With just over one year under our belts renovating the beach house, the time has finally come to start sharing some of the completed spaces. In some ways, it feels like things have progressed quickly but in other ways it’s felt really slow. That’s how it often goes with larger home projects.
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We have reached a point where we can look back to see where we were a year ago. It’s been really fun to be able to look back at all we’ve done. I have kept a journal about all that has happened which has served as a reminder that we have come a very long way.
Today I’m really excited to be sharing with you the finished first floor hallway at the beach house. You may remember the bathroom reveal back in the fall which was the first official reveal.
Hallways are often an overlooked opportunity to add style and character to your home. At the beach house, the hallway is so central to the cottage, it was important to really make it special. Never overlook the power of a great hallway design!
The completed beach house hallway space is beautiful. It is maybe one of my favorite projects ever. To really appreciate what it is now, you have to take a look back at where we started.
The day we closed on the house, the back addition of the house had a completely different layout. The back door was on the side of the house and there was a strange little bathroom and huge hallway. The hallway wasted so much space, and the bedroom was too small and not closed in for privacy. It never would have functioned well the way it was.
One of our first projects was taking down all the partition walls. None of them were structural so it made our work so much easier. It also gave us a blank slate to work from.
B and I agreed from the start that we wanted to relocate the back door to the back of the house. This would give us better access to the back yard. Putting the hallway down the center clearly defines a bedroom on one side with the bathroom and laundry on the other.
It took a lot of trial and error to make the rest of the space work to include a bedroom, full bathroom and laundry space. You can read more about how we finalized the floor plans here.
Minus the laundry closet, the hallway is the last piece to finish in this back addition. We are getting so close!
The Beach House Nautical Inspired Hallway Design
The original plan for the hallway included beadboard ceilings, and pricey wallpaper on the upper part of the walls. With construction materials costs skyrocketing, we scaled back our plan quite a bit. As the visual one, I took it harder than B. I didn’t let it ruin the design though. I was simply forced to get more creative.
Truth be told, the finished space is maybe better than the original plan. I truly believe that budget limitations can force us to be much more creative. In the end, this can make the design better than originally planned.
The plan all along was to do some kind of trim detail on the lower part of the walls. Unlike the rest of the cottage, this area is drywall so I really wanted to add character with architectural details. B and I agreed that we didn’t want the addition to feel too new or bland. I think we achieved that!
The trim and drywall was all new. The floors and back door are new as well. One thing we did repurpose was the bedroom door. The bedroom door is made from the original cottage front door. There wasn’t much in the house to salvage so this feels like a special little gift. I think it looks beautiful in its new place too!
It took a weekend’s worth of work to refinish but it was worth it. It’s really a beautiful door and adds character.
The ceiling lights were a fun find. They are from Amazon (see links below) and cost less then $40 each. A steal and they are perfect for the space.
I was able to find the fun stencil for the floor that ties into the ceiling lights perfectly. This wasn’t part of the original design but everyone that has seen the space says the floor is what makes the space.
As you can see, I didn’t stencil the entire floor. I decided to create a faux rug by leaving about 5 inches around the edges. B helped me with the measuring to get everything lined up. When I was done with the stencil, I allowed it to dry. Then, I simply used painters tape to paint the solid border. I’m so glad I did it this way.
Because it’s a hallway, there isn’t really room for furniture or a lot of accessories. Some inexpensive beachy, ocean themed art adds just a touch of color and fun. We really want this house to be fun and casual. I’m not big on literal beach decor, but I like the sea creatures.
All the hallway details:
Flooring: We used unfinished tongue and groove southern yellow pine. All the floors in the main areas are painted, so we wanted these floors to blend.
Floor Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Sea Salt (we bought porch and floor paint from the Sherwin Williams store.)
Wainscoting Trim Boards: 1 x 3s and 1 x 6s from Lowes.
Wall Color: Upper Walls: Sherwin Williams Pure White, Lower Walls / Wainscotting: Benjamin Moore Shoreline
Floor Stencil: via Amazon
Floor Stencil Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
Barn Door Hardware: from Amazon
Paint Color for Bedroom Door: Benjamin Moore Shoreline
Bedroom Door: Repurposed from former front door.
Ceiling Lights: via Amazon
Shaker Pegs: via Amazon
Artwork: Hobby Lobby Here and Here and thrifted
Have questions about anything in this post? Leave a comment and let me know!
More Beach House Projects:
What a great article. I really like your color scheme. I’m trying to get a fresh cabinet painting soon in my own place, and seeing your design was really helpful to me. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you were inspired. Good luck with your project!