Beach House Reno: Part 1

Sharing a little about the inspo and furniture picks of our dream home!

When I say it’s been a journey building our dream beach house from the ground up, it’s been a journey. Three years ago, we found a very old, very run down mid-century house in one of our favorite beach towns on the East End. It’s four minutes from the ocean and 1 minute from my favorite farmstand. It could not be more perfect, or more overlooked. In fact, it’s no surprise this gem remained hidden. It was literally engulfed in woods. When we first visited the property, it reminded me of Miss Havisham’s gardens (before and after photos coming soon). Completely overgrown, completely run down and completely magical. It takes a certain kind of ambitious person (aka my husband) to want to take on a project like this but thanks to his grit and architecture degree, we took the plunge. Since then it’s been permits, demos, grading, clearing and all the not-so-fun stuff for nearly three years to get to this point —the decorating! I’ve always had a feeling of what I wanted our home to feel like. Let’s be clear, it’s no sprawling mansion, it’s a tiny 3 bedroom beach shack that has just enough room for the 4 of us and maybe a guest to get comfortable for a day or two (but not too comfortable). Our vibe is very easy, somewhat bohemian, Mediterranean by way of Ibiza but also classic. And though you might think I have the first clue about decorating a home, I can assure you, I do not. As I am with my recipes and wardrobe, I go by impulse and emotion, which I’ve learned (after many boxes of tchotchkes sent to donation), does not quite work for interior design. So I am very lucky a good, talented friend, Ronen Lev, who is in fact very good at her job, agreed to help us on this labor of love.

We partnered with West Elm on two of the bedrooms and the dining area. Jessica from Ronen Lev created a moodboard for us, which made it easier to source which pieces we wanted most. I knew I wanted the vibe to feel midcentury (thanks to the 1950s frame of the house that we kept intact) but also keep that Bohemian feel while still appealing to Nick’s architectural minimalist vibe. And I think we captured it! Below are our exact furniture picks. I will share the other rooms as they come along!