coastal e-design: ocean winds villa project, part 2

for the last few months, i have been working with my parents to furnish their recently purchased 2 bedroom villa on seabrook island, about 30 miles off the coast of charleston, sc.
to see the post on part 1 of this project, click here.




one of the first things that my parents and i talked about was the overall look
and function of their villa.


would this be a rental?
how often will they use it, and for how long at a time?
how many people would they like it to sleep?
how much updating do they want to pursue now?
what projects need to be tackled now, and which ones could wait for a later time?
what look are they going for? nautical? modern? traditional?

we all agreed that the main elements of the room should be neutral and textural. that meant the walls, the rugs, and the furniture would not have any significant color.  the color would be brought in with the artwork and the pillows.

we also agreed that there are a few projects that need to be addressed now, and some that can wait for later.

now:
paint the bedrooms
remove the weird, upper kitchen cabinet that divides the kitchen from the living space
paint the kitchen cabinets
change the bath + kitchen hardware
replace light fixtures





later:
paint the living area
remodel the bathrooms
remodel the kitchen
add privacy barn door to sunroom (see below)
add wall in between the "nooks" (see below)
revamp the fireplace






we started working on the main space first, which consists of a living area, dining area, and the long sunroom. in order to make the long sunroom (right around 8' x 23' feet!) function better, we decided to partition it into two spaces, which we called the "sleeping nook", and the "reading nook". (the floor plan already shows this area divided into 2 spaces)

the sleeping nook is closer to the dining room, and can be closed off with some linen curtain panels. in the next phase, when the kitchen and bathrooms are remodeled, we hope to make the opening a bit smaller, and add a barn door here to allow for more privacy. the sleeping nook can function as a third bedroom of sorts....it has a pull out sofa, and a dresser which will pull double duty as a media center to hold the tv. when it doesn't need to function as a sleeping area, (when my parents are there, for instance), it will act as a comfortable space to relax, read or take a nap.


the second nook we dubbed the "reading nook". it will have bookcases, two chairs, and a table. we envision this space to be an extension of the living room, as well as a space to enjoy the golf course view, sit with a book or even eat breakfast.


for now, the two spaces are divided with just the bookcase. i am TOTALLY against this... i want a WALL there, with electricity, and privacy. but, i just had to realize that this space isn't mine, and despite my very best efforts to convince my parents to put the wall in, i had to allow them make the choice to wait. (they were freaked out by the cost, and finding a subcontractor that they could trust long distance to pull off this project.)



we tried to use some furniture from my parents home in tennessee, but only a few items fit what we needed. (most are going into the "reading nook", which is why there is no design board for that space!)
we went back and forth between budget pieces, like ikea, and more expensive options. in the end, they opted for higher end sofas and chairs, and more budget friendly dressers and accent pieces, and mid range lighting fixtures.

i am gonna be honest here. we took a LOT of time narrowing down rug and furniture options. a LOT. i almost fired myself a few times. (ha! ha!)

here is the final floor plan:



once we had all of the large items in place, it was time to add the COLOR.

because my parents, well, my DAD, collects art, and so we started with the pieces that:
 (a) were color and style appropriate to the coast and not scary. my dad has some seriously weird and scary art.
(b) they didn't mind using in a rental property. sorry, no picasso's or da vinci's. (just kidding. it's not THAT kind of art collection.)

we went through about a dozen different art options, pulled together by my dad in neat little pdf booklets. each iteration had to be discussed with not only my parents and me, but they also asked my three brothers their opinions. (if you think that took forever, you are right. actually, add about 17 hours to forever and you are really close!)


just to give you an idea of the care that went into the art options, here are a few pages taken from several of the "art booklets":
(yah. my dad is really organized. and really loves art!)

 

 

once we decided on the art, it was time to talk about the last layer of color in the spaces....pillows, drapery and bedding.

we stuck with a palette of mostly greens and blues. my parents really responded to a lot of pattern and varied shades of blue mixed with brighter greens, and so the final pillows options are quite vibrant and varied.

here are the final design plans for the living areas:

when i post the after pictures, i will list all of the sources.
(i think you will be surprised where we managed to find MOST of the bedroom pieces!)


and, just for fun, here are a few earlier versions of the design board for these rooms:

to see part 1 of this project, click here.