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.

Sunday Morning Warm and Colorful "Ponderings"

 

It is cold and very windy at the beach today. The sun is warm but the wind on the beach makes for sand in your eyes and a fast exit. Island Life in the winter months are my favorite. Quiet, simple and chilly. More treasures seem to wash up on the beach..or maybe  just less treasure hunters out there at this time of year. Right?

To back track a bit from last August, I will share in pictures, what I have been doing all that time. One of my favorite projects, was Sundew Cottage. This cottage is available as a rental. Please contact Tybee Cottages  for more info. The Jane Coslick custom colors worked out great on this wonderful magical place. Sea Buiscuit and Tybee turquoise and Melon made a bright and cheery statement. The Cottage was featured on the  Cottage tour in December and the homeowner order the most wonderful garland to hang for the tour.

Jane Coslick Cottage colors.
(if you want to know more about my custom cottage colors.. email me at janecoslick@gmail.com)

                                             the colors in a beautiful handmade garland

TODAY...
I am going to share a bench story  (not a beach story)…the life of a designer is not always perfect..but it is never dull.  I expose clients to new ideas, colors, patterns and furniture. Everyone has a "comfort zone" and keeping them from staying to far in that zone is the hard part.  I remind them, "It is not life or death..it is about what makes you happy when you walk thru your door at the end of the day.

                                   Many lives of a BLUE BENCH……………….

mother nature  gives us treasure every day.

The Blue Bench …..  I purchased it for its uniqueness . I added it to a  hall way of a clients house. It was not really functional ( narrow seat) but it added a great punch of color to an otherwise dull  space.  the client wanted to stay totally neutral however, so we took the bench out of her house (My assistant Anna and I were secretly hopping she would not like it so we could have it for our own use.) We used it for My Jane Coslick  Holiday Cottage Tour in December on one of the porches in a wonderful old Tybee Raised Cottage. A true family beach house full of laughter, wet bathing suits, and sandy toes. All the porches are over 12 feet wide and  they surround the side of the amazing and well loved cottage.

  NEXT STOP….

bright blue

After styling the house for the tour, the bench once again had no special deserving spot due to a major renovation that was beginning soon at the cottage.  The floors at "99 Steps to the beach" cottage had blue floors so that was not the place for the wonderful bench. (I did not have the heart to repaint it )..so the "pondering" began. I was working on converting a client's twin bed room into a queen  bed room. A great painting by Blanche Nettles Powers was the center focus of the room as was a funky hand painted chandelier. In my search for a queen headboard, I happened to stop by  my storage unit looking for a treasure   to use in the room and there sat the funky little bench…Long story short…. It became my headboard of choice!!!

after

It wasn't the perfect width but  in the over all look of the room.. it had all the interesting elements that I had in mind. PS We took the bottom  part of the bench and put it in game room for the overflow of guest watching a pool tournament .

 Happy Colors.Happy Sunday!!

Sundew Sunday….

Sundew on Sunday…a happy little cottage I must say!! A great collaboration between my client and I has made us great friends and "partners in crime" on this project.

A few more images for you . ….We are getting steps for the back to the pool and a few more touches here and there. In cottage design, the fine line between "to much" and "not enough" is tricky. Everything that comes thru the door occupies more space that in a normal size house. It takes less  and what does come in …comes in larger than life.

front porch dining

out door shower area

the porch ( with the back door blocked off until the  steps arrive)

the front bedroom/office

inside dining

a school locker for more kitchen supplies

ready for guest

the wonderful pool and patio ……...got your bathing suit on?

 These are vintage  pieces of architecture converted  to make the trellis for Sundew Cottage  . I bought them in Nashville and have saved them for something very special…….

28 SOLOMON AVE
TYBEE ISLAND
USA
www. tybeecottages.com

Introducing SUNDEW Cottage…..

The paint isn't dry ( honestly) but I  had to share a few images of this amazing cottage. The porch floor  paint ( Tybee Turquoise) isn't dry and the exterior fence and landscaping and pool area aren't ready but  here are a few images Anna took today.( SO glad Anna is back helping me this summer while school is out)

 More  photo and the interesting story about SUNDEW……..

The WOW Power of Color…….

I have an exciting new project and it will be amazing . The client is fun and funny and loves color.

the inspiration for the  cottage

My mother's Day present that inspired  me….island hibiscus !

the Jane Coslick Cottage colors that I am using 

the exterior cottage color  

the outdoor fabric throw pillow is my client favorite

mixing raffia accents ( this is a different project play room at Doc Holiday cottage)

and this ( Doc Holiday Cottage)

99 steps cottage   more inspiration

I think I am in love…….color beautiful color……

STAY TUNED TO THE PROJECT AS IT UNFOLDS…
( it will be a Tybeewww.tybeecottages.com

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……………….