By Cindy Srader
Every year vendors try to excite the public with bigger and better things we NEED. I can’t help but be drawn to shiny things. This month my articles will all be about new innovations in kitchens. In looking at what is new and exciting out there I found several things that you can incorporate in your beach home. I am fascinated by this

New Years is the time of year to look around you and pick a project you have been putting off. For instance if you have been wanting to change the color of a room and just did not feel like doing it, make the resolution that you will have it done by ______ date. By determining just one thing that will make your life better in some way will give you a brighter look at life. Make sure you give it a

By Cindy Srader
HOW TO”…Make New Years unforgettable!
This week, I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my articles this last year! I have a lot to be thankful for. Being able to live in this wonderful place is one of the main reasons. Another is that you cannot help but have a smile on your face when you are watching

by Cindy Srader
Opposites do attract! Look at the colors of the corals in the pictures and then see how they were matted in orange? Blue and Orange are on the opposite sides of the color spectrum which makes them look great together. If you are a computer Wiz, the internet is the perfect place to find clip art of shells and any sea life you are looking for. Anything that is

Being at the beach this time of year is my favorite season. It is so tranquil and just taking a walk on the beach allows you to hear the waves and see the birds making their daily rounds. In the summer there are so many people that sometime you lose the peacefulness that comes with school starting and the temperature dropping. I see people out walking their dogs and using their

by Cindy Srader
When it comes to beach living anything natural goes. Using Seashells, starfish, seaglass and driftwood as your ornaments will make your Christmas tree at your beach home one of a kind. If this is your first Christmas in your beach house, what a fun family activity to make your own ornaments. When I was growing up, flocked trees

By Cindy Srader
Thanksgiving is the time for family and friends to gather for fun and fellowship. In our busy and far flung world today, sometimes we only see our extended families during the holidays. There is no where better than a family gathering at the Beach. This time of year the weather is wonderful and being able to sit on the deck with your family and

One of the joys of building Bolivar back is our ability to use our imagination and not be cookie cutter homes. To me half of the fun is making a home my own. Your homes personality should come out as soon as your friends and family cross your threshold. Looking at flea markets and used furniture stores will help build your uniqueness. Painting used pieces white or bright colors will add the warmth

Nothing beats a White Christmas. Living at the beach of course we do not have snow, but we have the white caps of the waves, the beautiful shells and the shining sun. Another great thing that makes this a wonderful place to live during the holidays is the beautiful fireworks. The beauty of red, green, blue and white lights makes us realize that when decorating our beach homes for Christmas

When designing their beach home, some people want it to look like it has been there for generations. One way is to use a lot of bead board painted white and either reconditioned older appliances or new reproductions. The appliances are very colorful and can match just about any décor you have in the rest of your house. Kitchens are sometimes neglected because most people don’t use their

In riding around the Peninsula, I have noticed the beautiful new homes. One addition that many seem to be adding to their new homes is a screened in porch. This is a wonderful way to still be outside and not worry about those pesky mosquitoes and flies. Most of us remember our parents or grandparents beach houses of the past and most did not have air-conditioning. I remember sleeping in beach houses

What a whimsical way to have a nautical room. I love the mirror that is surrounded by the paddles. It adds bulk to the mirror and is an elegant, unexpected addition. The palm fronds on the side table add that tropical feel also. The blue and white of this room, gives you the feeling of being on a beautiful sailboat and taking to the sea. Using the slip covers on the chairs and also having the blue stripe made

Here is a room that is all things Nautical! I believe that anything can be art and this beautiful piece of driftwood above the couch is a piece of nature that has it’s rightful place. This room is subtle but has many elements that as soon as you see it you can’t help but smell the sea. Each part of this room is separate but comes together. The old chest could be a sea captains, the rope on the table could have

This is something that I wish I would have known about when I built my beach house! I have a house full of dogs and having this gate would have been a great way to keep them in the utility room when we are gone or have company over. I love my babies but not everyone likes a dog jumping on them! The dogs would still be able to look out and not feel so closed in. As you can see this is a pocket door that

