A Small Tour of Our Little Beach Shack
It’s been a few days since we’ve been back from the beach and staying in our little Beach Shack for the first time ever. We bought this cottage last May and it looked completely different when we were handed over the keys. The walls were dark, the carpet was gross, and the bathroom was…interesting.
After working on it for a year, we would say the house is about 95% complete. We had so much fun staying there and experiencing life by the beach for two weeks, and I wanted to share with you what the cottage looks like as of today, because it’s so cute and it’s come so far. We haven’t purchased any new furniture yet for this house, everything you see in it we already had and we hauled down to the beach from our storage building. I love that because it helps us clear out our overcrowded building and saves us some money while furnishing the cottage!
These photos were taken literally as we were walking out the door to drive back home to Tennessee, so they’re not staged or even remotely professional, but I kind of like that about them. It’s very much where we’re at right now in life, and I am more than okay with that.
This little room is our main entrance. We have a front door in the living room, but at the risk of carrying wet sand throughout the entire house every time we enter it, we use this little light filled back entrance to get in and out of the house. It’s also the only dining area in the house, so though it’s teeny tiny, it’s so cozy and bright, and one of our favorite rooms in the house. It was previously an addition of some kind that had a sinking floor, so PJ ripped it off and had it rebuilt and voila!
When we got to the shack a few weeks ago, the kitchen hadn’t been painted yet. It is the only room the painter couldn’t get to in time for us to stay here, so over the course of a few days, PJ began sanding, caulking, priming and painting the kitchen.
We went back and forth on if we should keep the ceiling the original wood (we’ve painted all the ceilings white in the rest of the house, as you’ll see) to give the kitchen a little warmth, and so far we’re liking it. The mix of the dark green cabinets, white walls, and wood ceiling give me Ralph Lauren vibes and I’m here for it.
This is the room that is the least complete. We still need all the appliances and open shelving on the sink and stove wall. PJ installed the cabinet hardware he found for a steal of a deal at a random Habitat for Humanity in Georgia last year, and the bronze really pops against the hunter green. The counters are honed Carrera marble.
We survived the week on a Keurig, a mini fridge, and a microwave. Can’t wait to have actual appliances and be able to cook in this kitchen!!
The bedrooms in the cottage are tiny, barely enough room for a queen sized bed and two night stands, but I kind of love it that way. With white, wooden walls and ceilings surrounded you, you kind of feel like you’re sleeping on an old ship in the 1940’s. It’s very cozy and, though the bed itself wasn’t comfortable, it was a very comfy room to sleep in.
We have plans for new lamps and to add some curtains, a rug, some art, and a very narrow dresser on the wall across from the bed, and maybe new nightstands, but other than that, this room is basically finished. There’s a full bath to the right of the bed but it isn’t finished just yet.
Ahhh the cozy and bright living room! The biggest room in the house is the one we do pretty much everything in. It’s also the room that’s undergone one of the biggest transformations. The window by the lamp didn’t exist before PJ framed it and had one installed, and the front door didn't, either. You used to enter the house through an enclosed sunporch with a side door, and there was a huge casement opening that lead into the living room. Now, it’s more traditional and has a much better flow overall. We love this little living room and it comfortably fit all five of us.
The couch and rug were Facebook Marketplace finds, as were the chair and the coffee table. The nesting tables are from TJ Max years ago, and the lamp came with the house. We had a little schoolhouse light where the ceiling fan is, but after being there a week, we realized a fan would be better for this room to help circulate air in the 100 degree weather, so PJ took down the overhead light and installed this fan we got at Lowe’s.
The curtain rods and blinds are from Home Depot and the curtains are drop cloth.
The biggest bathroom in the house, and right now, the only one that is completed (ours still needs tile on the shower walls). For such a small cottage, this is such a good sized bathroom and fits all of us perfectly. We brought this vanity down from a local store in Chattanooga and had marble tile that looks like little water droplets installed on the floor, and went with a wavy white porcelain tile (that reminds us of ocean waves) on the shower wall.
The bathroom used to be two little choppy rooms with the strangest layout, but we expanded and built on and had the contractors add new wood to the walls and ceiling to make it all match, and then just painted it all white.
In the space across from the toilet is where a stackable washer and dryer will be, so this room is pulling double duty as a bathroom and a laundry room.
So there you have it!! Next time we go down there, I will show you the kids’ room and our private bathroom. We still need a back deck and a small front porch, but for the most part, our little Beach Shack is basically finished. Well, finished enough to live in. And we love it.
