.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
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…
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.
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!
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!
Here is the very vintage styled kitchen.
And aren’t the windows just wonderful in the dining area?
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.
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!
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!)
There are also these very cool beds in the bunk room…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
Vintage styled appliances make their appearance in the cottages, too.
And there are his and her sinks in the bathroom.
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…
and know that summer will be here soon.
So how are you spending your weekend? Report cards, anyone?
.PNG){kind=small}
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!)
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.”
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
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!
xo,
Karen
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?
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.
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!
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?!
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!