Secrets Of A Successful Coastal Cottage Renovation

Today I was at Home Depot and Lowe's, picking up more materials for the Beach Cottage Renovation, and was thinking about how much I have learned.  There aren't any books out there to tell you the little Secrets to Coastal Cottage Renovation.  I was thinking that I should write a pamphlet, but decided my blog would work, too.  So, here goes.


Rule No. 1:  ALWAYS use a reputable general contractor for Coastal Renovations, one that you know personally if at all possible.  Like this one at Ocean Isle Beach: http://wbpropertiesofnc.com

Examples of work by WB Properties

Coastal communities draw all sorts of folks who have the bright idea to "live at the beach and do some work on the side to support myself".  The work comes 2nd.  The beach comes first.  Always.   Getting Sub-Contractors to finish the job on schedule is almost impossible if the fish are biting or the surf is up.  Know what I mean? You need a General Contractor who is mean as a snake to get those guys back off the water and on the job.

Rule No. 2:  KNOW the language and vocabulary of your coastal home and lifestyle.  This way, the millions of choices out there will shrink to a handful, and you will always know you are "in the zone" when choosing paint, hardware, and architectural details.  Be authentic to your vocabulary, and you can't go wrong.

You just know from the exterior of this Coastal home what the interior is like - it has to be Tuscan in flavor.

The color of the exterior, the tile, and the architecture all say that the interior should be Tuscan in vocabulary - that means earthy rusty oranges, olive greens, reds, and yellow tones, with oil-rubbed bronze, natural wood, and a huge stone tiled kitchen area that opens out to an expansive patio with an outdoor kitchen.

See the earthy greens, oranges, and golds?

This Mission/Prairie style Coastal home says that you will NOT  find hot  pink, lime green, and flamingoes in the bathroom:

This is the Coastal Living Idea House for 2009.

 Instead, you will find granite counter tops with black flecks, oil-rubbed bronze hardware, white kitchen cabinets, and lots of built-in shelving and ceiling work.   Pretty much Prairie-Style, but with creamy whites lifting it up to a Coastal Look.

Looks like this:

Or this:

And then, there's the Coastal Style that is best portrayed at this blogspot that I found about a month ago - Lime in the Coconut

This photo just says it all - very saturated color, ethnic influences in the decor, and an easy/breezy lifestyle with the focus on Mediterranean/Florida Keys flavor.

The back of the house probably has a patio/deck that looks like this:

See what I'm talking about?  You INSTANTLY know what belongs in these homes, and all the other bazillion choices just drop by the wayside.  That's the vocabulary that you choose, and you just take it and run with it.  Easy, yes?


Next post:  The nuts and bolts of ceramic tile and cabinet hinges.

Deciding Against Oil Rubbed Bronze

As you can see, I am FULL BORE trying to get this job under control so that I can go back to Atlanta and dance with my husband, cutting table, sewing machine and rude geese while the guys make our Beach Cottage beautiful and cozy.  Hopefully in our absence.

For the last 24 hours, I've been hot on the trail of Cabinet and Door Hardware, and I do mean hot.  After looking at images and samples until my brain blurred, I realized what was wrong with the Oil Rubbed Bronze that I have loved so much, for so many years...  It's too dark for my new warm white cabinets.  Take a look at these images:

Image from Decor Pad

 Do you see how these drawer pulls look like Black Polka Dots??  The pristine finish on the cabinets is simply jarred by the splots of black from the ORB knobs.

Now look at this:

 

Image from Heather and Lockyear

See how the cabinets are quietly wearing their hardware instead of the hardware wearing them?  That's what I'm talking about.  They are in the groove together, dancing in perfect harmony.

I finally realized that although I truly love the look and feel of any aged metal, it doesn't belong in my light and bright Beach Cottage.  


The funny thing was, when I put my hand on the front door knob of WB Properties to leave their office today, I was happy to see my hand grasping what looked liked an ancient, reclaimed metal knob.  Only it wasn't.  It was an Oil Rubbed Bronze knob that the dark patina had partially worn off of, leaving a mottled, copperish finish that looked like it belonged on a Factory Door!  So lovely, but... our Beach Cottage isn't an old factory... Love that, but it isn't.  So.  Done.