There is something about the sea that resists explanation.

For centuries it has inspired artists, writers and dreamers. Hokusai's great wave still crashes across gallery walls, Turner painted it as fury and light, Virginia Woolf returned to it again and again, and Iris Murdoch gave it a starring role in The Sea, The Sea. It has represented freedom, danger, possibility and peace in equal measure, becoming one of humanity's greatest muses.

Yet for all the paintings and poems devoted to it, the ocean remains strangely impossible to describe. Perhaps that's because its greatest pull isn't visual at all – it's emotional.

At Brickworks, we began life selling homes across London, but over the years we noticed a pattern. Clients who once hoped for more space increasingly spoke about something harder to define. They weren't simply searching for another house, they were searching for a different rhythm. Eventually, the coastline and its horizon called loudly enough for us too.

Brickworks by Sea felt less like a business decision than a natural evolution. It reflected our own lives as much as those of our clients: people drawn towards the places where the land gives way to something much bigger. Perhaps that's because both of us have our own stories of life by the water.

Ellie grew up in Brighton, where summers meant pebble beaches, salty hair and sea shanties sung by her father. And the beginning of her art education. Rex found the sea in Sussex through university where he studied Intellectual History (not very pretentious at all) and it was there he bought and renovated his first property. Looking back, it feels fitting. Significant moments seem to happen by the sea. It has a habit of becoming the backdrop to life's turning points.

That connection only deepened over the years. As a practising artist, Ellie spent time living in Barcelona, Stavanger and Aberystwyth. Three places with very different cultures, yet each shared the same constant: the water. Wherever she found herself by the coast, she felt at home – calmer, more creative, more productive.

And science is beginning to reflect what coastal communities have always known instinctively. Researchers increasingly point towards the restorative effects of blue spaces. Time spent by the ocean has been linked with reduced stress, improved mood and greater feelings of wellbeing. The horizon encourages perspective. The rhythm of waves slows our breathing. Walking along the shoreline gently pulls us away from screens, deadlines and the constant hum of modern life. But these simple truths only explain part of it – there is also a feeling.

The sea asks very little of us, it simply turns up every day. Constant but never the same. Some mornings it glitters, others it crashes. It reminds us that change is inevitable, that difficult days may pass, and that beauty often arrives unexpectedly. For many people it becomes something between a companion, a therapist and an old friend. Once you've lived alongside that, it's difficult to go without it.

You can feel that same openness reflected in many of Britain's coastal towns. Brighton has long been celebrated for its inclusivity and is home to one of the UK's largest LGBTQ+ communities. Margate has emerged as one of England's most exciting creative and queer cultural hubs. And Whitstable has long balanced an independent spirit with artistic charm. These places don't simply happen to be by the sea; like a shard of broken glass slowly tumbled into the smoothest of jewels, the sea has shaped them.

Much of Kent and Sussex's coastline evolved during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, when advances in the railways and a growing belief in the restorative power of sea air transformed fishing villages into elegant seaside resorts. The grand terraces, Art Deco apartments, Georgian cottages and Victorian villas that still line the coast today are reminders that people have long travelled here seeking the same thing: restoration.

One of the greatest pleasures of Brickworks by Sea is discovering the extraordinary homes these towns continue to offer. With each property telling its own story.

Our latest property in Herne Bay (pictured) is a perfect example. Sitting proudly on the seafront with panoramic views across the water, it embraces everything that makes coastal living so special: spectacular sunsets, ever-changing skies and the ambient reassurance of the tide rolling in and out each day. Alongside its celebrated pier and thriving creative community, Herne Bay captures everything people are appreciating about England's coastline.

The legendary oceanographer Jacques Cousteau perhaps said it best: "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." We couldn't agree more. Whether you're already under its spell or simply beginning to hear the call, we'd love to help you discover what your sea change might look like.