I wish I could sew. I even own a sewing machine, in fact, I own two. Still, the best I can do is hem a pair of curtains that are too long (and even then it’s sometimes just easier to use iron-on hem tape). I can also sew a mostly square pillow. Impressive, eh? I often wander through JoAnn fabrics looking longingly at the cozy flannel and even other fancy apparel fabrics just imagining what I could make if I really knew what all those buttons and dials on my sewing machines did.
I recently saw a real designer fabric store highlighted in the February edition of Better Homes and Gardens. I think my imagination would go wild in a place like this – oh, the things I have no skill to make!!! Studio Four in New York City has collections from small independent textile designers as well as artists who create wallpaper and rugs. In addition to their showroom, they have design spaces and even a weaving studio. I am loving some of the artists they showcase and their products. Check a few of them out here (hover over name for link).
The sisters from Aalamwaar design shop (all the way from India) create some beautiful hand dyed tie-dies and block printed fabrics.
Caitlin McGauley’s experience as textile designer led her to craft this excellent line of wallpapers. Can you imagine how chic that cheetah print would be in a powder room? Yowza. Or those sweet elephants in a little girls’ room?
If you’re looking for something more historic and geometric, then prints from the house of the late Florence Broadhurst might be for you. These designs have stood the test of time – over 100 years! The geometric aqua bamboo inspired print wold be excellent in a seaside home.
In my own designs I’m such a sucker for blue and white graphic prints. In the future, I may be using a few from this design duo at Luru Home, who do indigo resist printing in both Brooklyn and the ancient home of the art, China.
I’m now wondering if there is a place available like that near me in the DC area, I’m going to have to look and see. Which fabrics here do you love? How would you use them…. if, unlike me, you can sew… or heck even if you are like me and just like to dream of the possibilities if you could sew….
Picking perfect paint colors can be so hard. You have to consider furnishings, light, room structure, setting, environment and the feeling you want to evoke. At the beach we probably want to feel relaxed, refreshed, or maybe even energized and invigorated. These are some of my favorite beachy paint colors. In addition to walls and decor, at the beach we can take a bit more risk and go bold on a kitchen island, a dresser or a bathroom tile.
Here’s my selection of go-to beachy hues in soft relaxing tones and bold seaside inspired colors.
I was recently faced with dilemma. I needed to find a stylish, good looking sectional but didn’t want to kill the entire budget on one item. Thankfully, I found that there were a ton of options out there that looked great for under $2000! You can easily drop $2000 on a just a loveseat or armchair these days so finding a sectional with copious seating for the same price was impressive. These are REAL sectionals… with a corner and 2 ends… not one of those sofas with a chaise at the end that retailers call a “sectional.” The style available for sectionals has come a long way too, we don’t have to subject ourselves to overstuffed, puffy armed monstrosities with weird patchwork and tufting. Nope, these sectionals give maximum seating to fill empty corners and look great doing it.
I feel so wrong. You see, part of me wishes my kids would hurry and grow up already for a very superficial and selfish reason…. I’m dying to make their playroom into a home gym. It really is the ideal spot for a gym. It’s an infrequently used 5th bedroom in my basement which right now contains little more than some shelves, about 5 million Lego pieces, and 2 large Lego platform tables. I know, hoping to curtail their childhood joy all in exchange of my pursuit to be my fittest by the time I turn 40 makes me a bad mom. So, I guess I’ll hold off on a full-scale basement playroom to gym conversion for a while and maybe just takeover a little part of it. That wouldn’t be so wrong, would it? When you think about it we’re really practicing sharing, right? Sharing is good mom behavior, for sure. Meanwhile, I can scavenge Pinterest and Houzz for lots of great home gym ideas so that I can be ready to execute in a few years. Hmmm… wonder if I could get the kids on board with making me a full-size Lego weight bench or cable machine…. anyway, check out these home gym beauties.
I suppose my space sharing problems would be non-existent if I had a WHOLE FREAKING BARN to turn into a gym, like these. Whoa.
Or maybe a modest pool house / casita that could host my gym. Of course I’d spend more time by the pool than working out. My willpower is pitiful. Thankfully my will power IS strong enough to not be tempted to play with Legos, another reason I should be grateful that I will mix my workout space with kid play space.
