Beach House Bunkroom -- A Summer Dreamer's Delight!

During our visit to Summer Dream, we put the finishing touches on the kids' room. . . So much Fun! With toys, books, family dvd's, and enough sleeping space for six Summer Dreamers (2 bunks with trundles below), giggles are ever-present in this Beach House bunkroom.

We found the artwork in Port St. Joe at Palm Tree Books & Other Cool Stuff. We loved the sea turtle print, so we found some "friends" to keep him company on the wall. WindMark is a sea turtle-friendly community, so we thought it would be a fun theme to incorporate into this space.
The child's adirondack chair came from Sam's Club. We bought a pair, and placed its partner in the outdoor shower.

New carpeting has been added. The seagrass flooring was beautiful, but not as kind to the feet. We wanted to give the kids who visit us a soft place to play. This child's room became complete with the addition of this comfy reading chair from Target. . . The troops can pile on the floor with all the new sea life pillows, while Mom or Grandpa narrates a beachy bedtime story. (We have lots of those here.)

If this vacation home feels like a Summer Dream come true for you too . . . visit us at http://www.summerdreamcottage.com/ to plan your stay.

Summer Dream at Windmark Beach -- Bunk Room and Guest Suite

The New Summer Dream Beach House in Port St. Joe, Florida (so generously gifted to us from MyHomeIdeas.com) has been officially transformed into Windmark Beach's newest vacation home!! The bunk room is now complete. This room which previously housed the guest suite, offers a snug getaway for children and adults alike. It now sleeps six (between the two bunks and trundles), and features books to read, toys for play, and a tv and game system to keep the younger set entertained.

What was once a child's room . . . is now a dreamy space to greet a sunrise. I am especially proud of this room. We used the gorgeous bed and upholstered furnishings the designer, Dale Trice, left with the home. We added the tables, porcelain fish, and mirrored coastal artwork from PortSide Trading on Reid Avenue in Port St. Joe, coral lamps from LampsPlus.com

We brightened the walls with Sherwin Williams Jovial paint, which matched the pink ribbon on the blinds. We shopped for hours in Port St. Joe and online to complete this space. My father, Dennis Barber, and his handyman, Steve, sanded the walls, patched and painted this room until it glowed. My mother, Linda Barber, and Patti Stroud, my property manager continued the vision by placing the artwork on the walls. I left them with the ideas, but these angels, and our wonderful Summer Dream Team made the rooms a reality.

And speaking of the Dream Team -- here's a pic of the crazy bunch who helped us transform an already fabulous IdeaHouse into a Summer Dream where guests will feel completely at Home! From left to right starting at top: Zach Barber, Steve Connelly, Dennis and Linda Barber (my parents), Michelle Cook, Linda Brown. Seated on the swing is Connie Connelly and girls I simply know as Dani's friends. Dani Connelly is taking the picture.
By the way, this group should be commended for the rug burns I hear they acquired in assembling the bunks. Thank you so much everyone. Thanks to MyHomeIdeas for changing our lives, and to our incredible friends and family for keeping the dream alive. Life is So Good -- especially among friends at the beach!!!

For more great photos and to see how you may getaway to this amazing home, click Here or on the Summer Dream House Picture at the top left of this blog. You will be amazed!!

Lucky Enough! Works in Progress at the Idea House.

Many people are surprised to realize only a portion of the furnishings were conveyed to us as part of the prize package from MyHomeIdeas.com. . . Many of the tables and all of the artwork was on loan for staging purposes. But, the important items remained: all the gorgeous outdoor furniture from Frontgate, all of the upholstered furnishings, window treatments, beds and luxurious bedding. We were thrilled with the home as it was (with or without the pricey artwork), and ever grateful for this experience. As I say, "If you are lucky enough to be at the beach, you are lucky enough." This sign was our first purchase -- located in the laundry room, and the guest's entry to the home. Read Some Day to learn its significance.
We were thrilled to add a few of our own touches to the home. As you can see, the home is still a work-in-progress. But, we are certain to have it in tip-top shape before Spring when, hopefully, our big rental season will begin.

