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The Nights in Rodanthe House

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We looked at a cute beach house in California the last time we were together.  Let’s go all the way across the country to another beach house today – this time off the coast of North Carolina in Rodanthe in the Outer Banks.  (Can you tell I am dying to be at the beach?!)

 Nights in Rodanthe

Just in case you don’t remember the plot of the Nicholas Sparks book or the movie, Nights in Rodanthe, here is the link to the movie trailer to refresh your memory.

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The movie was filmed in Rodanthe and Wilmington.  Exterior shots were done at the house on the beach while interior ones were done on a set.  Much has been written about this beach house.  (It might even be called one of the stars of the movie!)  Julia at Hooked on Houses has done several posts about it here,  here,  here, and here.  I am not going to put the movie rooms in today’s post, but if you want to revisit those rooms, click on the first of Julia’s links or watch the movie again.:)

In case you don’t know the history, here is a brief synopsis of it.  It was built in the 1980′s and named Serendipity.  At the time of construction, there was 400 feet of beach between it and the ocean. Over the years, the ocean began to encroach upon the property, and in August of 2009, Hurricane Bill wiped out the septic system and took out the heating and air conditioning system, too.  (You can see a video of it after that hurricane here.)

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The owners wanted to sell the house, but no one was interested since it would take a tremendous amount of money to repair it and make it livable again.  Eventually the county wanted to condemn the property.  It looked like the house would not be saved, but then… something wonderful happened.   A couple came forward – Ben and Debra Huss.  They believed the home was worth saving.  So they purchased it and a lot to which they would move it, and in January of 2010 they had the house moved 7/8 of a mile to its new location.

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(You can watch a video of the move here.)

The Husses wanted to move the home to keep it safe from the power of water, and more than that, they wanted to decorate the interiors so that it looked like the inn in the movie. That is what I want to show you today.  They have worked tirelessly to make it look  like the movie house.  Let’s begin with the blue shuttered exterior…

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Just take a look at some of its rooms, and see if you recognize any elements from the movie.

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They tried very hard to copy the sets with as many matching details as possible.  In fact, they purchased some of the props from the movie to use in the 6 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath house.  Recognize the blue wallpaper and ornate bed in this bedroom?

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I love the look of this sunporch.  It really looks like a room out of an old Nags Head beach house.sunrealtync.com

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And I bet the view from this upper deck is amazing – especially for watching the sun rise!sunrealtync.com

The Husses named the house The Inn at Rodanthe to honor the movie, but it is not actually an inn.  It is really a house that you rent in its entirety.  Currently it is booked through the first week in October.

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There are many more rooms that I have not shown you from the Inn at Rodanthe, but I want to leave you with my favorite spot to soak in all the beauty of being at the beach…

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Wouldn’t it be relaxing (and romantic!) to be seated on that swing looking out at the ocean?

I’ll have another home from the Outer Banks to show you next time.  This one should be in a movie, but hasn’t as of yet.  And I’ll leave you with a question to talk about today…

If you could, would you build a home right on beachfront property?

I always love hearing from you!

   
Anne Boykin - May 21, 2013 - 1:54 am

Hi Kelly, Yes, I would build a house at the beach. I don’t think I could resist, if I had the money, but I sure wouldn’t stay there during any hurricanes. What a lovely home it is.

minnie - May 21, 2013 - 7:36 am

Yes I would! I have been hoping to win the lottery so I could do just that. All my children and
could come and stay as long as they liked. Then I would hire you to come and decorate to your heart’s content.

Louvina - May 21, 2013 - 11:32 am

I always thought I wanted to be right on the ocean front, but since we moved to FL and have seen all the storm damage that can and does happens, I have changed my mind. Actually, I planned where we moved due to the concerns of weather. We are right in the middle of the state almost the same distance from both coast lines. And I am blessed to have a beach front lake house and at times it feels like we are on the ocean! Like yesterday, the lake had big white caps and the wind was blowing up a storm– even turned over one of my umbrella tables! So after this morning of cleaning up palm fronds and Spanish moss everywhere– I’m so grateful not to be on the coast. BUT I do love visiting beautiful inns right on the beach– like Elizabeth Pointe on Amelia Isand. Love this post–loved this movie and book! Now to go back and dream about the rooms of this beautiful beach home! Oh, my Kelly– you know how to keep us all enertained with your “Talk of the house!”