Home gyms are a great place to introduce some BOLD color and a way to have your workout feeling energized before you even break a sweat. I love how they used some inexpensive Ikea chunky framed mirrors in the blue gym instead of the ubiquitous full wall mirror.
For those of you named The Rock or John Cena and want a gym more than a living room, these are for you.
High style doesn’t have to elude a small gym. Patterned walls and stylish accessories can soften the look of uber-industrial equipment for a welcoming home gym experience.
Real hardwood floors are not the best option for home gyms because they can get nicked or dented from a dropped dumbell, but these wood-look foam tiles will ensure the gym floor looks fantastic and withstands the rigors of pumping iron.
What elements are a must have in your home gym? Go get your workout on!
Continuing our journey for finding a vacation rental property, we had a whirlwind weekend of seeing about 8 houses across the Outer Banks towns of Duck, Corolla, and Southern Shores. We had seen a house that we liked very much but the current owners couldn’t tell us much about its history, things like the last time the HVAC was replaced, how old the roof was, if the pool pump had been replaced etc. That was a red flag for us, but not totally surprising as a lot of homes change hands frequently in this beach community. I think many people idealize the concept of owning a beach home but then the reality sets in that owning a rental home is a lot of work, homes near the beach require so much maintenance and the older the home is, the more work is required and accordingly the more money necessary for upkeep. It’s not all relaxing in the hammock and pina coladas at sunset. Therefore, some people give vacation rental home ownership a go for a few years and then throw in the towel.
We were having a heck of a time finding a home that met our requirements. Most homes were disqualified due to location, either lack of proximity to beach or too close to major roads. As we searched we did see a plot of land about a quarter mile closer to the beach than the aforementioned house. This piece of land got us thinking that perhaps we should build our beach house. Certainly, there would be benefits to building; we would be able to get exactly what we want and have a brand-new home requiring little maintenance and we could finish and furnish it to our liking rather than falling in on old dilapidated furnishings. However, there would be disadvantages to this approach as well; total end cost would be higher, would require work to find a builder and architect to design the home from scratch resulting in a longer wait time. No matter the disadvantages, we decided to look at several lots that met our requirements for flood zone, location, and neighborhood, while we still kept an eye on other homes coming on the market. We also simultaneously embarked on the process of researching local builders. There is a pretty large selection of builders of varying degrees of experience across the small Outer Banks community. If we had known anyone who had built in OBX previously we would have asked for a recommendation, but since we did not, we initiated our own research. Of course we started our search just like many other super important searches in our lives, with our best friend, Google. Through Google we came upon the Outer Banks Home Builders Association and read about their annual OBX Parade of Homes Competition. The past winners of this competition rose to the top of our potential builder picks. I’ll discuss more in the next installment about how we went about choosing the best builder for our dream home, but we did make that selection WHILE we were still searching for a lot and that was probably one of the best decisions we made. Our builder even came out to a few potential home sites with me to debate their positives and negatives, which was immensely helpful as he was able to comment on things I was not smart on. For example, one site was completely wooded and significantly “gullied” in the center. Our builder pointed out that we would need to bring in tons, yes tons, of fill dirt to make this lot buildable. In the end, after significant searching, we settled on a wonderful partially wooded, mostly level, half acre which was only about 1400’ from the beach.
We’ll pick up the next installment talking a bit about how we successfully negotiated a great price for our land and how we selected the best builder.
Style experts are saying that one of the major trends we’ll be seeing in 2017 is a more interesting sleeve. By interesting, I mean, unique and different. Think embellishments, lace, bows, ruffles and the like… more than just the ‘ol 2016 “cold shoulder” cut out, which frankly, I’m really tired of seeing already. Let’s just hope that interesting doesn’t translate to this….
All kidding aside, making a white shirt more intriguing by adding an interesting sleeve or shape is a great idea. These few paired with a simple pencil skirt, slim black pants or even jeans are more elevated options than a plain white business-y blouse. Similarly white dresses make a daring arm more palatable.
Black dresses and shirts can also make this trend a little more wearable for those of us who aren’t runway models. This shirt here is unique and will certainly get noticed, but the styling is a little Mad Max for my personal taste, what with the severe hair, patent skirt, fishnets and scowling model. I’d go for maybe a black jean to dress it down or a slim leopard print skirt to dress it up….and maybe a smile.
