Beach House Tour: Hilton Head Island

Well, friends, I think I am moving. My husband doens't know it yet, but he will know it as soon as he reads today's post. :-)

Our family loves vacations, and it seems lately we always end up in sunny Florida. Now don't get me wrong, it's beautiful there, and I love it. But I am girl with southern blood, and I feel more comfortable in the southern states where you can really FEEL the charm and the history of the area.

Today's featured beach home in Hilton Head is only 45 minutes away from Savannah, GA, the oldest city in the state of Georgia. This home also happens to be for sale.

It is a beach house AND a lake house. You don't have to choose! You have this beautiful, private view in your back yard and just a short drive to get to the beach.

The property looks to be well cared for and decorated, in a modern beach style. From the information on the listing, it seems as though that piece of art might be a motorized hidden TV. I'm all in.

This gourmet kitchen features a subzero freezer and a faucet at the stove to fill your pasta pot the easy way. The pendant lights add enough orange to the room, so I might change the paint color, but so far that is the ONLY thing I could even think about changing.

I can just see the mister and me hanging out here in the evening, reading quietly side by side, each next to his-and-her pendant lights. (This shows the strength of my imagination. I have completely blocked out the 2-year-old between us in the "H" formation, and the fact that my hubby isn't a book reader. He prefers his news and information at lightening speed and in as few words as possible, just the way he likes me, ha ha. But I digress ...)

I really love the shelf beneath the mirror here and that touch of green that warms up the space (I have just made a note to myself to find some leafy greens for my bathroom.) The sinks also cannot be ignored. I have never seen any like these before. There wasn't any specific information on that shower and all the tricks it can perform, but it's pretty obvious that it is something special. Perhaps that is a question for the realtor, Mr. Robert Young.

I can imagine the negotiating that will go on when the girls discover this room and adjoining bathroom.

This rec room could easily become a bedroom with just the right rug to cozy up that beautiful, shining wood floor. But who needs to sleep when there is pool! Billiards? That awesome game!

And an exercise room!

This has to be the best thing about the whole place ... the lanai with an outdoor seating area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a tropical pool area.

The outdoor kitchen features granite counter tops, and under counter refrigerator, and a commercial exhaust hood over the stove. And the pool features pure. joy.

The moss hanging from the trees, giving me that nostalgic feeling ... that comes free of charge. Sigh.

~Natalee

Beach Home Tour: Ocean City, MD

After blogging about the 8 Best Places to Buy a Beach Home , I couldn't resist snooping around the real estate websites in search of a spectacular home to feature here on the blog. Who doesn't love a house tour? Of a dream house? Even better.

This house's exterior is cedar siding, which happens to be a weakness of mine, 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. It has all the other usual stuff too, but to list them would make you think this house is ordinary -- something it is most definitely NOT.

(All photos courtesy of MRIS.com)

Even from this vantage point, you can tell the views behind are going to be fabulous, can't you? They are.

And the views inside aren't bad either. Personally, I think the decor could use some updates from StylishBeachHome.com, but maybe the new owners will take care of that.  ;)

Imagine having so many ways to enjoy the view of the bay ...

When I look at this room, I can appreciate how that pool table might be a fun gathering spot for guests or family, but I can only think about it for a second because that fireplace just takes my breath away. Do you see that interesting nook on the side ...

It houses your wood. Why is that so charming to me? "It's so Ma and Pa Ingalls."

What a haven this bed and bath combo is! I imagine the warm, bright sun waking me on a fall morning as I come to the double doors to fling open the luxurious drapes to enjoy my priceless view.

Outdoor kitchen? Check!

Screened porch? Check!

Wait, before you go!  One more look at the deck view of the bay ... ahhhh!

Beach House Tour: Nantucket, Massachusetts

Good news, folks.  This one's for sale.  For a cool $10 mill (plus) you can own this perfect Nantucket beach home ... all 8,333 square feet of it. This is where you can inquire.

Things I love about this house: its symmetry (I can't help it), the spiral staircase, multiple double doors to get out back and the checkerboard grass-n-patio that leads to those luxurious chairs.  Are you with me on this?

Dark wood has its place in coastal decor, and here is a good example of how it can be incorporated in a room without interrupting the serene white and tan tones that work so well with a beach home.

Apparently there is a living room and dining room upstairs as well as down. This is a traditional scene that could not be more perfect for a house in such an old part of our country.

With a whiff of bright apple green to wake us up a little.

Goodbye perfect Nantucket house on the beach. Stay beautiful.

                                                                                         ~Natalee

Beach House Tour: A Gulf Coast Vacation Rental

As discussed in this post and shown in this post, it's not altogether uncommon to find beach house rentals that are short on style and updates.  So when I find them done right, I like to celebrate them.

Welcome to 297 Red Cedar Way, in lovely Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.  This beautiful vacation rental is offered as one of the accommodation options by the Water Color Inn & Resort.  It is just a short walk to the beach.

The living room is not as spectacular as the rest of the house, but there are some stylish ikat chairs, a natural fiber rug, and some beach house pillows. The master bedroom is quite well done, however.  That wall color is just perfect.

Find a rug like that here: http://stylishbeachhome.com/item_226/Ivory-Silky-Shag.htm

Here is another "master" that could be used by another couple in the vacation party, just as well done, with blues being used as blue-grey in the bed linens and curtains. I am loving this interior designers solution to the wood-floor-in-the-bedroom problem: treat the space between the bed and the wall as its own tiny gathering area by using a rug.

The guest or children's bedrooms are no less stylish, and the designers capitalized on the opportunity to be playful and colorful.

The kitchen has a little room for more flair, and I probably would have chosen these chairs instead, but it has a lot of potential, if only they shop at StylishBeachHome.com  ; )

OK, in all honesty, this is one room I'm kinda disappointed in.  I feel like it is a departure from the rest of the house's style, and it could use new table, chairs, lighting, and art.  At least it's got great paint color and wainscoting.

Besides, I can forgive this dining room its sins, because there is not one, but TWO even better places to gather and dine with friends. Again, it could use some accessories, but that is to be expected since there aren't any guests there yet to make it the warm place that it will become.

I think it's my nostalgia for my childhood, but I just love screened in porches. Especially when a storm was on its way and the wind would be blowing so hard, we children would feel so much excitement on the screened porch my Daddy had built from our carport. I can just see a crab boil on this table!

Look at the fabulous outdoor furniture they have here!  Seems like they have already found us!

                                                                                                                               ~Natalee

Dream House Tour: Lakehouse in Upstate New York

To many, the genius behind some architects is their ability to design something new that looks like it has belonged to an area for a long, long time.  You will understand such genius after the tour that I have for you today.

Siemasko + Verbridge

I like to keep in mind that "the beach" for some is a cottage on a lake.

This one has the added bonus of space to run around,

which can be hard to come by near some popular beaches.

Now it's time to go inside.

Wipe your feet!

Look at the sink detail.  I really love the light fixture, although I would have gone with nautical decor in this space. Maybe I'm a little partial.

I can just see the large family gathered here, enjoying the summer together, drinks in hand and little children padding around in their bare feet.

This space is a little traditional for me, but it's hard not to adore this eating area and that view. I was wishing I had a photo of the living room/family room, but then I figured maybe they didn't spend much time there ...

... because they always found themselves sitting here.  Imagine Autumn!

This breathtaking lake house tour was brought to you by:

Siemasko + Verbridge, a full-service architecture, interior design, decorating, and landscape design firm.  You can find them here.