Well, as it turns out, I don't have as many before pictures as I thought of the beach house. I have a few of the kitchen before the cabinets were re-done and we got new appliances, but the rest of the photos I have are after we started the paint and decorating transformation. It's been a collaborative effort and we're all very proud of how it's turned out so far. Just try to imagine all the rooms with the same dark brown paneling and decor from the 80's...
The bar stools used to be plain round ones with country blue vinyl seats until they were replaced with these. One of the first updates made were the new floor tiles. They don't show dirt nearly as bad as the white floors we had before.
The paneling in the kitchen, main living areas, and the Master BR won't be painted over because they are solid cedar, but we've made other changes to lighten things up. For starters, this picnic style dining table was replaced with a much nicer cream colored table with gorgeous black chairs. The light fixture was replaced with recessed lighting.
Adding new faces to the cabinets and painting them a creamy white absolutely changed the look of this kitchen. We've also gotten all new appliances to update the kitchen.
This buffet was built and has made a HUGE difference in the kitchen. All we used to have here was an open bookshelf that served as our "pantry". This looks so much better and gives a lot of added storage.
These canisters were a birthday gift to my mother-in-law from the Hub, the Bub, and I. So pretty.
Sorry this picture is a tad blurry, it was taken hastily for insurance purposes. But this is what our Living Room furniture used to look like - sturdy, but not very pretty or comfortable. The bucket on the left is probably full of Oxyclean - it's the best stuff for getting stains out of the Berber carpet.
This is a pretty little vignette hanging in the Living Room. I love the little sign that says "Home is where the waves are". A renter left that for us, wasn't that sweet?
We replaced the furniture with this cream colored leather furniture that we bought secondhand. It's so comfortable and it's much easier to keep clean, especially with kids flopping and eating all over it! And the Bub, my niece, and I found the new end tables and coffee table at a consignment store.
I love this big see-through starfish. The rustic candle holders came from my house and the little starfish were a Big Lots find.
These shelves around the fireplace used to be filled with old books, board games, and piles of seashells. My friend Jennifer and I cleaned all that stuff off and completely transformed this area. There are still lots of sea shells, but a variety of other pretties make the shelves look nice as well. This chair is the best one for reading and relaxing - you have a nice view of the dunes from here.
This is the room the Hub and I sleep in. The color here is very soothing. We do have nicer bedding that we use when we come (although I do love these old bedspreads), but we have renters during the summer months and we keep the nicer linens locked away. Trust me, renters WILL steal nice things, but they also steal weird things like salad bowls, 30 year-old hair dryers, and bedspreads. It's sad that we can't leave our nicer stuff out for them to enjoy as well, but that lesson has been learned. That's why we don't have fancy TV's or other electronics in the house. Besides, people are supposed to be outside enjoying the beach when they're here - not inside watching TV, right?
This is the only decent picture I have of the yellow bedroom. All the others turned out bad from the glare in this room. It's painted a soft yellow with white trim and the bedding we have for us to use is a dark royal blue and white. It's a beautiful room - very bright and sunny.
This picture hangs in the yellow room and I think it's so cute. I couldn't resist buying it when I found it in a little boutique at the beach. All the perfect things to do when you're here!
This is my sister-in-law's room and it hasn't been painted yet. We're waiting on her to pick a color, so Leigh, if you're reading this - pick one already!! Just kidding - it's a big decision and you definitely don't want to paint it a color you'll hate. Once we have a color to work with, we'll set about finding her some beautiful bedding. We have a nice white headboard that will go in here and are looking for some new bedside tables too. One thing's for sure, I think she'll love it once we get it done.
This bedding is at least 15 years old - definitely TIME TO GO! We're keeping that painting on the wall, just updating the frame and are on the lookout for some more pretty artwork for this room.
This is the porch on the beach side - the front porch. The picnic style dining table is now out here and allows for much more room to eat. It's basically the kid/teenager's table now! We have several more rocking chairs on the other end of the porch as well. And yes, the house is purple. Our last name is Lavender and the house is named the Sea Lavender after a variety of the plant that grows only in coastal regions.
Here's our pretty sign. Looks like the lettering needs to be touched up a bit. I'll just add that to my list of things to do when I go back in a couple of weeks!
This is the back porch on the street side. We have removed the green carpet - it clashed really bad with the purple!
Ferns grow so great here because it's so humid and they get lots of sea mist. Our renters are asked to keep them watered for everyone to enjoy, and for the most part they do.
This is the best part about the beach though - watching Daisy try to dig her way to China. She's gonna dig her way underwater if she's not careful! That's my handsome Bub holding the leash. Ah, to be that skinny again...
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little tour of the Sea Lavender. We still have much to do to get everything just perfect. I will have more pictures in a couple of weeks of the completed bathrooms. Thanks so much for joining me today!
Toodles,