Over the holidays, we took a quick trip to Pennsylvania to visit my family, who live in suburban-rural Chester County. It’s a gorgeous area that mixes areas that are clearly Philadelphia suburbia with shopping centers and typical communities of tract homes with regions of farmland and colonial homes that are several hundred years old. I had mentioned the DIY Network show, Stone House Revival to my parents since it is often filmed in Chester County and neighboring Bucks County. I love some of the old stone homes featured on this show that have large fireplaces, chunky wood beams, wide plank floors and weird little outbuildings like springhouses and icehouses. Of course, most of these 200 year old relics need special workarounds for modern conveniences like large fridges, air conditioning, and dishwashers. Turns out there is a place in Chester County where history-lovers can have the best of both worlds with old historic stone house looks with the convenience of modern amenities; it’s a community called Olde Bulltown Village. The small community of homesites, several of which have already been built on is situated among the rolling hills of Chester County’s farms, woods and a manicured golf course. The custom-built brand new homes are 18th Century Americana architecture with all the modern conveniences of this century. We drove through the community and imagined what kind of “shop” we’d set up in Olde Bulltown. My husband wants to build one that looks like the town pub on the outside but that serves as a home on the inside. I’ll let the beauty of this community, built by Chester County’s Stoltzfus Enterprises Ltd. speak for itself in the pictures (more available at Olde Bulltown’s website, here).
This barn style home is hands down my favorite! I wish I could see the inside. I’d love to know what the light situation is in there.
Just look at the view from this rustic beauty. Not sure who the builder’s photog is but they do excellent work. This could be a Christmas card.
Humongous fireplaces, chandeliers and ceilings… three of my favorite things.
Think stone, brick and siding can’t all go together on one house, guess again. This is how to mix materials right.
Elegant, long chains draw your eye up right from the simple fixtures to the open ceiling. Perhaps we could add a few huge turnbuckles in our pub ceiling 😉
This could be straight out of Willaimsburg. I can picture a cute little Scottish Terrier hopping around inside the adorable picket fence.
Again more mixed materials just as they might have done hundreds of years ago, weathered wood, brick and stone and traditionally painted trim, is perfect!
Sometimes I have the most trouble decorating my own home. Revamping my living room has been a several months long work-in-progress. Is it because we’re doing something dramatic? New flooring? Something special with the ceiling? Nope, absolutely not a hard thing about this room, and yet it it is still taking me forever…. but the end is in sight… I think. I need an end table to go next to my lovely Blake Chair from Crate and Barrel. I’m looking for something that won’t break the bank, like maybe under $150 bucks. I am in luck because there are a plethora of great options out there, many even under $100 from easily accessible retailers like World Market, Ikea and good ‘ol Target! Between you and me I’m leaning toward #1 one since I’ve worked some copper accents into the room but I need to go check it out in person. There’s one here for every style, which would you choose?
I envision this post to be the first in a series to describe our process for making the leap to purchasing a vacation property and ultimately building a beach home from the ground up. It’s no doubt a scary venture, with a lot on the line. I figure reading about our successes and mistakes might help a few people venture into vacation home dreams of their own.
I had been half joking with my husband for several years, whenever he would ask me what I wanted for my Birthday, Christmas, etc. I’d always reply, “A beach house.” Hah, funny, right…. I knew I’d never wake up to a house with a big bow on it like those silly Lexus commercials (don’t you hate those people on those commercials even though you know it’s not real?) Anyway, in saying that I wanted a beach house as a gift, I really meant that I wanted us to save money and forego trivial gifts and really sock away some savings so someday we really could buy that beach house.
On a (sort-of) whim, one winter, I started searching on realtor.com. Initially our plan was NOT to build a brand-new house but find a home that needed a little bit of cosmetic work, which many beach rentals do, and fix it up. Cause, ya know, we fancy ourselves pretty handy. We had been traveling to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for several years and renting homes for a week for summer vacation. Over the course of my childhood I had spent time in other beach locations like Virginia, Maryland and Delaware beaches and the Jersey shore …yes that’s really what it’s called, it’s not the “beach” it’s the “shore” and if you say it with a Jersey accent it’s even more accurate… and if you refer to OBX as the “shore” people look at you like you have three heads. Of all of those places I loved OBX the most and it was a manageable 4 hour drive from our home in VA. So I found a house I liked and I promptly contacted the realtor. This is the house that drove me to start our search in earnest – adorable, right?
