Beach Cottage Renovation Reveal: Living Room

Hello again! Welcome to Day 3 of the beach cottage renovation reveal!  How about that kitchen reveal HERE and the new dining room space HERE.  Did you feel that airy, coastal vibe?  What I love the most about this cottage is the sun that pours into every single room! We have five sets of french doors that open to the front and back of the home. My favorite thing to do is walk out my bedroom doors, walk across the pool courtyard and enter the other side of the home into the family room. Our home is basically wrapped around the pool.  I love how that was designed! Today, you get to see our living room.  Let’s take a quick peek at what it looked like BEFORE.

I have always LOVED this room and it’s the first room you see when you walk into the home.  If you want to see the “old” cottage home tour and more of this room, you can check that out HERE.  I had been perfectly content with this space until the renovation process began.  The only thing I did want to change down the road was the paint.  It was an off-white color that almost looked dirty in photos.  That drove me nuts! If you look down towards the hallway there, that is where we had the water damage on our hardwood floors from our broken AC leak.  Since these hardwood floors were original to the home built in 1964, we weren’t able to just rip out the area where the water damage was and match to the original.  We debated on putting new hardwood back in, but with already having this water damage issue and just dealing with moisture in general with the pool and humidity, we made the best decision to go with the driftwood porcelain tiles {source HERE}.  With all that said, let’s see what a little paint and new floors can do!

Come on in and slip your flip flops off!  The sailor’s bell has been hung in this spot since we moved in.  The boys run by it and ring it…very loud and nerve wracking…but, it’s just part of our home.  So it stays.  I envision grandchildren ringing that same bell one day.  Just another treasure with meaning.  As you are sitting on this old whicker bench, this is what you walk into…

Painting the wood paneled walls crisp white made all the difference!  Remember yesterday that I mentioned there is one thing in this room that just WOWS?

When I saw this black and white striped chandelier from Pottery Barn Teen, I instantly thought of a black and white cabana.  I literally about fell off my chair because once you see the outside of the home, you’ll understand my excitement. Think white house + black shutters. Oh, and a few palm trees swaying in the breeze!  There used to be a petite chandy hanging here but it was not reflective of my style.  I wanted to carry in the black in this room from the dining room (remember the black + white frames HERE).  The only way we could get away with having a larger light here was to rearrange the furniture.  Before, it felt like we were swerving through a crooked path between coffee table and sofa or through chairs and coffee table. I’m loving this flow so much better!

The drapes that were once hanging on the front doors were moved to the master bedroom and I’m now on the hunt for the perfect replacement.  I’d rather have bare doors/windows for a while instead of rushing into getting something that I’ll regret in 3 months.  I’m learning from those mistakes and it feels so good to be more wise in my purchases.

The little blue dresser is an antique from another treasure hunt our first year in the home. It creaks when you roll it and has chippy paint. You’ll find pieces of furniture like this throughout the home that hold too many memories to let go off.  I did get rid of A TON of old decorations and some old furniture during the renovation process, but I didn’t want my cottage to lose that “cottage” feel with all new furnishings. Having an eclectic home is a home of character.  Every piece of old furniture has a story to tell.

We are flying through these room reveals!  I’m still saving THE BEST for last!  Well, in my opinion, it’s the best!  Next week we’ll look at the master bathroom, guest bathroom, and my son’s bedroom!  Can you guess which one is my favorite?

Room Source List HERE

 

 

 

 

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