Happy Labor Day weekend sunshines! I hope you have been doing very little laboring and a lot of relaxing. We are still down at the beach soaking up the Florida sunshine. With my parents around to help lend a hand, the hubs and I have been enjoying the extra help with the boys and have even managed a few date nights. I am completely in the beach state of mind and SO excited to be sharing a tour of our neighbor’s beautiful beach cottage house. This adorable beach cottage lends a nod to the old Florida cottage home style and lifestyle.
Florida the way it used to be…undiscovered. Think modest, casual, comfort with a pinch of Spanish moss, Cypress trees, citrus plantations, and vintage treasures. Think Weekie Wachee Springs and to the time before Walt Disney World even existed. This is the Florida I love, the “Old Florida.”
Come on into this “Old-Florida-Style” Beach Cottage lovingly called the “Florida Cracker”. Renovated back in 2008, this cottage is full of fun finds and tons of beach cottage charm. I hope you enjoy and find lots of tips for decorating a beach cottage!
Eight Charming Ways to Get the Beach Cottage Look
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SOURCE UNIQUE ACCESSORIES
While Homegoods definitely has cute coastal stuff, try to head off the beaten path too! Head to local antique stores to see if you can find some interesting conversation pieces. Here you can see this fun citrus basket which is perfect for Florida charm.
And here is a fun boat float as a seat cushion on the dining room table.
2. PICK A NEUTRAL AND CONSISTENT COLOR SCHEME
Sticking with a neutral color pallet of cream, browns and light blue throughout the home help keep the flow throughout rooms and can help make spaces feel larger. Also- if you pick a sand colored couch the sand won’t show- just saying! 🙂
3. ADD TEXTURE
4. WEATHERED WOOD
The more it looks like it might have washed up on the shore- the better! Who doesn’t love driftwood?
5. USE LOCAL TREASURES
6. HAVE FUN WITH LIGHTING
7. MAKE A BUNK ROOM
If space is limited but you are expecting lots of friends and family- why not design a bunk room? This is a great way to get some extra sleeping quarters in tight spaces.
8. USE WHITE BEDDING WITH POPS OF COLOR
When decorating the bedrooms, start with a white comforter and add pops of color with accessories.
Absolutely beautiful! I love it. My fav may be the citrus bucket and the mermaid in the window.
Love the beach house tour! We just got home from the beach and I wish our beach house was as awesome as this.
~ Ashley
I love it all especially the bunk room. I am from Annapolis MD and have only been to Florida once when I was
Very young. I think your love of "old Florida" is like my love of "old" coastal South Carolina. I love the beadboard walls & ceilings paint white with dark handed down antique pieces. Love to decorate with shells, flags, coastal birds etc. A beach house isn't complete with a bunk room!
I remember the old Florida almost the same way, I lived in Florida for 20 yrs. We moved there 5 yrs. before Disney World and I just loved it so much. You are right it changed so much in the yrs. following, but I still love it and miss it a lot. We rented a little cottage much like yours, but really rustic compared to yours, and I don't think I have ever loved a place as much as I loved that one, it was on the beach and small enough and easy enough to take care of so I could spend a lot of time on the beach and we did a lot of cooking out on the beach, we made friends quickly, so we always had friends over on the week-ends, and family and friends would travel to spend vacations with us and that little cottage was magical. One thing I learned early on was to use no bugs-my-lady I used the wax and the shelf paper, that stuff really worked. I love that clam it is so pretty, but what I really fell in love with was the Mir-maid. I love all the bead board and the furnishings are perfect, I would have been thrilled with that kitchen, mine was about half that size. and those built in bunk beds are just adorable I sure could have used those, our little cottage had a good size back porch, you know the kind that had the old slat windows that cranked out, well when we had people stay with us we would bring out roll-a-way beds and set up on the porch and with that wonderful ocean breeze it was very comfortable. You have made me remember a wonderful time in my life, Thank you.
Patty,
I too lived there pre-Disney days in Titusville. Love old Florida. We lived in a "double decker" trailer, one that had an upstairs with 2 bedrooms and a bath. I've never seen anything like it since. A girlfriend's parents live in a cracker cottage right on the river, would probably be called a shack now, but it was perfect for a young growing family. This cottage is much fancier, but the feeling is the same..