BEACH HOUSE: PART 3 - PROGRESSING NICELY

Things have been moving along steadily at the beach house.  In our last update we installed flooring - except for the kitchen and dining area as that area had to stay put for a while.  It would eventually become a very different floor plan than the original.

Now, the kitchen is nearly complete, the master bath is nearly complete, the living room has more updates and we have a new dining room.  The 2nd bathroom is complete.  There have been major changes in the yard.  Not a lot that is totally complete - but, a lot of progress.

Want to see what's been happening?

KITCHEN....

In this cottage, what passed as a kitchen was barely big enough to turn around. Shawna could stir a pot on the stove with one hand and wash dishes with the other - seriously.  Just adjacent to the tiny kitchen; however,  was a larger space with outside access to the front patio.  This was probably an addition at some point in the life of this house and was possibly used as a dining room.  Originally I thought that we could push everything in the kitchen forward to create a larger space... but it really made more sense to just switch spaces with the adjacent dining area.   One of the charms of an old beach cottage is that there is a crawl space under the house - so rerouting plumbing is a piece of cake....

I sketched out two options for the kitchen.

The first one left the front wall and entry door intact.  Shawna wasn't sure she wanted to eliminate that door to the front deck.  It wasn't my favorite option.  There were 4 doors to enter this part of the house and I felt we could do away with one of them.  It would barely be missed.

The second version - replaced the outside door with a bank of windows and placed the kitchen sink under them.  So much better to have a window at the kitchen sink, don't you agree?  This version provided a lot more counter and storage space. Another reason it was my preferred choice was it just had a better look.  Instead of seeing a wall of major appliances and cabinets at your first glance into the room (i.e., fridge, range, microwave, cabinets...) there was a pretty spectacular wall of beautiful tile, a stainless range hood and open shelving on either side.   Sort of like this picture...

Shawna agreed she could do without that extra door to the patio and she liked the 2nd plan.  We were off and running.  Well, jogging...

Okay, we drove to the tile and cabinet stores.


On Demo Day, the first thing to go, was the outside kitchen wall...

In no time at all, the wall  was up again with a bank of windows and we were ready to map out the cabinets.

which we did with tape on the floor to make sure we could make everything fit.

Meanwhile, everything else Shawna owned, including the fridge, was crowded into the living room...
A remodel is hell - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  But it is short lived and really, really worth it...

The rest was pretty much by the book as they added recessed lighting, rewired electrical outlets, updated plumbing and framed out doors and windows.

Ready for paint...and flooring.

Then the cabinets came and were installed....and suddenly it felt very much like a kitchen...

(minus one panel...on back order..)

A coat of fresh paint - Sherwin Williams ACCESSIBLE BEIGE.  (It is now Shawna's favorite color.)

New appliances...

A big, deep farmhouse kitchen sink and wall mounted faucet.

Things were starting to look a lot like a kitchen...one you could even turn around in.

 Next, big, fat, luscious marble tile...all the way to the ceiling..

and pulls and handles on the cabinets...

When the tile was in and grouted they installed the stainless steel hood.

NOW we have a beautiful kitchen...and nearly complete...

we await the open shelves and the final touches to finish the room - 

more to come.....  

DINING ROOM...

About the same time the kitchen demo and remodel was going on, the former kitchen space was also being transformed...into the dining room and pantry.

Another outer wall was removed and rebuilt (formerly the old tiny kitchen's outer wall)...

and french doors were installed which will eventually open onto a deck or patio (yet to be built).

This former kitchen had an odd angled wall, which was walled in to create a good sized pantry...

For the pantry door, Shawna found a vintage rustic door 

and had it installed on sliding barn door hardware

The same flooring that was installed in the rest of the house was carried into these areas and sealed with satin polyurethane.  We are hoping it weathers and looks 'lived in' very quickly.  

More to come on this area, too...

When the kitchen and dining rooms were as complete as we could make them for the time being, we started on the master bathroom.

MASTER BATHROOM ...

The tub was removed and replaced with a walk-in shower.

 More of the large format marble tile was installed and a quirky round porthole window was added (salvaged).

We chose a pebble mosaic for the floor - and this room went from basic to 'charming beach' in the blink of an eye.

 Soon the vanity will be installed - but more on this room later.

LIVING ROOM

The living room ceiling had a beauty upgrade - from flat to fabulous.

Shawna found salvaged windows and replaced the small front windows with larger windows and then painted the amazing ceiling and the front door.

living room window before...

bigger window after..

front door paint before...

front door paint...after

The front door - formerly black - blends in a little more and allows the fireplace to take center stage in the room - as it should.

Speaking of which, it has gone from red brick to fresh white paint...

with a new rustic wood mantel

and a marble hearth 

before hearth picture..

BATHROOM

[Bathroom before photo...]

The 2nd bathroom was completely gutted and transformed.  It may be small but it packs a true beauty punch.

Outside of the house my green thumbed friend has made big changes.  A flagstone path is in progress and the big bad tree that decided to visit the neighbors (with its roots) is no longer standing.  Its big sister, not as bad as her brother, still offers lots of shade.

