Beach house updates—big and small—are happening so quickly it’s been a challenge to document everything. I walked through the entire house yesterday and made a full video tour that brings you totally up to date. So forgive the fact that this post only includes about a dozen photos (we have thousands more on our phones, but uploading and explaining them all would take forever, and with the holidays looming, time is scarce).
Let’s begin at the front door. We hung a simple wreath and placed battery-powered LED candles with timers in the windows so the house looks lived-in even when we’re away. It’s already making the place feel cozy, despite there being no landscaping yet and the front door still in need of sanding and staining. I also want to paint the white blocks behind the lanterns to match the house someday—small details for another day.
lanterns / wreath / house numbers / doormat / siding: SW Mellow Coral / ceiling: SW Breaktime / trim: SW Pure White
It’s astonishing to see how far things have come since this time last year. Looking back at a photo from nearly a year ago is a great reminder that wrinkly curtains and an unfinished pantry are minor problems compared to what we faced during the major rebuild when we had to remove and replace 500 square feet of the house. If you missed that story, there’s a full recap of that whole ordeal.
Progress here at the end of 2017 feels like a big improvement over the end of 2016. That earlier ache for demo and planning is oddly addictive, so I’m excited to start on the duplex as soon as our plans and permits are approved. But for now, back to the pink house: I filmed a walk-through video of every room. If you can’t see it in a reader, click through to view it on the blog or watch it on YouTube.
If you can’t watch the video right now, I recommend coming back when you can—video captures details that a handful of photos can’t, and I walk through every nook and explain things that didn’t fit into this post.
After months of back-and-forth we finally painted the railing. The vertical balusters were already painted SW Stone Isle, so we chose a deeper gray (SW Perpetual Gray) for the top rail and end post. It’s about three shades darker than the trim, which helps the rail stand out without competing with the stained glass windows. The “wood” rail had previously been covered in a thick, brown stain that hid the grain and left it sticky and patchy in places, so a fresh coat of paint was a clear improvement. In person it looks glossy and refined, which was a relief.
We’re lucky this house has plenty of original wood tones—heart pine floors and many original doors were stripped and clear-sealed, so wood is a major character in this home.
In the living room we mounted a wall bookcase, which immediately made the space feel inhabited and functional. We also hung white curtains that still need steaming and hemming—these are the washable, budget-friendly Lenda curtains from Ikea that I pre-shrink before hanging. A secondhand brass grasshopper lamp adds a lot of personality to the space.
bookcase / blue pillow / curtains / rods / brass grasshopper
We added a durable antique rug from New England Loom that’s perfect for a rental living room prone to sand and spills. The color and pattern fit the room well and its age gives me confidence it will hold up. The sofa is an Ikea Karlstad (a favorite that they no longer make), and we swapped in a new, more substantial light fixture from West Elm. The contrast between the modern chandelier and the classic ceiling medallion works nicely, and the exposed brick chimney we uncovered is one of my favorite features—along with the very tall windows.
rug / chandelier / ceiling medallion / curtains / rods
The kitchen also progressed a lot. The quartz island went in—Pearl Jasmine by Silestone—and we finally have a working sink. We saved money on our quartz and explain two ways we did that on a recent podcast. We still need to install the backsplash and add shelves on either side of the stove under the sconces, but the room is coming together. The back door was briefly blue, but we repainted it the same gray as the trim so the pink stove can remain the room’s focal point.
stools / quartz / butcher block / cabinets / refurbished range / trim: SW Stone Isle / walls: SW White Heron
Upstairs, bedrooms are shaping up with art, layered bedding, and headboards in place. Curtains still need to be hung in a few rooms, and once done the headboards will line up perfectly with the windows. The front bedroom is the largest and features the exposed brick chimney and a recently sourced inlay piece of furniture I found on Craigslist for a steal—a great score I’ll detail soon.
rug / large art / lamp / side table / striped blanket / headboard / fan
The back bedroom serves as our room when we stay at the beach. It has its own bathroom with a deep clawfoot tub and its own stairs, which we use all the time despite originally thinking they would be a novelty. We also added a built-in-looking dresser to the nook behind the pocket doors by fitting an Ikea Malm chest and modifying the surrounding trim and top to make it feel built in. It still needs trim and caulk, and we plan to add leather pulls to tie in other elements.
rug / fan / leather stools / striped duvet cover / door color: SW Riverway
dresser / mirror / wood top / door color: SW Riverway
The en-suite bathroom is my favorite room—the big clawfoot tub is perfect for soaking after hours of DIY. The kids love it too, and having this deep tub at the beach house makes me even more eager to upgrade our tubs at home. The hall bath remains a favorite thanks to a vanity that feels like furniture, complete with a marble-tiled top and rounded wood drawers that give it a custom look without added fuss.
marble table / floor tile / accent floor tile / wall hooks / blinds / tub color: SW Riverway
Our small-but-mighty kids’ room hasn’t received its built-in bunk beds yet, but we did hang art and a fun “Mermaids Welcome” sign that the kids loved. A colorful painting by our friend Lesli DeVito brightens the space and adds personality while we continue the work of building bunk beds and finishing the other projects on our list—pantry shelving, the mudroom fit-out, backsplash tile, landscaping, and more.
marble table / mermaids welcome plaque / art by Lesli DeVito
So that’s the tour as of yesterday—more detail is in the video, so watch when you have a moment. Wishing you a wonderful holiday with the people you love, plenty of good food, and all the mermaid-themed décor your heart desires. Also, if you have a tub where your entire body can be submerged, know that I’m very, very jealous.
P.S. To follow the full process of this beach house renovation—from floor planning and demo to tiling and refinishing floors—check the beach house category on the blog for the complete series of updates.
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