I’m currently spending a few days with my best buddy from college. She has a lovely home on Fire Island and we’ve been having fun catching up and working on our tans. This gave me the idea to write a quick post about setting up your own little beach-going ensemble. Don’t forget to bring your guitar and your best friend.

Resources

• Tommy Bahama Beach Umbrella: Amazon.com $48.49
• Jantzen Beach Towel: Dillard’s $15.00
• LL Bean Beach Tote: LL Bean $17.95 – $30.95
• Coleman Cooler: Coleman $25.99
• Beach Chair: BeachStore.com $109.95

The homes and townhouses come furnished. Here’s a sneak peek at the interior designs by Patricia Reid Baquero.

Natural materials were used throughout. Spots of color come from the accessories and plants. I love the arrangement of plants and dishes set atop the hand-carved coffee table in the top-most photo. Not so great are the seashells on the oars. But the burst of blue is a hit with me.

I always like looking at beds for new ideas on how to dress them. I think I like the style on top the most. What do you think of the teal?

I’m a sucker for a beautiful beach sprinkled with palm trees.

Have you been the the Dominican Republic? And, who’s up for buying a beach house?

Today, we’re taking a look at the bedrooms. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about the before photos, except, “Huh“? Maybe, “Egads” or “Eeek“?

We painted the entire house light blue using Sherwin Williams’ satin oil-based paint. Love the art on the easel thing! Fail. Toss.

We bought new blinds from Lowe’s. Cheap! The art in every room is from IKEA.

The house needed a king-sized bed to attract more renters. I chose IKEA’s Hemnes bed. We still need to change out the bedside chests. But I can’t decide whether to paint them or chuck them. Suggestions?

The chairs came from our basement. I had new cushions and pillows made. I know the plant is “eeeew.” But I’m cheap and can’t find any fake plants in my price range. Suggestions?

I love this mirror (from Lowe’s – cheap!). I hate those blinds. I’ll change them out to curtains next year.

See the other bedrooms and bath after the jump.

How did they keep from bumping into things with all that brown? Satin – ooh-la-la. I switched it out to blue using the $7.99 duvets from IKEA and various IKEA duvet covers.

The furniture isn’t so bad. The lamps still need to leave this room. Next year.

This is the smallest bedroom, but it has the cutest furniture. I want to paint it fuschia. Do you think that’s a good idea?

The top is laminate. But if I cover it with glass, maybe it won’t peel off. In fact, maybe all the furniture should be painted. It’s amazing how all these good ideas slip away when the beach is beckoning.

We switched the beds to twins for rental purposes. I found these duvets and pillows on sale at Target. I love the mosquito nets!

I’m not so satisfied with the bathrooms. We installed rubber flooring squares in both baths. It looks great, but I wish I used white. The wallpaper is a terrific pattern. But it was poorly installed, and is beginning to peel off. I may go back this May to take it down, paint and use a stencil for pattern.

Resources

• The Hemnes bed and dresser in the master bedroom are from IKEA. So is the bedding, frames and art.
• The new lamps are from a local lighting shop.
• The blinds were cut to order and are from Lowe’s. I found the mirror there, too.
• The bedroom fabrics are from Robert Allen.
• The wallpaper is by Thibaut.

If you could change one thing in Chum Bucket, what would you do? Paint the bathroom? Change the floor? Paint the furniture? It’s hard to decide what should come first.

Over the next few days, I’ll show you the wonderful transformation of our rental home on Sunset Beach, NC.

Did we buy a cabin in the woods or a beach house? Did someone say, “dumpster“? Almost all the existing furniture went to Habitat for Humanity.

I started this project with a new space plan, and fresh “bones”.¬† New “wenge wood” floors (covered with an Olefin, “sisal” rug) and light blue satin paint let the sunshine in. The pillows on the sofa reflect the color palette – navy blue, turquoise, white and a touch of red.

Too bad I took this photo after taking down the “artwork” hung on the door. I moved the dining area to the right, so we could access the closet, and painted the door the same as the walls, so it blends in. The backs of the bookcases were painted blue to match the color scheme.

The new space plan allows for a main traffic path, seating for ten at the table, and storage.

A beach house should be light, breezy and fun. Not creepy, right? I harvested the sunlight by using reflective surfaces and using a satin paint finish. The painting is by Daniel Stewart.

More photos, info. and resources after the jump.

White slipcovers are a great design secret. They take a beating after a summer of renters. Bleach them back to new. Better yet, buy new ones. Ektorp replacements are $40.

The Clarence House curtain fabric had been discontinued. So I got a real bargain. I had a new cover made for the wicker chair to tie in with the pillows.

It’s amazing what a little paint can do. And new counters. And new hardware. But it was cheaper than new cabinets. I made the shade for the door to match the living room curtains.

Resources

• Most of the furniture came from IKEA including Ektorp Sofas, Liatorp bookcases and coffee table, and Nordmyra dining chairs .
• The curtain and pillow fabrics are from Clarence House.
• Olefin carpet can be taken outside and washed with a hose. This is from a local carpet shop and was very inexpensive.
• To read about the photos over the sofa, click here.
• The Capiz floor lamp is from West Elm.

Tomorrow I’ll cover the bedrooms and baths. In the meantime, please tell me what the previous owners (a plastic company) were thinking when they chose their furnishings.

This beach is one of the best kept secrets in “Beach World”. A bird sanctuary keeps the beach front undeveloped and beautiful.

Even a cloudy day is wonderful in the Brunswick Islands.

I hope to post my “before and after” shots of Chum Bucket later today. I’ve just got to sort through all the piles of stuff that magically accumulates during a vacation. Wish me luck!

This beach chair comes in lots of Sunbrella fabrics and sells for $159 at 4theBeach. See you on the sand.