We replaced the missing dining table with a great buy from World Market. The weathered finish of this table is perfect for active families in the beach house. It also neatly stows a bench underneath. So, for our holiday meals, we simply pulled the table away from the window, and had enough space to fit all the troops. The chairs were still in the house from before, but we were able to find an inexpensive look-alike alternative for the barstools at Target.

The artwork was missing in the master bedroom. Luckily, we found stunning replacements at Trask Design Studio in Port St. Joe's lovely shopping district on Reid Street.

This bed sadly had to be moved from the coral bedroom to accomodate a more appropriate location for the children's room in the main house. But we thought it looked lovely in person with the striped walls. Now that I see the picture, however, I'm not as convinced. Hmmm. All the girly decor (lamps, pillows, etc.) have been relocated to our home in Maryland. Updated photos will follow of this room -- now outfitted from another lovely shop in Port St. Joe -- Portside Trading Company. The staff at Portside Trading were exceptionally helpful, allowing us to bring home pieces to try out in the space. Once we have new photos with all the furniture, I can decide if the room color will work.

These beds from SimplyBunkbeds.com look very nice in the coral room. This, as you see, is still a work-in-progress. Your ideas are welcome! I think we just need pillows and artwork and extra lighting to tie it all together.

I do like how the white bunks brighten the space. We placed a bunk on each wall with trundles underneath. There's enough bunkspace here to sleep 6! We also added a double ottoman sleeper to the main room.

Summer Dream can comfortably accommodate a slumbering party of 14. . . perfect for a family reunion. You will find that splitting the bill for a vacation home between a couple of other families (instead of booking individual hotel rooms) allows you a little more pocket change for shopping on Reid Avenue.

We'll post completed photos of the rooms as we have them. . . each weekend my family and friends from the Gulf Coast have been visiting Summer Dream to give each room just a little more love. Many thanks to My Dream Team!

And Blessings to all of you,

Leisa

Christmas Wishes and Bunkroom Dreams

Our daughter's wish list this year includes:
My Little Ponies, Care Bears, Barbie Princesses . . . and for her NEW Beach house bed to move to Maryland so she can have it ALL year long. She will have her wish . . . the bed and lamps shown here (so generously given to her by MyHomeIdeas.com) will be moved up after the holiday. We'll let her enjoy it first in her brand new home by the shore. In its place, new beds will come. Enough beds to sleep 6! Our boys are already planning their bunkhouse campout for this summer!

We plan to build two sets of bunks in an L-shape on one side of the room. . . providing lighting, shelving and slumbering space for each little camper. (Of course, there will be room for grown ups here too . . . you know I'm planning a Summer Dream Getaway for my girlfriends as well!)

Photo from Coastal Living

I think this bunk is beautiful too. I'd like to create a curtain similar to this for each bunk. It just seems magical to provide each bunkmate with a secret retreat in which to dream each night. We have to dream, after all, if we wish to have a dream come true.

I love these bunks I found on MyHomeIdeas. The private desks at each end are inspired. We plan to build an extra bunk on the other side of the room between the windows. Perhaps we can create a similar place to create and play there.

This was another bunk idea from MyHomeIdeas . . . very fun, I think. We plan to provide storage underneath the bunks, either for trundles or extra toys and games.

But for now . . . since I'd like my family to savor our new Summer Dream cottage this Christmas, rather than spending all our time together building bunks (Did I mention my Dad and brother are builders?), I've chosen an economical, temporary solution by purchasing these bunks from SimplyBunkbeds Instead of the storage drawers, we will have a trundle underneath. I'm hoping these will work nicely for now, until Summer Dream's rental revenue is able to finance the more luxurious built-ins.

This is the bedding I've chosen from Linen Source. . . The peaceful shell print and reversible stripes on this quilt make it a gender-neutral choice to welcome both children and adults into peaceful slumber. . .

Now that I've spent the day shopping for the beach house, and taken care of my daughter's biggest wish by allowing her beautiful new pink bed to come to her year-round home -- I really must tackle the rest of my Christmas shopping, now. After all, I have two more wonderful children -- active boys with holiday lists of their own.

But thanks to MyHomeIdeas, our family's greatest wishes have already come true . . . If we're lucky enough to spend our holiday together in our beautiful new cottage by the beach, then (as I've said many times before) we are lucky enough, indeed!

Have a wonderful holiday season. I hope to see you soon at the Beach House!!