Little by little Shawna is making her beach cottage - barely livable when she first moved in - a charming, enviable home.

Stay tuned!

If you have missed the previous posts on this endeavor, you can see them here:

BEACH HOUSE - PART I
BEACH HOUSE - PART II

MORE ANSWERS TO READERS QUESTIONS

Hard to believe Halloween is just around the corner.

I've been a little pre-occupied with plans for the halloween party this year - 

the

2nd Annual Black Hat Society party

Last year was so fun - I've been deciding what decorations to use

What food to serve.

What treats to give-away...

 I will be hoping for some inspiration at Rogers Gardens next week.

Can't wait for Halloween!!!  Can you?

QUESTIONS FROM READERS:

Hi Claudine, I came across your blog and was reviewing your suggestions for colors.  I am re-painting our house and deciding on the right color.  Our brick is light however the house is painted a darker grey.  

I would like to change the color to complement our brick and was thinking of a taupe color.  I have looked at Sherwin Williams and am debating on using Studio Taupe. 

 I was also looking at Behr colors however did not find anything quite right.  I'm attaching a few pictures of the house for your reference.  We are also replacing the roof so I feel it's the perfect time to change the overall colors.  I would greatly appreciate your suggestions.  Thank you!  

A Midwestern girl looking for help

Vanessa Lloyd

Hi Vanessa and a shout out to the Midwest!  Thanks so much for reading.  
Your brick has a very warm tone, and it may be hard to find the right color that will compliment it - which will be your task to paint the samples and hold them up there to see the effect.  Gray is actually the most popular accent to use with the orange toned brick. Not sure taupe is the way to go as it can have a bit of a purple undertone.  Possibly a beige with a gray undertone. On the other hand, a blue gray, or blue-green gray would be a perfect compliment to your house color - maybe for an accent color? or a door? -

 but here are a few colors to try:

try Benjamin Moore Raccoon Hollow

try Benjamin Moore Brandon Beige

try Benjamin Mooer SMOKEY TAUPE or STONE HEARTH

try BenjaminMoore LOUISBURG GREY

BM Louisburg Gray

Personally, I'm kind of in love with the painted brick look for updating a home these days - so I've included a couple examples of that - just because they look so awesome.  I just spend a week in Utah working with a homeowner who just purchased a red brick house.  

There are a gazillion red brick homes in her town, and the only way to update this look is to paint the brick.  However, you may be very fond of your brick - so this is just a suggestion!  Good Luck!

Hi Claudine,
I was hoping you could help me out. I am really dissatisfied with the color of the walls in my library. 

All the paint in the room is by Benjamin Moore. The walls are Pale Oak, the built-in bookshelf is Revere Pewter, and the trim is Catalina Blue. It is a large room with high ceilings and two walls of very large windows, facing East and North (and one window facing West). It goes without saying the room has a lot of natural light, mostly unobstructed, since we live on the ocean. My original idea was to keep the paint mostly neutral, because the room has a lot of artifacts and texture. I chose the trim to be brighter, shooting for the sea glass hues. I love everything in my library, except for the walls (besides, the wall paint would be the easiest thing to change) -- and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what other color might work. There is so much light in the room, that the color of the bookshelves ends up blending with the wall color. I'm thinking something warmer than Pale Oak might work, as long as there is enough contrast in the bright light. What would you suggest?
Thank you so much,
Natalia

Hi Natalia,
I think you are so blessed to live on the Ocean.  The room is simply lacking contrast.  I know you said you get tons of light, but a room without contrast can get a little 'meh', and I think that's what you are feeling.  The wall and bookcase are too close.  It needs freshening with some soft white. 

Benjamin Moore REVERE PEWTER with white.

 Revere Pewter looks amazing with white.  Try Benjamin Moore DOVE WHITE on the walls, and you could bring that sea glass trim color as an accent wall - Benjamin Moore BEACH GLASS - in your wall niche 

Benjamin Moore BEACH GLASS

and maybe even at the back of the bookcase, similar to this:

Good Luck!

Hi Claudine,

I found your website while searching for ideas on exteriors for brick homes. I saw your write up on Curb Appeal where you discovered white wash for brick homes.

Our home is half orange ugly brick and the other half is white siding, black shutters, black front door, white double garage door, and dark grey shingle roof.

. 

I really like the idea of white wash but because of the ugly orange brick I think it would be better to either paint, lime wash or German Schmear. I also like the taupe and possibly a darker taupe for the shutters and the question would be what to do for the siding and what color and what technique do you recommend.

I have attached some pictures. Let me know if you need other pictures. I’ve also attached pictures of homes that I like.

Thank you,

Carmen Carver

cmcarver@me.com

Carmen,

You are absolutely right.  A white wash over the orange could leave you with peachy pink - and I agree that paint in a taupe or gray would be an amazing look for this home.  I would consider a charcoal or navy for the accent color (shutters, etc.) and for a true update, paint the siding the same color as the brick, as the two toned look is more dated.  Here are some examples of color, and the treatment mentioned above.

 Good luck!  Contact me again once  you have decided what look you like if you need specific recommendations for colors.