Remember the beach cottage our fabulous friends purchased?
We’ve shared a little bit about it this summer, and even gave ya a little video tour of sorts. We’re ready to move forward with the first space: the sitting room!
But first, let’s take a walk down memory lane before we start with plans, shall we?
Per the photos from the listing: We’re not sure this space had been touched since the area was transformed into an extra space from a carport a while back. A real long while back. But Ginger and James are looking for a great, one of a kind room to entertain, while preserving the adjoining space for family meals, and all things dining.
We were more than excited to put our heads together for great ideas in the space.
They’ve already come a long way.
So without further ado, here’s a few of our ideas!
We want to bring in some major character in some fun ways with this space. We have a few problem areas to work around, as well. So we addressed a few of those with some simple solutions that will really help bring it to life.
Let’s talk about the actual walls and ceiling and door and stairs, first.
1. For the walls: I think that planking them out would be an amazing way to bring in some real character. If ever there was a chance for planks on a wall, this is it. We can’t stress this enough, because we’re looking for character and lots of it. We might even carry it through into the next room, but that’s future talk. We would love to see them in a nice, simple white like Chantilly lace. {This is the color on our own living room walls} It’s also the perfect opportunity to bring in some fun with a blue ceiling, with a color like at sea.
When checking out the other images, we took the opportunity to bring in another version of fun blue with the same shade on the door. And the new stairs, if you were to knock out that wall {knocking out that wall will give them more impact than you could ever imagine with a simple, free change}. For some reason, digital versions of aqua do not play well on a computer screen so don’t let that scare anyone considering some fun aquas for their space – The colors aren’t so harsh in real life.
For the windows: They were a little concerned about new blinds for the entire house, and how overwhelmingly pricey a purchase like that can be. A simple, super cheap solution that actually looks wonderful, would be linen panels.
They offer the privacy you need while letting in the light when those old blinds come down. They don’t even have to hem the sides. And I would take a page from our own book on cheap hardware that looks great, here. We realize that the ceiling slopes a little because it was once a carport. We can simply cheat with the panels and take them up to the ceiling anyway – there’s only a smidgeon of a difference that we can compensate with the length. It will help offset the slant, while also raising the feel of the height of that ceiling, ultimately making the space feel bigger. Also, noting the front door: they’ll will want some privacy there as well. we were thinking of a simple roman shade in the same linen to balance it all out and keep it simple.
It’s amazing how open everything can feel!
2. For the sofa: We love this sofa. It’s smart, and one of the most popular from Ikea. We’ve sat on it personally and it’s super comfy. One of the main goals for the space is to offer plenty of sitting space in this area, this sofa helps accommodate a lot of that. It comes with a washable slipcover, and we would even recommend purchasing two, so that they can easily be switched out when needed.
You can’t beat this price with a sectional – It’s practical and affordable and comfy all in one, for that laid back casual feel they’re going after. This way they aren’t blowing their entire budget on a sofa.
5. For the floor: there’s lots of tile. And it’s staying, for practical reasons, since they will be replacing some other areas in the future. Tile is hard. So we think it should also be as soft as possible in their lounging area, under foot.
We were thinking two of these rugs, side by side would maximize their comfy space for lounging during movies, and another rug on top, to add another layer of comfort, and hide those seams. This is another one of the space’s investment points, but the idea is to go with neutral colors providing a nice, classic backdrop to build on over the years. These prices for rugs are actually pretty great, just for some perspective. You will never regret going with more for the floors.
6. For additional seating: These chairs offer extra seating in the corners. Love the grey color for easily hiding any marks that naturally occur over time, and they don’t take up too much space since they’re armless/not too bulky.
7. For pillows:
The other fabrics are a part of our collection, soon to be released in November – also done in a great pillow cover style.
8. Shelving Unit – Something Jamin and James look forward to creating together- Painted in a soft gold for a hint of glimmer to contrast with all the fun wooden rustic texture. Doing it themselves offers great customized sizes that just can’t be found anywhere else!
9. For the art: We love the idea of a casual iPhone photo, of their kids at the beach. blown up into some cool, faded out art for this space, on each side of the entertainment unit.
Personalized art that you just can’t get anywhere else.
10. The lighting: Like a great crowning touch to the space – we found this chandy for a great price.
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And there ya have it – some fun fresh beginnings for our first room revamp! These are some great beginnings for a fun space in their beach cottage! We can’t wait to see how it evolves, and start putting it all together!
** Please note: out of respect for our clients, we no longer share all of our sources here. Thank you for your understanding!**
Beverly says
nice!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks, Beverly!
Meredith says
Wow! When I saw the before pic, I thought, “Huh?” You worked your magic, Ashley, and your plan looks fantastic! As always. You have the best knack for color and pattern. I love your work! And, how exciting about your new fabrics. I love fabric, too, so I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store. Love you! Thanks!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe, thank you so very much for your kind words, Meredith! It will be a blast to work on this one. We are excited, too! ;}