Seaglass Porn

(Shamelessly stolen from The Distinctive Cottage)
This was our palette for the rehab house.

We've taken a dark, dated condo and breathed some beach house life into it,
making it a cheery, relaxing abode for the disabled owner.
I've learned a lot of techniques and tricks with this project abode,
and I'm ready to take them home to Chateau Inferno and do some
sledging over there.
Denim blue has been my neutral for years, and it's staying.
I'm still in love with the easy-care, forgiving, versatile fabric and color.
The casual note of it is just ME.
Dress it up, dress it down, add diamonds or a T-shirt, it sails through
holidays and visiting gangs of young adults that come with the Minions
without blinking.
It washes easily, blends with any other color, and when it fades,
a few packs of Rit Dye later we're back in business.
But I may just tweak the stuff around it.
My goal is to make my house feel like a vacation home.
I live in paradise, so why not wallow in it?
My Style File of ideas so far?
Let's take a little peruse, shall we?

(From the post Ice Cream Cake in 15 Minutes Flat)
My kitchen is in need of a MAJOR overhaul.
You guys have seen slices of it, but never a real look.
Why?
It's THAT bad!
I'm not being cute here.
It isn't a matter of dated cabinets.
It's a matter of no-doors-on-the-cabinets-which-are-falling-apart-near-buckling-floor-and caving-ceiling-distater-someone-call-the-
health-department bad.
I've put off taking it apart because my cheap little heart couldn't part with the dough
to have a professional come in and do it.
Well guess what?
I can knock out that expense and just start hauling cabinets home!
DI to the Y.
At least it has a vague whisper of my style already, with a casual, eclectic
mix of unexpected colors and pieces.
I don't follow trends and fads, I decorate with my heart.

(All images from Coastal Living)
I love the sparkle and watery shimmer of glass tile.
If you shop smart, you can find some that won't run you $10+ 
a square foot. We slashed that bottom line by 50% at Mom's.
I'm going to keep my island, it just needs a little love to save it.
I painted it that blue; it's actually just a $200 Martha Stewart piece from KMart!
So we're gonna take the backsplash and island from here...

Ceiling fans are a must in South Florida.
My home is a 1920's vacation home built by Gloria Swanson,
so my kitchen is in the back of the house near the former "maid's quarters."
It's fairly closed in and needs the air circulation.
Pendant lights that are simple would be perfect flanking a fan over the island.
And here in the tropics, we like our cookware where we can see it,
because bugs behind closed doors just come with the territory.
...the lighting and open shelves from here...

I'm not afraid of wild colors.
They energize me and make me happy, and if you're horrified with
the results, you can always repaint it.
...a little shot of Caribbean color from here...
The pale green of this floor doesn't have to match another thing any more
than the grass on your lawn does.
I think the color of growing things is a great choice in the kitchen,
and helps bring to mind the image of fresh ingredients,
even if dinner is being delivered.
...and here..

How fabulous is that little salvaged screen door on the pantry?
Splashed in a St. Thomas blue, it doesn't fade into the woodwork.
The mismatched barstools are perfect with a peeling paint job that pulls them together.
...shabby casual style from here...

Love bright colors, but have a fear of over doing it?
Pick one that sings to you, and sprinkle it around with accessories.
There are tons of tutorials on how to paint Goodwill vases, so it doesn't even
have to be a lot out of pocket.
...with hot shots of bright...

...but still uncluttered.
Anybody got a big-ass blender?

With Mom moving out, we'll be opening the floor plans a little more
to accommodate foot traffic, so I'm considering different placement for furniture.

I love the flow of this arrangement, and the way it puts the emphasis
on conversation as opposed to television.

I've been threatening to paint our black hole of a stone fireplace for years.
This gives me a renewed commitment to do it. 

The walls in this room add such a subtle touch.
I have to replace some of the original plaster walls, and this treatment
would add some architectural interest back in.

Maybe some new drapes to shoot some pattern in with my denim sectional?
And someone steal me that cabinet!!!

Mixing in wicker is one of my things.
It lightens up the look of any room, and just screams casual.
I love finding "discarded" pieces (read that "I go through other people's garbage")
so that painting the pieces wild colors is guilt free.

Love it.
Would I ever do a white room?
Have you MET the Minions???

This is so light and bright, with almost no space taken up in the center.
I like the feel, but I'd infuse more color into it.

As for the Florida room/home office....

The home office needs to serve a multitude of purposes.
Craft Room.
Place to meet with clients.
Music and reading nook.
Planning center.
I need a cheery, open sectional with great lighting, a broad coffee table to
hold samples and swatches as I present them,
and a bank of desk/work space to create.
Tall order for one room, huh?

I need it to announce to potential clients, "This chick has mad skills."
And since it's our Florida Room, it has a porch feel being surrounded on 3 sides by windows.
I have a few things in mind.

I have new chairs t redo for the dining room, so the set in there could go in ANY direction.

I was thinking lime green with blue upholstered seats,
but the examples out there are turning my head.

Maybe even just make as strong a statement on the chairs
 as I have on the Japanese Fern walls?

The hutch is getting painted, and that barely there whisper of turquoisy-aqua
on the corner cupboard is intriguing me.
Oh, and I seriously need that tablecloth.

The bedroom has been evolving into a blue and white retreat, with more
masculine touches of nautical navy.

The soft layering here coupled with clean, tailored touches makes this
 restful and feminine, but not frilly.
.Unless you're a single gal, you don't want the man in your life feeling like a guest
in his own bedroom.

This reminds me of the cottages that dot the North Carolina coast.
I'm a sucker for an iron bed.
Ours was our first real splurge as a couple when we upgraded to a king size
after Savannah was born, and the timeless look will never need to replaced.

This one, drenched in a summery blue, sets the mood in the room

and inspired the paint for all of the accessories.

I LOVE the fact that the lines of the floors and walls all run in the same direction.
It's vacation waiting just down the hall.

I think I slept here in Key West, where pairing antiques and
 island brights has been perfected.
The folding bench at the foot is good place to perch while you slide
on your sandals,
and it's convenient enough to keep the toss pillows off the floor.
The wonderful mix of greens and bold orchid art drag
the outdoors in for a sleeping porch feel.

The room right now has a wall of maple cabinets and white painted furniture
mixed with navy and white.
(For a glimpse of our boudoir, c'mon over HERE.)
I'm actually tempted to start the major make over there so I have someplace DONE
to escape to at the end of the day.

Our bathrooms are like closets, because remember, this was not built
as a primary residence.
That doesn't mean I'm going to skimp on style when I revamp them
(they still haven't been remodeled since the fire. I know, I know!)
The tiny shower stall downstairs is going to get treated to a mosaic interior,
and I may do the bathroom walls to match halfway up.
Add an open vanity with a salvaged bowl drilled as a sink basin,
and that miniscule space will have star quality.

The upstairs bath needs mostly cosmetic help.
It still has the original mini-hex tiles on the floor and subway tiles on the wall.
I'm thinking of just updating the hardware, washing it in
bright, high gloss white, and calling it a day.
Hey, listen, with everything else I just told you is on my To Do List,
I deserve an easy one!