share post

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

by | May 30, 2023 | Decorating Inspiration, My New House, Remodel

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

Hello, friends! Our contractors have been busy bees here on our beach house kitchen remodel and the addition of the Tiny Cottage! Every time I refer to our home as our beach house I think it sounds like we must have a second home, but in fact, this is our only every day home! Even so, it is like being on vacation every day. We live up by the San Juan Islands, so it’s a lovely place to visit and you can easily get to so many beautiful destinations by car or ferry.

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

If you are new here or just catching up, we moved to this island from Seattle a year and a half ago. My parents have moved in with us and we’re in the process of adding on a Tiny Cottage for them to the back of our home and a renovation of parts of the rest of the home. It’s not a large house, in fact, it’s just a little over 1900 square feet, but we’re adding about 450 square feet to it in the Tiny Cottage.

My husband and I are officially empty nesters now, but we want this beach home to be a gathering place for our family so we’re making it as comfortable and inviting as we can!

You can catch up on our remodeling posts here.

There are still many key details to come in both spaces, but it’s fun to share the latest project progress with you!

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

Last I shared we didn’t have our walls or ceilings done yet! They are painted Classic Light Buff by Sherwin Williams (same as the kitchen cabinets). We are loving the cozy warm white and the beautiful golden hour glow in here when the sun pours in (thanks to our new windows and doors!) I can’t believe the natural light we get now!

We’re still waiting on Beatrix to be brought in (our new blue green stove) to the new kitchen. She will of course be the STAR of the kitchen (and a color style-setter for rest of the house ha!) but we also can’t wait to see the faucet, lighting (these pendants over the island, and this chandelier with blue shades over the dining table), wood floors to be uncovered, other appliances to go in, and all the finishing touches that will bring the space together as we envisioned it.

Each new addition is so exciting, but I’m also always anticipating these next significant parts of the design so we can finally see and enjoy it as a whole.

You can see our kitchen design mood board here to see more of what’s to come!

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

My vision for our renovation was to create a beach home that feels happy, warm and welcoming (in all seasons). I’m thrilled about the cozy timeless character that has been added through the architecture.

As soon as the renovation is complete we’ll be layering in fabrics, furnishings and accessories in shades of blue and greens, warm whites and a variety of other NW cottage-by-the-sea-worthy colors throughout. As I mentioned, we want it to be a happy place! I’m even envisioning adding a lovely shade of coral color and a bit of yellow to our palette, so I’ll be on the hunt for just the right fabrics.

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

I love to decorate for each season and play with color combinations all year round, so it’s exciting to now have the backdrops in place that I know will give me so many creative opportunities to decorate in every season.

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

This past week we started looking at fabrics for our dining bench, considering window treatments and coming up with a vision for the adjoining living room. We’ve considered painting the living room walls blue (all the trim will also get a fresh coat of paint), but right now I’m leaning towards putting in blue grasscloth! I just ordered a sample of this blue imitation grasscloth to try out.

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

Visualizing new elements prompted me to set some books in the bookcase and a couple of pillows on the dining bench. It’s a start haha, but it helps me to set up accessories to start to get a feel for the space.

I can’t wait to set up a table and chairs and be able to do simple homey things again, so we’re feeling very grateful to be on the home stretch!

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

The Tiny Cottage for my parents is also coming right along. It will be so adorable I can hardly stand it, so cute already! The lower blue cabinets for the kitchenette look SO GOOD (there will also be a blue dish display cabinet above, which will be installed soon). The color is Languid Blue by Sherwin Williams. Soon there will be white sink, cooktop, and darling fridge. The sunny kitchenette windows will have window boxes right outside so they will be filled with flowers!

You can see the tiny cottage kitchenette design mood board here.

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

While they are now covered up, the gorgeous floors were recently installed. They are the same flooring as what will be in the rest of the house (European white oak). All of the walls and ceiling will be covered in Simply White painted paneling. Light, bright and yet soft, warm and cozy!

