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 to explore 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.

a big THANK YOU to Debbie for sharing these photos with us :)

**If you would like your home to be featured in the Real Home-Beach Inspired series, email me!!**