Nancy - May 21, 2013 - 11:55 am

I would definitely not build a house on the beach. My feelings are like the song I learned in SS as a child. The wise man builds his house upon the rock. The foolish man builds his house upon the sand. Literally and figuratively. But I do think that some of the homes that “foolish” people build are beautiful. :)

Garden, Home and Party - May 21, 2013 - 1:31 pm

Kelly,
I saw that movie, what an interesting follow up story to the house. I must say, in light of global warming warnings and such, I no longer long to live on the ocean…inland a ways, yes. In fact, there are several homes on man made islands here in Orange County that could be wiped out if there is ever a tsunami due to earthquake…here on the Pacific that is a very real possibility. Mr. B always says that maybe we’ll one day have beach front property. :D
Karen

House Crazy Sarah - May 21, 2013 - 3:30 pm

They sure can fool us with their movie magic can’t they? This house always struck me as looking “fake” on film, like it was some false front/shell and not a real house. Joke’s on me!
It is gorgeous and it looks like it has found very good owners to take care of it.

missy - May 21, 2013 - 6:55 pm

If I had money to burn, which I do not, I would build an ocean front home. I think it would be wonderful!!

My mom and a friend hoped in the car one weekend to go find the Night of Rodanthe house. I’ll have to ask her, because I can’t remember if they ever found it. LOL! I do remember her saying they found out that it had been moved.

Kathy - May 21, 2013 - 10:22 pm

In a skinny minute I would build a house right on the beach and drink coffee every morning from a rocking chair on my huge porch while watching the tide roll in. And, I would walk on the beach every morning, collecting shells and I would walk again every evening while watching the sunset. My house would be big and open with lots of character and lots of windows and fantastic ocean views. (I have been saving the lucky dimes I find to buy a lottery ticket and when I win and my dream comes true, I will send photos.) Can you tell I have already given that question a lot of thought?

Dawn - May 21, 2013 - 10:38 pm

Yes! I would totally build a house at the beach if I could! I love Surfside South Carolina! We have rented houses there and it is a wonderful place to stay.

Kelly - May 22, 2013 - 7:33 am

Anne – I would probably do the same…and use every conceivable hurricane protection in building that I could find. And like you, I would definitely NOT stay during a hurricane. I remember hurricanes all too well from living in Mobile, Alabama when I was a little girl…scary! Glad you liked the house from the movie.

Minnie – Sounds like a good plan to me!

Louvina – I think you are so lucky to be close to water no matter which way you drive! We are all jealous. You are smart to be where you are since the storms can be so scary and damaging. We visited Elizabeth Pointe Lodge one time right after a hurricane came through there. The size of the waves after the storm was amazing!! And the wind was unbelievable too.

Nancy – You are the smart one! I just have a hard time resisting that view, that scent, that breeze….the sunny days fool you. I think my favorite homes are those found at the beach…big or little…they usually have such good architectural details.

Karen – A house on a manmade home? Boy that WOULD be scary. I have said what your husband said about property in California too. It sounds wild, but totally a possibility given all the earthquakes in your area. Very smart of you to be inland some. I would love to be closer to the water…the convenience without all the fear.

Sarah – It is amazing what they can do with movie magic, isn’t? I think if I understood it all, I would probably not like seeing movies as well. It is kind of nice to be taken into that fantasy land for awhile. I think the owners of the home are totally smitten with their project of recreating the house from the film, so she should be well taken care of for a long time. :) But many of the others in that area will be victims of the wrath of nature. Water is powerful force.