Photo: Southern Shores Realty
Okay, here’s recommendation #1, don’t do what I did, and call the realtor who lists the house you may want to buy, because if you make this person your agent, they are then working for both sides. We were lucky because in our case it worked out because the seller wasn’t willing to negotiate as much as we’d have liked and I was hell bent on getting a good deal (that was a high priority of ours) but we did find a good agent in the process and he showed us a number of places in a whirlwind rainy weekend). Finding someone who is willing to roll up their sleeves and dedicate a whole weekend to you is a pretty big deal because if you’re looking for a vacation property that is several hours from your home you want to be efficient with your time and not do multiple trips back and forth. Working with a realtor that is local to where you want to buy is really important. They know the area, and will know what areas work best for rentals as well as what home elements will help return on investment potential. And although your realtor will hopefully have lots of info for you don’t forget to do research on your own. We did and it came in really handy when it came time to negotiate (more on that in a later installment). In fact, when we started our vacation home search I was dead set on buying in the quaint town of Duck, pictured below.
Photo: www.duckncguide.com
Did I buy a home in Duck? Nope. Based on our priorities, our agent turned us on to a neighboring town called Southern Shores, which was a much better fit for what we wanted in a property. I still find new and interesting things about Southern Shores, NC and I just love, love, love it! Every time I visit I say that I don’t want to go home to Virginia and just want to stay there forever. Here’s the gorgeous dunes at Southern Shores.
A few other things I learned and I recommend as you start looking for that vacation rental property: know what your priorities are. Do you want maximum ROI in rentals? Proximity to the beach and amenities? Peace and serenity? A place for boating? Low maintenance? (Hint, you may want to scratch this last one off your list if you’re going to rent your beach home out, but we’ll talk about that more later). We knew (or thought we knew) our primary priorities going in. Here’s our list:
Within a 5-minute walk to the beach
In an “X” flood zone (see more on this below)
A good deal (and preferably below our budget of 550K)
Have consistent summer rental history (or potential)
Not along a main road with a lot of audible traffic
At least 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms or one that could sleep about 10 or more people
A pool or room to add pool
Not in a commercialized area (no views of stores, restaurants)
A water view
I’ll let you know which of these we actually accomplished at the end. But these all sorta make sense except, why wouldn’t you want a house RIGHT smack dab on the beach if you’re buying a beach house? Ok, well admittedly, that would be lovely and would probably help a ton with rental potential, right? Only I’m at least somewhat risk adverse and wasn’t willing to push those limits on our first foray into rental properties. Houses on the beach are exponentially more expensive in terms of sale price. But consequently, you could rent it for more, which is true, but there are other expenses you incur with a house ON the beach. Maintenance is one; you will have higher overall maintenance costs for things like painting, rusting metal that needs to be replaced, and storm damage, which brings me to our #2 priority, an “X” flood zone. FEMA has mapped all coastal areas and assigned different letter codes to designate potential risk for flood based on historical events and geography and probably all other sorts of scientific stuff. More info on all of this is available at FEMA’s flood risk website. Here’s a pictorial simplification of FEMA’s flood risk lettering.
Image: FEMA
What is important to know if you are buying a coastal property is that these letter codes affect how much or how little flood insurance you have to carry and ultimately, how much you’ll pay. Being in an X zone doesn’t mean that our home is invulnerable to weather, not at all, but it is at a lower risk for flood devastation. For us, it wasn’t just about the money but not having to worry about having to board up our little vacation abode every time a hurricane threatened the east coast or worse worry about having to rebuild it or worse yet, worry about being so severely impacted that our entire property was rendered unusable….. and it happens…. These homes are along the beach in South Nags Head, NC, just a few miles south of ours that had been condemned after a storm.
Photo: Steve Earley, The Virginia Pilot
Are you considering buying a vacation rental property? What are your thoughts or dilemnas? We’d love to hear them! Share in the comments.
