10 and costs from £1,888 for a minimum three-night stay, beachretreats.co.uk/self-catering/cornwall/watergate-bay/winnow

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