Boho Beach House: The Process
Last month I went down to Florida for some creative projects and much needed sunshine. While I was there, I was able to reconnect with my friend from NYC, Gina, who I know through Seri (Little Miss Party). Gina also ended up in Florida with her family due to the pandemic, and if you follow on Instagram, you probably saw the epic pink mural I created for her daughter. After completing this project, Gina expressed her stress over decorating her beach house in St. Augustine to get it ready in time for renters starting in May. She asked me if I was interested in helping to complete this project if I was willing to come back… as if it was even a question! On my way out of Florida at the end of February I was already booking my flight back so I could complete Gina’s house over the course of two weeks at the end of March.
I’ve decided to break the details of this journey into multiple parts, because there is just so much I want to share with you! I spent 2 weeks with a blank slate, 3 bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen, and a sunroom to decorate. I had a rental car at my disposal and some really great stores I could shop at my leisure. A car is a luxury I don’t have in NYC, so it was very freeing to be able to design an entire home with so much at my fingertips.
So let’s jump right into the process before I share the “after” pictures with you. The photos below are the “before” photos that were listed on the rental website, but keep in mind Gina worked on major renovations in this past year. So these renovations made a huge difference, but the clients were stuck on decor, bringing the space together, and truly making it feel like a cozy vacation home.
Below are the “before” pictures, but after the renovation. These photos show the stage the house was in when I first arrived. As you’ll see, I had a pretty blank canvas to work with so I picked up my rental car and I went straight to work.
The first day I was settled in, I went thrifting at Drift Ashore in St. Augustine first, followed by many trips to Homegoods, Target, Ikea, Tuesday Morning, Lowe’s and Home Depot. The approach I took was much different than that of my usual clients, as I strictly went with my gut and what I was finding in person rather than online. I would go to the stores with a huge list of needed items, see what inspired me, and started to design around those items that I loved.
Sometimes I bought things I loved at the store… and realized they just didn’t work in person. So a lot of the hours spent on this project were merely trial and error, store runs and returns, styling the rooms and seeing what pieces fit into the puzzle.
Some days I would come home with items and this ^ is what the living room would look like as I began to organize and lay out the rooms in a way that inspired me. Some days it was completely overwhelming trying to imagine how it would all come together in only 2 weeks.
These were some photos from the middle of the first week, as I had started to collect some items that I loved but I was still playing around with how they would work in each room. There were even a few instances of buying new bedding and pillows and completely returning everything I bought after seeing it in person and deciding to go a different direction. The lesson here is that there is always trial and error! With home decor, there’s a good chance you won’t get it perfect on the first shot. These images below, from the upstairs bedroom, are a great example. I was toying with the idea of a darker comforter and it just wasn’t working. The lighter color was what worked, so I kept it and returned the other!
And finally, I’ll leave you with the pictures below of when I first got new cushions for the sunroom lounge set, vs when I filled in the room with the rest of the items it needed. At first, it was hard to tell if I liked the blue cushions. But I knew by bringing in the right rug, table, and additional decor it would be perfect.
