Although we’ve shared plenty of small updates on social media, John and I realized it’s been nearly three months since a full tour of the beach house (our last full video tour was in December). Since then we’ve completed some big projects—like building in a pantry and constructing bunk beds—as well as a bunch of smaller updates, some finished just this past weekend. This post rounds up everything in one place.
similar chandeliers / dining chairs (ours are “gray”) / marble “vase” / range hood / glass pendants
I’ll start with the video tour because it gives the clearest overview of progress. If you prefer photos, there are plenty below, but a moving walkthrough captures the flow and details better. (Heads up: I forgot to show the mudroom and the downstairs bathroom in the video— the mudroom is mainly holding tools and scrap wood right now, and the downstairs bathroom looks the same as in our December footage.) The rest of the house is covered in the video, where I walk through what’s finished and what still needs work.
If you can’t watch right away, here are some photo highlights. First: the coffee table. I found a secondhand octagonal coffee table for $5, and after months of searching for a top (stone tops were prohibitively expensive), we decided to build a wood top and skim-coat it with Ardex feather finish for a lightweight white concrete look—similar to how we finished our old kitchen counters. For now the wood top is built and we’ll share the skim-coating step when we do it.
light fixture / sofa / similar rug / similar coffee table
In the living room we debated several pink chairs, but ended up keeping a cane chair we’ve had for years. It looks great and is surprisingly comfortable—John gave it his practical seal of approval. I added a seat cushion from Pier 1 and a flamingo pillow from HomeGoods, and it already feels right at home. We’re still on the lookout for a match for a paired look.
curtains (we cut the tabs off) / rods / lamp / similar side table / similar chair
We hung large art in the kitchen to anchor a big wall—a 30 x 40″ framed aerial print that matched the room perfectly in color and scale. It felt great that the natural wood frame harmonized with the original 100-year-old pine floors.
similar rug / similar stools / art / glass pendant lights / sconce / hardware
We finished hanging and hemming extra-long curtains downstairs, which help emphasize the 9′ ceilings and create a breezy beachy vibe. We wash the Ikea Lenda curtains to pre-shrink them, cut off the tabs, and clip them up. A powerful steamer from Target finally gave us the smooth look we wanted after trying a weaker one that didn’t help.
similar stools / curtains (we cut the tabs off) / curtain rods / art / pink letter board / sconce
We installed new cabinetry where a mini-fridge used to sit—over time we realized we didn’t need the secondary fridge and preferred extra cabinet and counter space. We also finished shallow 15″ cabinets along the right wall of the walk-in pantry so the cabinetry language continues from the kitchen into the pantry. Building and installing those cabinets was straightforward; the remaining tasks were adding hardware, cutting counters, and reinstalling baseboards and toe-kicks, which we completed this past weekend. A few paint touch-ups remain.
hardware / shelves / sconces / faux eucalyptus / marble board / pink bowls
The pantry is one of my favorite rooms in the house. It’s functional for vacation renters who bring bulky food items and supplies, but it’s also a great spot for overflow kitchenware or extra linens since the house lacks a proper linen closet. We wired an original pendant light so it’s safe and updated—such a small thing that makes the room feel special.
fridge / white pantry bins / similar blue mixing bowl / microwave / similar baskets
Upstairs we added more breezy white curtains that instantly soften and complete the bedrooms. In the front bedroom, curtains balanced a headboard that otherwise sat oddly in front of a narrow window—hung high and wide, they make the layout feel intentional.
striped blanket / headboard / side table / lamp / rug / curtains / curtain rods
The middle bedroom came together easily with matching side tables and lamps, gold frames with handmade prints, and a delicate brass mobile that adds a final, airy touch. The back bedroom—where we sleep when we’re there—got curtains, lowered sconces, and a pared-back bedside styling to keep the space calm and uncluttered. The whole house has a simple, hotel-like calm that we love, and I’m inspired to scale back at our main home as well.
duvet / throw blanket / similar side table / lamps / frames / similar mobile / similar headboard
striped duvet / side table / sconces / blue pillow / headboard / art
A quick note about the plug-in sconces we used: they’re designed to be hung and plugged in, so moving them doesn’t require an electrician or a junction box—just a few small screw holes where they’re mounted. That made repositioning them simple and low-impact.
The other big step this weekend was locking in a plan for the backyard: shed placement, patio material, and a cost-conscious design for a roughly 100-foot pathway from the street to the back. That’s a big topic for another post.
P.S. For our other beach house posts and a full list of paint colors and sources for every room, check our beach house category and shop page on our site.
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