Home Decor, Living the Beach House Lifestyle
We are celebrating our 30th summer at the beach house, watching our grandchildren come to love it as much as our children did, playing on the same sand dunes, learning to swim and fish, and enjoying the world of coastal water at very young ages…
Life is very casual, and things are rustic and weathered
There’s an outdoor BBQ station/bar
Where we do our grilling and chilling
Sunning and swimming
The great room has a wall of windows but we prefer to be outside
On the upper porch there is always a cool sea breeze and a beautiful view
Having a second home on the coast means outdoor furnishings must be easy to secure or move inside during stormy weather
“A hurricane is merely a brief interruption of good weather…”
Tiles make great placemats, and they can’t blow around
My pots are full of shells and a gazing ball so they don’t need watering, but Mother Nature adds some greenery now and then 🌿
An Outdoor Serving Station is a cart on wheels that can be easily be rolled inside
The top is set for a beverage station with a tub of snacks on the shelf below
A lot of the things I’d love to do aren’t practical, like this chandy from HGTV,
Anything permanent is out of the question
There is an arbor over the open area of the porch, so I could hang something that is removable like this from Terrain
In the meantime we have been enjoying this glass & light filled lantern, easily brought outside for meals, and kept inside so it doesn’t get filmy from the salt air
A high top table for 4 is good for viewing
A lot of boats go by, but it’s fairly quiet because the waterway in front of our house is a No Wake Zone
A children’s table is handy for eating and playing
There are several seating areas for 2, this one has a Handy Drying Rack, updated Wicker Chairs, and decorative wooden cooler
The east end of the porch is smaller and it’s where I like to read and have my Portable Art Studio close at hand
Now that we’re spending more time here, I want to redecorate!
We have debated about buying a new place- Douglas Elliman has wonderful properties full of temptations, but our hearts and memories are here
How dreamy is this from Overstock.com…
Sigh, maybe not very practical…
What do you think of this rug? {source}
Do you think you’d get tired of the pattern?
Since I like to use a variety of pillows, I better be careful with a new rug choice…
The kiddos are getting bigger, and we’re thinking bunk beds– I love this room from Coastal Living
We are going to need a bigger table, don’t you love the idea of a large square table for 8
As our family grows, we are debating about adding on, out or up…
I don’t know if I can handle that!!
For now anyway, I’m just going to roll with the tide…
Juicy Details
If you’re dreaming of your own beach house to decorate and enjoy check out these Florida real estate opportunites
click on green highlighted words or titles for links to more information
Roll with the Tide pillow/Pottery Barn Teen
You can see more ideas on my Pinterest Beach House board here
………………………………………………………….
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs
Celebrate and Decorate, Rustic and Refined, Inspire Me Monday
Between Naps on the Porch, Coastal Charm, Cooking and Crafting with J&J,
The Scoop, A Stroll Thru Life, Tickle My Tastebuds,
Full Plate Thursday, Work it Wednesday
Poofing the Pillows, Get Your DIY On, Share it One More Time
RSS - Posts
Your coastal home is a dream Jenna but I know it must be tempting thinking about a building new home or redecorating! What a fun mix of patterns and pillows and I love your seaside gardening with shells and gazing ball 🙂
Oh how fortunate you are! Just marvelously beautiful and welcoming.
Beautiful beach house! A great website that was beach rugs is clairemurray.com. I wish I had a beach house to buy her rugs. I am landlocked in Dallas.
Thanks so much Annie, I will go check it out! >
Oh, Jenna, thank you for giving us a more detailed glimpse of your lovely coastal home. What a wonderful place to share with your family—-especially as it keeps on growing! You had me at the deck…..I can feel those cool breezes right now while sitting with a book. I love your whimsical signs, bright colors and patterns. Redecorating is so much fun and breathes life into each space, but I know it can be overwhelming! You are so artistic and have such a good eye, that I know you’ll be successful with your adventure. Please share your findings! Rosie
PS: LOVE those bunk beds!!
Thank you Rosie, it is a slice of paradise except when everyone is here we are busting at the seams. We would love to have a bunk room for the 4 kiddos, so stay tuned 🙂 >
What a beautiful and inviting home ♥
summerdaisy.net
Very nice! Looks like you have a great place to spend the summer-enjoy:@)
And what a great “tide” is it!….How wonderful to be able to spend the time with your family with so many memories and truly your little piece of heaven…..the views are stunning!!
thank you Shirley, we are so lucky to have this place where our children always want to be- >
Jenna, love you beach house on the beautiful Alabama coast! Thirty years of memories is so awesome! Love the bunk beds idea! Happy Wednesday!
Thanks Pam, when we first bought this house, the Alabama coast was a sleepy little quiet place, nothing like it is now, but we still love it >
I love your family room! Such pretty colors.
Oh how fortunate you are! You must have to pinch yourself every morning to make sure you are not dreaming! So beautiful and welcoming.
Jemma
Thank you Jemma, yes, we are very lucky and often pinch ourselves 🙂 >
I am in love with your Coastal home! Everything is so pretty, serene, fun and yet it says to me; RELAX! We are going to a cottage on the beach in August and I am so excited to just get away. Looking at your pictures now makes me more excited! LOL! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thank you Cindy, we always treasure every moment here-I hope you have a wonderful relaxing trip to the beach in Aug! >
This looks like a heavenly spot for family and friends to gather. I love the way you put the bottles in the lantern and your inspiration pics are wonderful too. Can’t wait to see what you decide to do…either way it’s great. Love the hurricane sign!
Happy Thoughts of Home. Pinning. 😉
I love your beautiful coastal home, Jenna, both inside and out, for the inside is as bright and cheery as the out. What fun to have all those special memories with your family. I like all your decorating ideas that you’ve shared, especially those bunk beds for the kids. The deck with the wicker looks like a heavenly spot to me, but I also love your view of the water. What’s not to love? I love it all!!
Thank you Kitty, it is heaven, we’re just bursting at the seams 🙂 >
Your beach home is lovely, Jenna! I love your beautiful colors and great seaside tablescapes. I know your family enjoys getting together there.
Perfecto!!! your cottage is so lovely and you’ve used colors just like I love. My lakehouse is bright and blue/green too. So soothing and makes me smile.
Advice on your bunk beds…..we put a bunk room in our deer camp for the grands and we have free standing ones like in your picture. But when we rented a beach house in gulf shores in may, the bunk room had bunk beds built into the wall. They were perfect! My grandbabies are still very young and they provided so much more stability. And so cute. Check it out at Sand Castle West at Perdido. Now I want to redo our bunk room so bad……..
Going now to look at the links for more houses!!
Thanks Janey, I appreciate the tip on the bunk beds! We’ve got to do something pretty fast, the kids are growing!
Stopping by today via Coastal Charm and I am so glad I did. My husband and I are from Iowa and recently bought a home in Florida. We are still going back and forth but in a few years hope to make this coastal home our main home. We are redoing and slowly making it ours and I am always looking for inspiration. I really like your use of the blues. I swoon for your aqua door and pinned that family room. <3 Also, thank you for including that pillow. I am going to PBT next. 😀
Leisure living at it’s best and it looks so peaceful. Thank you for joining us again this week at Celebrate Your Story.
Everything is SUPER pretty!
I’d love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, and tips: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks Jess! >
I always love seeing pictures of your gorgeous cottage, save me a spot in the guest room!
ha, thanks Christine, it’s rarely empty!! >