Island Getaway
If you want to know what we were thinking about during this renovation read on.
This client needed quick help to sell this condo – on a budget. And there is nothing fancy here! This entire home was updated with pieces from well priced and commercially available sources: Rooms To Go, Ikea, Wayfair, Home Goods, Target, Home Depot. It is a testament to the abundance of resources available and carefully curating your selections.
Ignore the green leather for a minute. Notice that the passage from the main entry into the home runs right in front of the TV. Even if you don’t have a river of people walking in and out, the placement feels strange. We turned the couch around and carved out a designated living room, which also created an entry area. It is not just about making a pretty, but also giving the spaces a logical flow.
The mirrors just had to go. Plain and simple. After the mirrors disappeared, we added floating shelves, substituted peppy prints (only $8 each!) for the Madonna and it looks like a completely different space. Oh, and we replaced the knob on the cabinet, which oddly makes a discernible difference.
Granted, we did not change a lot here, but the space looks different. Why? The colorful fiesta-ware was not fooling anyone and we replaced the curly que chairs. Also, there was a shiny vinyl backsplash which we just painted, we added a fun but complementary picture (from Target), we placed the glassware inside the cabinet and we changed the light bulbs! Let there be light.
There is so much wrong with this decor, I feel like explaining it insults your intelligence. Let’s stick with this common misconception: Beachy does not have to be kitchy. I went with a navy blue theme throughout all of the rooms, but kept the basics neutral. An abundance of turquoise and “fun in the sun” pillows and posters are overboard. The four sea shell shadowboxes were a nod to the surf and it is enough.
This bathroom was easy. Paint, cabinet pulls, light fixtures and new towels and the whole room changes. As much as wall to wall mirrors drive me a little nuts and I wanted to paint the cabinets, the budget was not there and the small changes had the intended effect.
But this bathroom was a headache! The quick fixes similar to the other bathroom were not going to get us there. The old cabinet was falling apart and water damaged to boot. My low cost solution was Home Depot. The cabinet was pre-made and a little short, but a custom cabinet was out of the question and we made it work. The sparkly new faucet does not hurt either!
The cultured marble countertop and plastic cultured marble shower (as if just cultured marble was not bad enough?!?) gave me hives. So it all came out. Those pretty gray tiles were very cost effective and no lead time. The transformation of this bathroom was a big sigh of relief.
The layout of the master bedroom was great! Yes, we changed out the furniture and carpet and painted but the chair by the window with the bed front and center – it worked!
That cabinet was wonderful; it just needed the right stuff on the shelves. We found great deals on knickknacks at the local consignment shop and the room came together. And I fully confess my personal issues with ugly fans. You’ve got to admit – it made a big difference!
Originally, we were not going to touch this room which is a second casual living area as you come in off the water. But as the rest of the house started to shine, that built in was more and more of an eyesore. I kinda liked the nautical mirrors. We kept them but nixed the mirrored cabinets and painted. And it really did change the room. To save $$$, the couch, rug and coffee table are just IKEA.
This is technically not a bedroom because there is not a window. But beaches and kids go together and a room dedicated to kids seemed like a good idea. We trashed the odd artwork and 1970’s bedspread and replaced them with two sets of those bunkbeds and pretty grey walls. That once dreary room now has purpose and it serves as a cool kid beach hideaway.
A clean garage with a shiny floor just makes me smile. Those epoxy floors are not hard to do and they make a big splash. The old cabinets were on their last legs and served little purpose. All this garage needed was a place for beach toys and a cabinet for tools, paints and cleaning supplies. (Thank you Home Depot!) And of course, an open and inviting place for your cars.
