Redecorating

It's been a while since we've visited the Beach Cottage. The other day, at a garage sale I came across some lovely shabby chic picture frames that were just perfect for the living room, so I hung them - then realized that big hutch was just outdated and weird looking, so I hauled it off to storage and re-arranged all the furniture.

Now there's better viewing of the TV, a little more leg room and my miniature knight in armor has a place of honor on the TV credenza. The frames look great on the wall, but I could probably use some more small photos to add to the look. I'll keep searching garage sales and flea markets for shabby chic finds. 

TOH: Ready to move in!

It's FINALLY DONE! Here it is room by room:

The bathroom is decked out in soothing green, ready for a steamy shower.

 

 

 

Brunch is served in the kitchen - fresh bagels, muffins, Danish and banana Belgian waffles!

 

 

 

Pardon the basket of laundry in the bedroom, moving in is a lot of work!

 

 

 

 

Time to relax in the book nook with a great paranormal romance! Plenty of books on the TBR shelf!

 

 

 

A delivery pizza, pretzels, chips and dip and some drinks are ready for movie night in the living room. Just gotta find the remote!

 

Here's one more shot of the kitchen, with burgers and dogs for dinner, a nice plate of veggies to dip and a key lime pie for dessert!

A cozy little cottage at the beach!

Now what? I need a new project...

 

 

 

Accessorize!

Not much has lifted my spirits since my poor little Onnie crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but working in the cottage makes me feel a little better - because I know there's room for his spirit inside.

Here you can catch a glimpse of the big screen TV in the living room - a necessary luxury of course.

 

A painting, a lamp, a doily and a coffee table book about Tuscan wines add a little charm. Now I've got to fill that hutch with interesting curios that reflect life at the beach.

 

 

In the bedroom a framed painting by an up and coming artist cheers the place up. The fluffy white rugs make it cozy on chilly mornings.

In the reading room, a package awaits opening, books line the center shelf of the hutch and a best seller waits to be read on the chair. A lovely framed photo of a beloved friend makes the room even more homey.

TOH: Back to the Beach

I took a bit of a break from the cottage while I did some writing, but this weekend I got back to work on the curtains.

 

Lace curtains in the art room keep things light and sunny.

 

Tapered valences in the kitchen carry through the design from the table cloth.

 

A combo of lace and valences that match the bedspread ties the bedroom look together.

 

 

Green drapes in the living room add a little cozy touch.

 

TOH: Splashing

It's amazing what a pop of color and some tiny details can do.

 

Lace curtains, a tank topper and seat cover, a mirrored medicine cabinet and gold plated fixtures, along with a trendy bathmat make the upstairs bathroom cozy. Just need towels and sundries and it's all ready for shower time.

That toilet flusher is essential hardware!

TOH: Shaping up

Detail work on the furniture begins...

 

The reading room/craft room now has a customized shabby chic hutch.

 

A new spread and pillows spruces up the bed.

TOH: Shabby chic

First of all let me start by congratulating all the couples in the US who can now marry thanks to a stunningly intelligent decision by the Supreme Court.

It's about damn time.

And to those who are against gay marriage let me say this: Come talk to me when gay marriage actually does something to hurt you. When it burns down your house or injures your children or steals all your money and takes the food out of your mouth. Until that happens, you've GOT NOTHING to say so pack up your toys and go home. You're drunk.

Now, on to the beach cottage!

Not the best picture of it, but the plumbing hardware has been installed in the shower. Toilet and sink have been painted. Lots more to do in this small room but it's shaping up.

 

I painted and distressed the living room end table - came out pretty good for DIY shabby chic.

 

 

The kitchen chairs - same thing, plus some cushions in a fabric that compliments the table cloth.

 

The appliances have been repainted too - less country kitchen, more shabby chic!

 

Today I may tackle the display cabinet and the coffee table. The small pieces I did turned out so well, I feel confident enough to try the larger ones to really complete the look I'm going for.

TOH: Flashy prints

It took some doing but the living room furniture has been reupholstered.

 

I started with the ottoman - added a bit of ribbon to give it some flare.

 

 

I think the bold print of the new upholstery will brighten up the room. Now I have a lot of leeway with throw pillows and drapes...so many decisions!

 

The custom hexagonal table fits perfectly in the kitchen, accented by the print of the table cloth. Still waiting on a design for the kitchen cabinets.

I'm hoping to get more work done this evening - I got some doodads in the mail today that work nicely as accessories. The hard part is tearing myself away from looking at what's already done to work on new things.

 

 

TOH: Floor plans

Custom work begins:

A custom designed shower stall, toilet and sink will solve the problem of a bathroom that's too small for standard fixtures.

 

 

Just needs the medicine cabinet installed and the plumbing fixtures set in place.

 

Custom sized bed leaves room for walking around in the bedroom. Plenty of storage in the two dressers and a chair from the living room may add a comfy spot for relaxing.

 

The office may become a cozy reading room with a small table for a laptop and a hutch to hold books and craft supplies. That chair seems to pop up everywhere...

 

Now the real detail work begins...

 

TOH: The staircase

Back to some serious work on the cottage...

 

So many carpet choices!

 

Gray for the stairs - rolls are delivered and ready for installation.

 

 

Not bad - my first carpet install.

 

AND the real furniture arrived! It all needs work - reupholstering and paint and fixing some broken parts but here's a mock up of the living room and kitchen with some preliminary placement.

 

 

The table is a bit too big for the space, so I'm going to have to have one custom made.

 

 

 

TOH: Window treatments

Yesterday, was about framing out the windows. A LOT of work, but I think it looks pretty good and hides a multitude of sins and old wall damage.

Here's a fancy frame for the living room window, ready to be installed.

 

 

New wooden frames for the bedroom windows clean up the lines a bit.

 

 

A brick accent wall will add rustic charm to the kitchen.

 

 

Some sample furniture shows off the new look in the living room.

 

 

Next project is touching up the paint jobs and selecting a carpet for the staircase.

 

TOH: Renovations

Work continued yesterday on the cottage. If it hadn't been Sunday I might have stayed up all night. FYI: Nothing else got done in the real world. I'm too deeply entrenched in my mini-vacation home:

The first coat of primer covered the hideous old wallpaper that couldn't be scraped off.

 

While the first coat of primer dried, I tackled refinishing the hardwood floors with some gloss to bring out the natural design of the wood.

 

A couple of new windows will bring some light into the second floor.

 

 

Accent colors in paint that matches my fabric selections.

 

Here's the upholstery samples and border prints.

 

The renovated back wall sports new windows in the stairwell, the bathroom, the bedroom and the kitchen.

 

There's a lot more work to do - to get ready for the furniture I ordered. Some will be ready-made and some will be  handmade. Off to the workshop!

 

 

 

This old house: Beach Cottage Edition

It was a handyman special - a steal at $18.00.

No electricity.

No plumbing.

No fourth wall - but a lot of heart.

I couldn't pass it up.

It has five rooms - kitchen and living room on the ground floor. Master bedroom, bathroom and what will become a home office on the second floor. No attic, no basement, no porch - but I'll make do.

 

The building inspector pronounced it sturdy and habitable with sturdy walls and a decent roof.

 

Demolition of the ratty old wallpaper began immediately.

 

 

 

And a fourth wall was constructed of foamcore.

 

 

 

Today painting will begin and possibly some extra windows will be added to the fourth wall to let some light into the second floor.

 

Off to get started on reconstruction and renovation.