LOVE OF THE SEA: Birdcage

For those of you who are not familiar with the blog Shorely Chic - please check it out. It is an amazing blog for those coastal chic loving fans like me.

Also, Liz's Shorely Chic Etsy Shop has some great accessories for the coastal chic home...I have purchased shell coasters, a vintage vase, wine sacks with starfish on them (make great gifts) and my most recent purchase, a vintage gold birdcage that was waiting for me at home last Friday when I returned from a trip.

Liz has great style and I love reading her coastal decor inspiring posts. Here is a post she did on my house in May 2010...hope you enjoy it.

TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2010

Real Home - Beach Inspired - Edition 1!!

I am over the moon excited to introduce the Real Homes - Beach Inspired series to Shorely Chic. I am always looking for inspiration in magazines and on the web for beachy/coastal homes and decided it would be really fun to seek this inspiration from the very people who follow this blog and my twitter and facebook pages! I sent out notice via facebook and twitter last week about this series and was asking for volunteers. I received lots of responses with so many awe-inspiring photos to look through, and the best part, these homes were real created with real budgets and without professional styling - so genuinely Shorely Chic!

My first feature is on the gorgeous home of Debbie from Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. I asked Debbie to give me a brief overview of the remodel of her home in coastal Florida to tie in a story with her beautiful photos:

All my life, I have lived on the coast and since I was a child, I've always had a love for seashells, sea life and the ocean. Whenever I am near the water, I feel a sense of serenity, inspiration and peacefulness. (Ahh, like music to my ears...-SC) When my husband and I decided to completely renovate our 1953 home, we moved out and re-did it from top to bottom, inside and out. I have always loved interior design, so I decided toexplore my creative side and design the interior to evoke the feeling I have when I'm around the ocean(my point exactly!! - SC). I chose a color palette of blues, greens, pinks and creams - with a small dash of red. I have infused little touches of the ocean into every room. I love starfish - all kinds, and I have included them throughout my house.

I have so many favorite areas - both inside and outside - but I think my most favorite is my kitchen. The photos do not do it justice. I designed every aspect of this kitchen myself and then had it built exactly as I wanted it. I wanted the kitchen to feel like a room where you could just hang out...which is why I selected shelves opposed to upper cabinets - it gives the room much more of a casual roomy feel. The color of the cabinets are winter sky blue - they are the most amazing color and I just love the marble counter tops. I went to the marble factory and picked out the slabs myself and then had the marble honed so it has a more natural finish.