Designing a Beach Bungalow Part 5: The Kitchen

So if you have been following along you have seen the other spaces that I have designed for the beach house I am dreaming up. Today's focus will be on the kitchen. It's the heart of the house, right? I envision that the kitchen be open to both the dining area and the family room. Because I think big open spaces are perfect for a vacation home. Here is an inspiration photo from the blog House of Turquoise that I found via Pinterest. It was designed by Kerry Hanson.

What I love about this kitchen, is the mix of white and gray cabinets, the stools, the light fixtures, the windows, and the backsplash. I really could envision something similar in a beach house. So I took inspiration from this photo, and I came up with this design.

I'll start with the wall color. I figured you would not see that much of it, by the time the cabinets and backsplash are in, but I like having a little hint of the aqua. 

I think the color Retiring Blue by Sherwin Williams would be nice.

The cabinets I would like to see painted white with no glaze, just clean and crisp. I would put these fun knobs from Anthropologie on all the doors. I may have to brush them with a little silver paint on the metal part. 

Then I would put cup pulls on all the drawers.

I would make sure to have some glass cabinet fronts. I think it's great to have a place to display pretty dishes and serving pieces.

I like the design of the kitchen island, I would probably put a really light quartzite on it. We have that on our island in our kitchen, and I love it. It looks like marble, but it does not stain, and holds up beautifully to all the day to day usage it gets. Here is an example of a slab I might choose.

I would opt for a farmhouse sink. I love my farmhouse sink. It is a classic addition to any kitchen.

The faucet I like has a vintage feel. I would select a chrome finish. You can shop local retailers for different faucet options. There are so many out there. My only advice is to not get something really cheap. Invest in a good brand like Kohler or Mohen, because you want something that is going to last a long time. Sometimes you get what you pay for. ;)

Love these glass dome light fixtures from Grandinroad. I think two of these over the gray island would be great.

Seriously, I think, my favorite part of the kitchen would be these stools from Serena and Lily. I actually am trying to convince my best friend that she needs them for her new kitchen. If you haven't noticed, I am really in to kelly green lately, I almost love it as much as aqua. And the two of them together is pure perfection.

I would use a simple white subway tile. I love how these have a beveled edge. They are clean, classic, and timeless.

The rug is from Urban Outfitters. They have a great selection of rugs at reasonable prices. 

I love the idea of having baskets in the kitchen too. They are not only resourceful to use for storage, but they add a pretty layer of texture to the space. So I have this idea to purchase some plan tight woven baskets and then painting them to look like these.

There you have it! I could probably write another post about all these dishes and accessories I would use. Of course I would have some vintage hobnail dishes on display in the glass cabinets, since I love collecting them.

Here is my mood board for the family room space, so that you can see how nicely the rooms compliment one another.

Hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend! Now I really wish this beach house I designed was real so that I could go spend the holiday weekend there. :)

Until next time.....

XO~Gretchen

Designing a Beach Bungalow Part 3 Boys Haven

Hope you have been following along, this is part 3 of my series, where I have been designing spaces for a beach bungalow. This room is geared towards my boys. I wanted it to have a more masculine feel, but also be fun and whimsical. I feel like I accomplished this via my mood board. 

 I'll start with the wall color, which I would paint a pale gray. 

Here is a top pick I'd use..

So let's start with the bed. The headboard can be found at Urban Outfitters. I love that it has a modern ikat print on it. 

The bedding is also from Urban Outfitters. It's the perfect neutral back drop for all the fun pillows. 

Here are the anchor pillows I would plan on making. I found the fabric at fabric.com They have a huge selection of fabric, and I order from them often.

This whimsical whale pillow came from Etsy. I think it is a fun touch. 

This next pillow is also from Etsy, and I love the map and bright colors on it. :)

The anchor pillow was from Land of Nod, but the pillow sold out. However, I think you could get creative, and make one similar. You could cut out an anchor pattern, then paint on the anchor. Maybe I'll have to give that project a whirl this summer. 

This navy chair is from Overstock.com. It's not real big in scale, and I think would be perfect for a little nook in this room. I love the tufting and the nailhead detail on it.

Every chair needs a little foot stool, and I like the pop of color from this turquoise one. And it works out well for an additional little seat, if needed. It can be found at Urban Outfitters. 

The console table works well as an alternative to a dresser. You can put baskets on it, or fill it with books and games, that would be easy for the kids to access. You can find this piece at Lamps Plus, yes, they actually sell other items, not just lighting. 

Both the table lamp and the lamp shade can be found at Target. I like being able to buy pieces separate and create my own design. 

I also would love to add these sconces to the bed wall. I love that they have the rope detail on them. It gives them a nautical feel. They will provide additional lighting in the space, and make for a nice night light. I'd love to put them on a dimmer switch. They are from Layla Grace.