Missy – It would be wonderful to have that view every day wouldn’t it? I always thought it would take money to burn to have a house there, but recently one of my mother’s friends got a great bargain on a place at the beach…one that was in foreclosure. So your dream might actually be a reachable goal one day! :) Send your mom to the website in the post, and she can find the address of the home’s new location there.

Kathy – Oh yes, I can tell you have this all planned out! Your comment made me laugh out loud! :) Thank you so much for that because these days I need some laughs!

Dawn – Thanks for giving me another place to check out! I have never even heard of Surfside, so this is great!

Kelly

Wanda - May 22, 2013 - 9:19 am

I loved that movie, in fact I have it! Amazing job with the house!

Dayle - May 22, 2013 - 9:52 am

I’ve never seen this movie, but the house looks interesting, to say the least.

A California Beach Style Home (and some cottages too!)

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Happy weekend!  It has warmed up to the 90′s here this week and is beginning to feel like summer.  I commented to my husband that I badly need a beach trip.  He asked if a canoe/camping trip on a Georgia river would do. Sorry honey, but that is definitely not the same.  I want to lay out on the sand, smell the scent of salt water, and listen to the waves crash…sigh.  Guess I will just have to settle for dreaming of beach cottages until we can make a trip someplace where we can walk barefooted on warm sand.

Someplace like this…

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I’ll start my latest beach cottage dreaming with this house.   You may have seen it since it has been used for Pottery Barn photo shoots, and many years ago Coastal Living magazine featured it in an article entitled Fresh Air. From the moment I laid eyes on it, it was love at first sight, but it was not my typical taste. Nevertheless there was just something about it that said, This is what a house at the beach should look like.:)

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It is owned by Thom and Mary Ellen Vernon, the founders of the Fresh Produce line of clothing, and is located in Montecito, California.  They put many vintage touches in the home..from bead board to board and batten, from old looking appliances to antiques – but mixed it all beautifully with new pieces.  There is even a gumball machine below the wall phone!

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It looks like such a happy house to me.  I think the blue and green color scheme was what first made me smile, but I also adored it because it had such a relaxed feel – exactly what you would want in a house near the beach.  Just look at the toys on the mantle here.  That woodie with the surfboard on the top shelf is precious!

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Here is the very vintage styled kitchen.

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And aren’t the windows just wonderful in the dining area?

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In the original article, the owners said they had to convince the carpenters they wanted imperfections (like space between the boards, some scratches on the wood.)  They wanted the house to look old and lived in. Can’t you just imagine the looks on the faces of the builders…  You want us to do what??  The craftsmen also couldn’t believe all the windows that were in the house, but the Vernons wanted a lot of light.

The look of old and lived in is exactly what they got…especially in their four bedrooms.  Take a look at the master bedroom.

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How would you like to be able to walk out on this upper deck off your bedroom in the morning?  Give me a cup of coffee, and it would be heavenly!

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Here is one of the bedrooms for children.  It has two iron beds in it.  (My boys would probably jump out that window and run for the beach!)

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There are also these very cool beds in the bunk room…

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And I think the sleeping porch is right off of it.vrbo.com

The fourth bedroom of the house is the guest bedroom.  Those french doors are beautiful.

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Now here’s something kind of funny to me.  Scroll back up and look at the photo of the entrance at the top of the post….Now look at the real entrance area here.

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That top photo was on the cover of a Coastal Living publication, Color it Coastal, in 2008.  Looks like the editors at the magazine decided a beach view would be better on the cover than the tree in the yard.  (It would be nice if it were real.)  Amazing what photo editing can do!

Beach view or not, I think the house would be a fun one to stay in near the beach (and I think it does have water views from the upper floor.)  The Vernons live in Boulder, Colorado, but this home is where they sometimes go when they head to the coast.  It is available for rent here if you are interested. (And there are 15 bicycles available for your use when you rent it!)   If this 3100 sq. ft. home is too large for your needs, there is another very cute option available…

Just look at this…

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The Vernons took on another building project in 2010.  In the fall of 2012 they completed the restoration of two 1955 cottages and added 6 new ones to a compound in Carpinteria.