Next installment coming in a week or so – continuing the house hunt and expanding it to a “land hunt”…
One thing I look forward to every New Year’s Day is the unveiling of the HGTV Dream Home. I like to watch to get attainable (they use materials from every-man retailers like Lumber Liquidators, Wayfair and Cabinets to Go) design ideas to implement in my home or to inspire new designs for clients. I really like that over the past few years HGTV remodeled existing homes vice building anew as they always used to. This year’s home was a stunning remodel converting a Contemporary-Spanish-ish home on St. Simons Island, GA into a Modern-Low Country beauty.
They did away with a previous yellow stucco in favor of a white cedar shake siding and bold black trim and shutters. The entry way and several other access points were converted from dated archways to expansive double doors. Finally, the brown architectural shingle roof was changed to a lovely metal roof complete with an adorable cupola to give it an authentic Low Country look. The conversion looks great, and close up shots reveal gorgeously finished wood front doors, but from a distance I’d maybe like to see a front door with a fun color maybe a vibrant mango or coral, especially since this is a seaside community.
HGTV Dream Home Before (Photo: Joe Loehle)HGTV Dream Home Exterior, After (Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
The interior designer, Brian Patrick Flynn, wasn’t afraid to take a few risks in the interior and achieved bold looks without looking totally whacko. This large scale bust portrait at first glance has an air of traditional to it, when in reality, with her bandana and earrings, she’s a bit irreverent and lets you know her owner has a sense of humor.
HGTV Dream Home Entry with Quirky Art (Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
This living room is a great mix of styles, Southern, Rustic, Glam, Cottage…. which could easily have gone awry, but instead looks relaxed and collected.
HGTV Dream Home Living Room mixes styles without looking chaotic (Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
Ok, I’m a bit conflicted on the kitchen selections. I really like the drab khaki-grey toned shaker cabinets as they remind me of the early 2000’s Martha Stewart drabware everything. Totally a great fit for a Low-country home and a great alternative to the bright white cabinet of 2016. But oh, the green subway tile AND green counters AND green hardware? I get the earthy vibe it’s trying to elicit to keep in touch with the swampy, Spanish moss covered setting…. but it’s a bit much for me.
HGTV Kitchen with 2017 trend in cabinets (Photo:Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
I’d change out the counters for something like this and the hardware for something in black, like this one below.
River White Granite as a more neutral alternative
Almost black oil rubbed bronze might be hardware with more style longevity
This Master Suite design is spot on. The blue shade is calming but rich and vibrant and I think taking it onto the ceiling was the right decision (maybe without the bright white can lights, though). I think we’ll see a resurgence of the traditional heavy drape in 2017 too, and Brian Patrick Flynn does them perfectly here, keeping the color light and style classic.
HGTV Dream Home Master Bedroom mixes calming blues (Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
Usually home gyms are utilitarian and stark. Why not exercise in a space that has a bit of style so that even if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing you can at least enjoy where you are? Cork floors are a smart choice for the occasional dropped weight and are forgiving on the joints, not to mention looking classy. The mullioned antiqued mirrors are also a great choice that make this look more like a real thoughtful room in the home than just an industrial utilitarian space.
HGTV Dream Home Gym to workout in style (Photo: Tomas Espinosa)
I wanted to be sure to share this guest bathroom from the HGTV Dream Home. Is it the most spectacular bath in the home? Nope, not at all, BUT I think the setup of this bathroom is very similar to bathrooms in many American homes – it’s small, has room for just a single vanity, and has a standard tub – yet it still looks fantastic. Some takeaways for what you could copy, rather than a regular shower curtain, use real drapes and take them from ceiling to floor. Remove that frameless contractor grade mirror and replace it with a uniquely framed mirror and don’t be afraid of a bold color, especially if your fixtures (sink, tub, tile etc.) is white. You could do those 3 things for under $200 and totally give a new 2017 look to your bathroom.
HGTV Dream Home small bathroom with big style (Photo: Robert Peterson, Rustic White Photography)
Finally, one of my favorite spaces in this home is actually not in the home at all, it’s the backyard and pool area. Much of the style isn’t because of any intentional styling at all but rather due to the landscape designers decision to leave lots of foliage, including that lovely dripping Spanish Moss.
HGTV Dream Home pool and arbor (Photo: Cristina Wedge)
HGTV Dream Home backyard lush with mature trees and Spanish moss (Photo: Tomas Espinosa)