The room comes together via the artwork for the walls. I recently ordered a faux taxidermy rabbit head for our home, and I love it. I ordered it from a company on Etsy, and I think one of their faux deer heads would be perfect in this space. I love how the antlers are painted a fun color. :)

I kind of love this piece of artwork from The Land of Nod, it think the captain character is so fun. You can also get this piece personalized with a name on it. It would be perfect for a boys' space.

This last little piece of art is from Etsy. Did you know there are a ton of shops on Etsy that provide digital downloads? They will send you the file, and then you just print it yourself for a small fee. You can then print as many copies as you need. 

Lastly, I loved this little boat made from driftwood, that I placed on the shelf. You can find it from Etsy. I may try to make one myself. I actually collected some driftwood from our last trip to the beach. I just need some vintage map paper for the sail. :)

So there you have it, a fun, whimsical, masculine, guest room. I think my boys would really enjoy spending time in this space. Looking forward to designing more rooms for our "pretend" beach house. This has been a fun series. I think I'll work on the master bedroom next, so be sure to stop back by and see how it turns out. :) Until next time..

XO~Gretchen

Beach Bungalow Design Part 2 The Guest bedroom

Welcome to part 2 of my blogging series. I am blogging about designing a "pretend" beach bungalow that we have purchased, and I would get to design. One day we hope to purchase a little piece of paradise by the beach, but until then, a girl can dream and design. :) Part one to the series can be found here.

So first I designed the family room, now I am designing one of the guest rooms. I want the entire vibe of this house to be fresh, bright, cheery, a little vintage, collected, and a little modern. I would paint the walls in this room white. Ideally I would love the entire room to be wood paneled, and then painted a glossy white. Here are some white ideas that I think would work.

Let's start with the fabulous bed. It really is the fun, sunny centerpiece of the room. This bed can be found at Anthropologie Honestly if you go thrifting or to flea markets, I bet you can find a similar bed, and then paint it.

The bedding is from Anthropologie, and I love that it has a map on it, with renderings of the ocean.

You could also keep the bedding neutral, and add lots of pops of color with pillows and a throw.

I love the use of various pillows throughout the space. I thought this pillow with "Hello Sunshine" was so fun for a guest room near the beach. These pillows would be really easy to make. All you would need to do is sew a pillow, I would use a light weight canvas material, and stencil on the pillow using fabric paint. You can make your own saying and design. 

This "Love" pillow is from Layla Grace I added it to the space because the word "Love" is my one little word for 2014, and it is also nice for your guest to feel loved. 

This rug is so fun and bright, and I adore the combo of coral and aqua. You can find the rug at Wayfair. 

The coral chair is from Urban Outfitters. This chair also comes in a couple of other colors. It looks vintage to me. I think it is nice to have a comfy chair for your guest to sit in, so they can relax and read a good book. 

This great aqua storage chest is also from Urban Outfitters. I love that it has little compartments, perfect for flip flops, bathing suits, and cover-ups. :)

The lamp and lamp shade are both sold separately and can be found at Target. I love the way they work together, and that Target gives you the option of buying pieces separate. 

The drapes are so fun and whimsical. I love the pom pom detail on them. You can find them at Anthropologie. If you are really ambitious you can make them yourself, by sewing rows of pom pom trim on to some cotton white drapes.

There are several companies that manufacture sea shell chandeliers, however I would encourage you to create your own. I have made one myself, and unfortunately left it for the new owners at our last home. I really loved it. All you will need to do is find an old brass chandelier, then order sea shells online. I glued the shells over the brass parts of the chandelier and it worked out great. Just need a little time, patience and a low heat glue gun. :)

The anchor artwork is from Urban Outfitters, again, you don't want your room to have too much of a theme, but it is nice to incorporate some beach and nautical elements. 

The map is vintage. I think it would be lovely to have an old vintage map hanging on the wall. I think I will be looking for one this spring and summer when I go antiquing for our current guest room that I am working on. This map is swoon worthy.

I think I would have my hubby help me build this little side table box. I love how just the inside of it is painted a pale pinkish coral. Seems like it would be pretty easy to build your own version of it. 

I styled this one with a pretty white piece of coral.

There you have it, my lovely, little, quaint guest room. I would probably have to stay a night in there, just because I love it so much. Thanks for playing along for part 2 in my little blog series. I hope you feel inspired to bring some of these elements into your own home. I'm thinking I have a few new projects for my hubby to help with after writing this post. Maybe I'll make another chandelier, or some fun painted storage boxes for my boys.

Check back again, because I will be blogging about other spaces in our "pretend" beach bungalow. 

XO~Gretchen