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Aren’t they cute?! These are one bedroom cottages that can sleep 4 or 5 people, and they are located four blocks (quite walk-able) from the nearest beach.  Decorated with the same cheerful blue and green color scheme as the Montecito house, they too have that relaxed beach feel.

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Vintage styled appliances make their appearance in the cottages, too.

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And there are his and her sinks in the bathroom.

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The rental information for these is available at VRBO.com and CarpCottages.com.  And the rates are very reasonable.  I would love to be there this weekend enjoying sunshine on the beach.  Wouldn’t you?  But instead, I will be here on the other side of the country, watching it rain, and working on final report cards. (Maybe my last ones ever, since I am changing teaching positions next year. Yippee!)  In the meantime, I will dream of the beach near these precious cottages…

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and know that summer will be here soon.:)

So how are you spending your weekend? Report cards, anyone?

   
House Crazy Sarah - May 18, 2013 - 11:33 am

Just gorgeous Kelly! I adore these types of cottages and I think I might prefer a beach cottage like this to even Colorado!
(Love the way the decorated with mis-matched furniture!)

Tamar Time - May 18, 2013 - 11:50 am

Interesting how PB also changed the color of the hardware in the entry way. The real room has black hardware on the door, and brass on the wall hooks. The PB room has all matching silver looking finishes. Personally, I like the real thing better. But, it’s all beautiful so….who cares. But, it’s a good lesson in “if it’s beautiful to you….it’s beautiful.”

Lindy James - May 18, 2013 - 12:05 pm

Thanks so much Kelly for these great pictures of this beautiful home in Montecito, one of my favorite places to go to estate sales, and the info on renting this home or the cottages in Carpinteria. Have already asked for info on renting one of the cottages for a few days this summer. Not sure at this late date whether any will be available but we’ll see. Never knew these lovely places were available until reading of them, from you. Thanks again, Lindy

Garden, Home and Party - May 18, 2013 - 12:25 pm

Kelly,
I’ve loved these homes since I first read about them. I love the way the large house looks like it’s furnished over time, with great finds from antique stores and thrift shops. I had read the article on the cottages later. I didn’t realize they were available on VRBO. We rented a home through them in St. Helena and had a wonderful time.
This post is the perfect beach visit, no sand in your bathing suit or sandals! :D
xo,
Karen

Dawn - May 18, 2013 - 2:25 pm

I love the beach houses! They look like my type of vacation place! This weekend we are at the lake house and it is sunny and beautiful but not like being at the beach.
What will your new teaching position be next year?

Paula B. - May 18, 2013 - 6:37 pm

Echoing the beach house love, I agree the blues and greens give off such a great vibe. Temps in the nineties, oh my, we are finally having some days in the seventies! However, it’s been nice to have a spring that slowly unfolded, builds up the anticipation for all that summer fun. We have another six weeks of school, we do go back after Labor Day but this year we were hit with the hurricane and several big snows, that leaves us with a lot of make-up days. Wishing you a speedy end of year with all those last minute details that need wrapping up including those “pesky” report cards. And, here’s to your new job in the next school year and more importantly, here’s to a wonderful, adventure filled summer.

Holly - May 19, 2013 - 8:19 am

Thanks for sharing! These are gorgeous… I wish we had something similar to that little enclave of cottages available for rent on the east coast. I’d love to be going somewhere like that this weekend… instead I’m looking out over my backyard at the pouring rain. Good luck with your report cards!

Nancy - May 19, 2013 - 3:38 pm

Every time I see beds like those rope beds I have to ask (and no one has answered yet!) what keeps them from slamming into the wall?!

Sandy - May 19, 2013 - 9:44 pm

I love the beach house….I want to rent it and invite my whole family! The cottages are adorable too…thanks for sharing and good luck with your grading!

Napa’s Restaurants – Part 2

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I believe I could eat out for every meal over a month and still not be able to cover all of the great restaurants in the Napa Valley region.  It is “foodie heaven!”  In my last post I told you about our first dinner in the area and lunch on the following day.  Today I want to pick up there with our travels through some charming grocery stores and more restaurants – including my favorite.

