Beautiful Homes Blog

The before and afters of this kitchen get me every time I see them. The Bienvenu home was gorgeous from the exterior. Beautiful bones, great spaces and a fabulous location just two blocks from the beach. In stark contrast to the graceful exterior, the interior was awkward. Besides the color and material choices being very heavy and dark, the arrangement was cramped and poorly designed. Here is what we started with.

This family loves to be in the kitchen, so, Alex and I came up with a new layout that combined functionality with a bright, airy and relaxed style. They wanted a lot of counter space for multiple cooks to work at the same time and room for entertaining and large gatherings. We began by raising the windows along the right wall to allow for plenty of counter space and cabinetry. The range was relocated to the space between the windows. A new island was constructed with two sinks and a built in banquette constructed on the opposite side. We designed and built a cypress table with plenty of seating for family and guests. Painted pecky cypress cabinetry with gold hardware, floating shelves and a stained pecky cypress ceiling complete the space.

The blue star range was the one special request of the owners. We designed the whole color palette around this beautiful blue.

The angled wall on the left was the perfect place to design a bar for everyone to fix refreshments. It's the ideal location to be a part of the kitchen but not in the way of the cooking.

We recently finished the Hickory Street cottage in Seagrove Beach. The kitchen, living and dining area are all open to each other so, I wanted each area to be separate but cohesive with the whole. I kept the color palette simple by primarily using navy, gold, white and gray with little pops of accent colors throughout. I love how the navy island pulls the whole space together and looks so beautiful with with gold pendants and hardware. The whole vibe of the space is open, airy and casually elegant- a place equally suited to entertaing after a day at the beach or lounging around barefoot and in bathing suits.

I've come to the conclusion lately that runners are quite possibly the ultimate accessory. For a relatively small investment, you can add high impact design to your space. A great runner can add that unexpected pattern, detail or burst of color to an otherwise neutral room. Think beyond just your hallways, but into spaces like the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room. Here is a roundup of my current favorites.

I'm continuing the tour of 70 Seagrove Village Drive with 3 bedrooms and 1 really fun bunk room!

When designing the Master Suite we wanted to create an elegant retreat. We included an intimate study just off of the bedroom, complete with custom pecky cypress built ins to complement the rustic vaulted ceilings. Vintage velvet chairs, blue linen upholstery and bits of blue and glass throughout mix perfectly with the rustic cypress ceilings, solid beams and warm paint colors.

I just loved the Blue Bedroom. The pecky cypress headboard niche was the perfect thing to make this bedroom feel so custom and elegant. I especially love the mix of the gold sconces on the rustic, weathered wood.

Here is a look at the downstairs bedroom. Classic blue and white toile and tons of natural light make this space such a pretty coastal style.