before + after :: atlantic cottage

In the Fall of 2013, one of my repeat customers purchased a simple little beach cottage in St Joe Beach. It was one of those location, location, location kind of things. The structure was in good condition, but a complete cosmetic renovation was clearly in order. In addition to new windows, paint, light fixtures, kitchen finishes and flooring, an ensuite bath was added onto the master bedroom. The contractor, F&B Builders in Port St Joe, did a wonderful job as always!

All new windows were installed along with the front sliding glass doors. A charming screened front porch was added for aesthetics and functionality.

On the rear of the home, the contractor added on a master bathroom, installed a soaking pool surrounded by a simple wooden fence.

For the living space, we chose to keep the original pine wainscot which resembles heart pine. We freshened the walls and trim with paint, updated the ceiling fan and installed a beautiful, wide-plank, handscraped laminate. The wall color throughout is my favorite go-to neutral -- Relaxed Khaki from Sherwin Williams (SW6149).  A tip for working with two wood tones in a room: don't try to match them. In this room, I chose a darker, chocolatey brown tone for the floors which complemented the darker tones in the wainscott.

 The dining area received the same treatment, except we replaced the ceiling fan with a brushed nickel warehouse-style pendant.

 The kitchen in this cottage had a small but efficient layout and solid wood cabinets that were in great condition. So we had them painted out, then topped them with beautiful honed black absolute granite. I wanted a classic and simple design that would compliment the overall aesthetic of the house. I had the carpenters notch out the original sink base to accomodate a Domsjo apron front sink from Ikea. To complete the design, we added a Glittran faucet also from Ikea and a white ceramic tile backsplash set in a brick pattern. We also traded out the dreaded faux wood trimmed flourescent fixture with a schoolhouse-style semi-flush mount.

Oh..small bathrooms are tough to photograph! With no natural light, this space was pretty dark and the dark cabinetry didn't help. We needed to keep the beige tub/shower combo which was in good shape, but find a way to blend it with the new white trim and vanity. So I chose install a white (instead of beige) toilet and white tile. To complement the tub, I designed a striped tile treatment with bands of beige penny rounds.

All three bedrooms suffered from drab paint, sad brown sculpted carpet and wobbly old ceiling fans. We painted out all of the doors and trim in white, changed the wall color, installed new carpet and updated the ceiling fans. A master suite was created with the addition of a full bathroom. Although I had designed a different pattern for the floor tile, the installer repeated the design from the guest bath. Sooo... what's done is done (throwing a tantrum wouldn't have helped and really isn't my style anyway). I do like the pattern and the mosaics are so pretty with the simple and very wallet-friendly white tile. The paint color for the master suite is Sea Salt from Sherwin Williams (SW6404). Its a great color and complemented the tile perfectly. 

Of course big budget allowances are fabulous...but there's something fun about a project like this one with a sufficient but pretty tight budget. I love creating a custom look using inexpensive elements. For example, the main floor tile was .99/square foot at Home Depot, but adding the mosaic bands gives it a unique look. And playing the "high/low" game is always a blast! I really liked the idea of the fixture on the left from School House Electric for $99, but found the one on the right from Home Depot for half the price.

Hope you enjoyed my little beach bungalow before and after!