From the photo above, you can see that we went to the Dean and Deluca shop in St. Helena.  I really liked that town.  There was so much to choose from inside the store. We purchased coffee, some black and white cookies, and an apron that I cook in all the time now.  They had a black t-shirt with their logo on it that I should have gotten when we were there. (Not that I need another black shirt!)

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That afternoon we also visited the wonderful old Oakville Grocery Store in …Oakville.:)Don’t you just love the painting on the outside wall that our daughter is looking at?

Here is a look inside the store.

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After the afternoon spent shopping we went back to our hotel to rest for awhile and then drove to Yountville for the best meal of our entire trip at this lovely French restaurant.

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We were seated near the bicycle in this charming room.

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Extra seating was available out on their covered porch. (I would have been happy there, too.)

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Now let me show you some of the delicious food from that evening’s meal.  This was the salad and quiche my daughter ordered.  (It was amazing!!)

My favorite was my dish of puff pastry topped tomato soup.  Oh my goodness it was good!

And here is the actual recipe for you to recreate it at home.sanfranciscocuisine.com

I don’t have photographs of all the guys’ dinners, but I do of their desserts.  My husband and one of the boys enjoyed this warm apple tarte tatin. (Our oldest said it was the best dessert he has tasted in his life.)

And our other son shared the chocolate creme brulee with our daughter.

Every morsel of food there was delicious.  When we return to the Napa region, I know we will want to eat there again.  I also hope that we will have an opportunity to go here…

This Thomas Keller restaurant…Bouchon – is also located in Yountville.bouchonbistro.com

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And finally, I would also like to eat at Mustard’s Grill- again in Yountville. (What a foodie town!!)

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Thanks for tagging along on this leg of our California trip.  I hope I have not made you too hungry reading this post…unless, of course, you live near Napa Valley.  (If you do I am jealous!)  I have not tried out the tomato soup recipe yet.  So if you make it, I would love to know how it turns out!

We are finally down to the last week and a half of school here. This time of year is always crazy trying to wrap up all the loose ends of a zillion tons of paperwork while maintaining sanity amid the rooms full of children who are more than ready to be on summer break (as are the teachers.)  So please forgive my lack of responding to emails and comments.  Summer is coming (hallelujah!) and my summer project is blogging.  No vacation planned yet, but I am definitely thinking on it.   Are any of you headed to Napa for a trip?

Where would you like to go for a dream summer vacation?  

Please share so we can dream along with you!

   
Dawn - May 16, 2013 - 9:15 am

Kelly,

I am down to my last day and a half of school! WE haven’t planned our vacation trip yet. I am sure it will be near the south or south east coast line. Thanks for sharing your Napa pictures!

cindy hattersley - May 16, 2013 - 11:33 am

Mustards will be one of your all time favs! You must try ad hoc as well!

Garden, Home and Party - May 16, 2013 - 11:52 am

Hi Kelly,
I’ve been to both grocery stores. I love the fact that they have so many fresh items and such selection. Dean and Deluca is like the Disneyland of grocery stores! I haven’t tried any of the restaurants you’ve shared. We tried to get into Mustard’s and couldn’t a few trips back. Your pictures of the food made my mouth water!
Enjoy your countdown to summer. We’ll all catch up when you finish.
Karen

Mickey - May 16, 2013 - 3:53 pm

Hi Kelly, Thanks for sharing the NAPA photos. My nephew and his new bride were married in Napa in April. I wasn’t able to attend but have enjoyed your pictures and will have to find out if they ate at any of your recommendations. I am also on the last 2 weeks of school, my preschoolers are ready for a summer break. Have a wonderful evening!! Mickey

Tamar Time - May 16, 2013 - 9:13 pm

My dream vacation is to explore New England. I have not been North of Virginia yet, and I am planning on having a meandering vacation through there someday, preferably by myself.:)

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