It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on a year that we’ve owned a place near the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
I’ve put a lot of love, sweat, and yes, a few tears, into renovating this home. The result is a warm, welcoming space that reflects our taste and daily routines. Neighbors and friends have commented on the care that shows in every detail.
Additionally, this work aimed to create the coastal retreat vibe that Doug and I enjoy. We chose finishes, textures, and lighting to support the style we enjoy. The renovation respected the home’s character while ensuring comfort for daily living.
I’m not an interior designer, nor have I ever claimed to be. I just love making spaces nice. It makes me happy to be surrounded by special things. This is the 4th renovation on a home we’ve done, and I think it’s the prettiest one yet. My inspiration was the soft blues in the sky, white puffy clouds and soft sand. I guess it’s that southern California girl in me that always wants to be reminded of the beach.
From Traditional To Coastal
Before I share the “AFTERS”, let me give you a quick tour of the before. The previous home own had a very traditional style (the furnishings are all the previous owner’s in the BEFORE pictures) so my first order of business was imagining how to transform the traditional elements into a more life by the water style.
And let’s just address the elephant in the room….THE FIREPLACE!!
20 ft ceilings and a 20ft stone fireplace to match. UGH. Don’t get me wrong, I like the look of stone…I just didn’t like the look of THIS stone. The mortar work was shabby and the yellow and dark tones in the stone were nothing close to what I wanted for this coastal home.
I played with white washing the stone. But that just exacerbated the lack of quality in the stone and the build of the fireplace. And you know how you may not want to wear white pants when you’re not loving your figure because it makes everything look bigger? Well, it made the monstrous fireplace seem even more overwhelming.
I kept thinking, “I wish we could just tear it down.” And then, almost as if he was a superhero who could read minds, my husband asked, “should we just tear it down?” I was saying yes before he even finished the sentence.
And so, we ended up with a fireplace and room that looks like this.
I went from angst filled to adoration! I was so lucky to find contractors who delivered exactly what I wanted. All of the trim work was custom and we increased the size of the firebox for a warm and cozy vibe. I couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out. Somehow, with the texture of the moldings, even though it’s painted white, it seemed to recede instead of stand out.
Time To Update The Kitchen!
There were quite a few things I needed to overcome in the kitchen. The dark counter tops are not my style at all. The honey wood cabinets looked a bit dated. And the two tier kitchen island didn’t seem to serve any real purpose. And the light fixtures? No. Just NO!
I didn’t have the budget to tear out the kitchen and start from scratch. Additionally, I didn’t have the budget to replace the tile floor, which I’ve accepted after discovering they’re HEATED floors. This budgeting constraint shaped my approach from the start.
Luckily, cutting the island down to one level wasn’t a huge project. That opened the design flood gates for me. It also influenced the choice to keep existing elements where possible. This approach saved time and reduced disruption. It allowed me to focus on small, meaningful updates.
Goodbye generic kitchen, hello coastal dream kitchen. It captures the look and mood I want for a home. I pictured warmer textures, brighter lighting, and more air flow. This transformation feels practical and personal, not flashy. Every small change supports daily life and long-term comfort.
I don’t even know where to begin with how much I love this kitchen! I used Cambria Quartz for the counter tops (Everleigh in the matte finish) and then complemented the soft white and gray in the counter with elongated subway tiles that had shades of white and barely there gray.
The blue island (Benjamin Moore Denim Wash) is the perfect pop of blue that ties into the lighter blues I used as accents in the adjoining family room. And I really like the over-sized hardware. It really feels great when you open the cabinets and the drawers. TIP: I had my contractor swap out all of the hinges and rails in the cabinets and drawers to soft close, so they feel much more custom! Worth it!
As functional as a kitchen needs to be, I wanted to add a little bit of “pretty” which is where my “wedding cake” (as Doug calls it) light fixture came in. It’s made of capiz shell and is just a soft glow. I had my painter paint my kitchen table a softer shade of white (Sherwin Williams Pearly) and it was the perfect match!
A Few More Rooms To See!
While it’s not a room that will likely get a lot of use, it required careful planning. I had to imagine how to make a room with traditional elements feel like it belonged in a coastal home. The former owner used antique furnishings, so it took time to decide what to do. With the chair rail and window box moldings, I thought a crisp blue and white was the look. For this room, it was the perfect finish. It might be the prettiest room in the house.
Coastal Cozy Blue Room
As soft and ethereal as I tried to make most of the rooms in this house, I’ve always loved using navy blue as an accent or even a total room color. This little study with a fireplace needed to be cozy. And painting it a deeper blue created the perfect spot to read, do some work or take a nap!
Notice I “drenched” the chair rail in the same color as the wall. I felt like painting it white would look too much like a stripe through the room. It still gives some texture and lets the white of the fireplace and the baseboard/crown moldings get the attention.
I also created a cuddle up space for me in the master bedroom. I just love curling up in this chair and looking out at the water. It’s so relaxing and peaceful!
Let’s Go Outside!
A big draw of this home was having a water view to enjoy everyday. We also love the covered porch to enjoy drinking our morning coffee and watching the sunset in the evening.
Loving Our Coastal Retreat
I basically spent about 6 months transforming this home into the coastal vibe I dreamed about. It’s a great house to host family and friends and we’ve really enjoyed how much fun the dogs have in the back yard too!
So, welcome to our home! I hope you enjoyed your tour and our little slice of the Chesapeake Bay area.
From my home to yours,
Jill