When you have a beach home the first thing you have are tons of friends and family making their reservations! Having sleeping options makes it much easier to accommodate your company and makes it easier on the homeowner. This room just lets my imagination run away on how I would be able to use it! One of the first things that you see is the wide headboard that is covered in natural

This built in couch on your porch would be great for conversation or even taking a nap. If you can sew these cushions, it would be easy for you to make yourself. There are also several places on the internet that will make the cusions any size you would need. If you are brave enough to tackle the cushions make sure you ony use Sunbrella fabric. I ordered Sunbrella cushions for my deck before Ike for several chairs, I did have the cushions inside when

How many times do you wish you had more sleeping space in your beach home? Looking at this picture makes me think of the wooden and the iron daybeds I have had in my life. The one thing I would change about this space would be is to have rollers on the coffee table and have the sofa be a sleeper. The rollers would make it so much easier to just roll the table away when you pulled out the sofa. This room

Well, once again I found another way that when living full time in a beach home, which often means downsizing, finding extra space is a real plus. In many homes there is only room for one dining area, but by using this built-in dining nook you can actually have an eat-in kitchen and not lose a lot of space. Note how the space beneath the benches is used as drawers instead of the conventional

Looking at junk shops is lots of fun but especially if you have something to search for. This headboard is so cute and so easy and very inexpensive. You may even have some old paddles that you would like to replace. I like the difference in heights and color of the paddles. The shades of the walls being painted in a blue-grey tone is the perfect backdrop for the headboard. The hanging lamps with the

Well, it doesn’t have to be on your shoulders to make you feel like it is. Sunny yellow has a way of making anyone feel good. For most of my married life I have had a yellow kitchen. The main reason is that I am NOT a morning person! Yellow just makes me start my day with a smile instead of a snarl! The room I chose has bright yellow as the base for the design. Once again the painting on the wall was

If you don’t know where to start when you are decorating a room, use something that you love for inspiration. The picture on the wall tells it all. Relax…is exactly what you want your guests to do! I love the colors in the picture and they were used so well in this room. The pale blue in the stripe around the white room adds a little unexpected color without overwhelming the room. The pale blue with the

Living at the beach and downsizing for me meant that I never have enough storage space. I guess part of the reason is I am always finding treasures on the beach and just one more thing that I “Need” for the house. My husband laughs and tells me that in the future if I buy something I need to get rid of something else. That will never happen! The room I chose this week shows how you can have a dual purpose

The room I chose this week highlights two ways to make your beach bedroom have that extra layer of charm and to also highlight a different way of lighting. Notice the stripes on the walls of this room. It looks like two different colors, but you can get the same look by painting your room one solid color and after the paint dries use painters tape to create your stripes whatever width you want. The next step

When I drive down the beach, each week a new, gorgeous, huge beach house appears. When you have a very large room sometimes it is overwhelming trying to figure out furniture placement! In the room here, I love the calm aqua walls with the rest of the room being white. Looking at this room, I can see they took the color inspiration from the aqua garden stool next to the couch! It is the exact color. I use

No rules here, just a nice homey feeling. Each of us has a style we are comfortable with, bring it to your beach house. In the picture below there is vibrant Red, White and Blue. Note the mattress ticking on the chair and how they used the chair’s ottoman as a coffee table. Great use of space and the red lamp makes this a more country room than a Beachy room. The flag pillow shown

If you are setting up your beach home as a permanent residence and have more formal furniture, you do not have to get rid of everything and buy new! I love the look of formal and with casual elements all mixed up together! This Palette of soft colors, white with a hint of blue is very soothing! The pink flowers add that touch of color that really pops in this room. Note the beautiful oversized seashell mirror and the

This week’s room is a wonderful use of space. Nancy and Gary Ames have several children and need to use their space in the most efficient way. These bunk beds are beautiful and make the best use of the room. Everything including the size of the window in the room was designed to use the space for the most sleeping area possible. When they were building their house, they had KWT’s cabinet maker create the

The Beach Homes we are building today are sometimes smaller than we would like. With prices rising on building our homes, using creative ways to get the most Bang for your Buck is more important than ever. I love this room because it shows how you can get a King sized bed in a smaller room and have additional storage. You could have something like this built with doors on the top two levels to