New Life Into An Old Cottage……..(The House That Found A Home)

I loved this cottage and tried to get the owners to let me help them restore it. They wanted "new"
and could not see the potential in this magical place. A client of mine bought it so I had the opportunity to help move and save it and restore it. I wish it could have been restored where it sat because it has to be brought up the code and raised up. Here are a few finished photos. I will post the before photos on the next post.

Living Coastal ..An Original Southern Gem !!!

One of my favorite old island homes..in the universe!!! I had absolutely nothing to do with it from a design point but as a preservationist , I am thrilled beyond words that it has been preserved and restored in all its glory.
When people speak of "all things coastal" ….

                                                     front of the house faces the river

                                                               beautiful oak trees

escape

the tide is out

Add caption

details

12 foot wide porches

the laid back life

the garden

the view from the dock

Dock life!!!

Color And The Simple Laid Back Lifestyle.

Details and a bit of this and that…
I have been working on putting my office back together after a Coastal Living  photo shoot. It happened last week and I still  I can't find the  "taking car of business" things that I need. Therefore I am relaxing with Lance, the office kitty, and reviewing the past 15 years in technicolor ….I am pondering my new projects  while visiting my old ones.
My client are the center of any project.  I work around their  houzz photos, pinterest pages, their magazine articles, their "can't live without" list and the actually sizes of the the rooms and spaces . I try in some cases to keep them from over spending and over buying until we get the basics in place. Tiny space does create limits and EVERYTHING  that goes into a room has an impact…no so much with larger spaces.  The key here is to not overload the room.
In reviewing my photos, I realize none of the spaces have gone out of style or look dated.  They are a mix of "what we had on hand" and what is interesting and unusual that I ran across in my travels.
Then it came to me .. ….What I  create  for them is a  Lifestyle. Some are more formal, more sophisticated , but some are more bohemian, more "rusty crusty" but all definitely in the Island Style.
Some are casually elegant while other are simple and calming. Some are wild and wooly and some are a mix of what the client owns and how I mix it with a few new pieces.
I love it!!! Not many rules apply…. (other that the one I previously mentioned)

my most favorite shutters found a home at the beach...

Happy Island Sunday……………….

A Visit to Bohemian Cottage

  I enlisted the aid of the owner of Bohemian Cottage, Lisa,  to help me drop off, pick up, hang up, take down, unplug, plug in... and pull together several interesting places. It has been wild..

When I took her home, I got a chance to revisit my old cottage home. We walked in the garden and ponder springtime planting and new ideas for the gazebo.

The chaise that was there needs to be replaced…I thinking hanging swinging chairs…and big fluffy pillows and an ottoman.

I miss you Bohemian…..

a little blue and white magic

the tree with no name….

Lisa said her grandmother called it a snow ball tree.. "that works for me"

I miss you pond BUT not the screaming frogs under my  bedroom window

so many hidden things in the garden

This very old  tired Tybee wicker chair..(looks like I feel today….) I found it on the side of the road  years ago and it has had a great life in the magical Bohemian's garden.

"World Headquarters" needs something new….(I miss you "World Headquarter")

serious pondering spot

Lisa's new flowers I love the color with with "BEACH HOUSE BLUE' from my collection

I love this geraniums  too.

Lisa loves the cottage as much as I do and that makes me very happy…
Thanks for helping today  Lisa…Your a natural….I love how your bike matches your cottage.