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage
Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

The cabinet in the sitting room will get a new top and the darling checkered tile will be added. It is a multi-purpose spot (as is the entire Tiny Cottage, ha!). They will use the cabinet as an extension of the kitchen for their coffee station and countertop oven, additional storage, as well as their Frame TV on the wall above. Speaking of making every inch count! My mom has planned every detail of this tiny cottage so it will be as functional and cute as can be.

The natural lighting in here is just gorgeous, she has morning sun and southern exposure all day so it’s just the happiest! There will be an adorable blue fireplace by the windows. It will just be the cutest cozy place in every season, like a charming Bed and Breakfast getaway!

Beach House Kitchen Remodel Update + Tiny Cottage

Some of you had asked how you get to the Tiny Cottage and where it is connected to ours. You can see the connection in this photo above. This is our mudroom right off our kitchen. Through the far door you can take a left into the Tiny Cottage or a right into the garage!

Stay tuned for more updates! Subscribe to my newsletter HERE to stay in the loop and get all of our decor posts and resources.

More Posts about our Remodel:

A Tiny Backyard Cottage (progress on the addition for my parents!)

Kitchen Renovation Update: Marble, Soapstone, French Doors and Beadboard

Tiny Cottage Kitchenette Design Mood Board (My Parents’ Addition)

A Peek at Our New Coffee Station Cabinet with Pocket Doors

The Beauty of Soapstone Counters (+ why we chose them for our kitchen)

Kitchen Renovation Update: Floors, Cabinets, Sink, Hardware and More

Our New Kitchen Design Mood Board (and five questions that helped me make decisions!)

Adding Character in a Kitchen Remodel: The Tale of Our New Range and Faucet

My New Kitchen Floor Plan + Parents’ Addition and Exterior Elevation

16 Comments

  1. Carolyn

    It’s looking wonderful! So exciting to see it coming together. Question: will your parents’ bathroom be accessible? I’d love to see plans for this space as well.

    Reply
    • Corkie

      I can hardly eait to see the finished product! My only request: please use photos that can be enlarged so every detail can be explored (because we’ll definitely want to see all the details of the finished spaces!).So fun to follow along on your great adventure! O certainly don’t have it in me to take such project on, but I love being a spectator!

      Reply
  2. Rebekka

    Are you on the lake or the ocean? Just generally speaking – without specifics of course. Love the Seattle area. I know it gets gloomy but I think it is one of the most beautiful cities.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      We’re on the Salish Sea, it’s an inland sea, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. I don’t mind a little gloom in the winter as long as we get to have a glorious spring like we’ve been having! Sunshine every day!

      Reply
  3. Susan

    Everything is looking so pretty! The details you’ve chosen are so classic, I love it all. And I can tell the tiny cottage is going to be just DARLING!! That blue is perfect! Thank you for sharing the progress with us.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you Susan! I’ve thought about not sharing progress and just waiting until it’s “done” but I always enjoy seeing how projects come together and hope others do too!

      Reply
  4. Beth Alcorn

    Well now I want to live in a tiny cottage like that– it’s so cute! And the view of the trees outside the window is INCREDIBLE! What a wonderful place for your parents, I’m sure they will be very happy there.

    And OH MY! Your kitchen is to die for, too! Every detail is wonderful. I think it was brilliant to move it to the back of the house. It feels huge!The new layout with the french doors and your new windows make it feel so light and bright! I love that creamy color too. Can’t wait to see it all come together!

    Reply
  5. Annie B.

    I know you’re not done yet but everything already has such a warm, homey timeless feel. I love it! It will be fun to see that fabulous hutch filled with collections and dishes, you will definitely have fun with that! I remember years ago you did a post called What’s on my baker’s rack, I always loved seeing. I foresee a “what’s on my kitchen hutch” series starting up this fall! I’ll be here for it!

    Your mom’s cottage is so cute already, too! Love those checkered tiles.

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Hahaha I love that, I forgot about the bakers rack! That’s a great idea, I’ll have to bring that series back! Thank you so much!

      Reply
  6. Amie Becker

    Beautiful! And is that a library dining nook I see? That is so charming, I can’t wait to see what fabrics you find for the bench seat. It’s so hard to find fabric stores these days! Are you using your original table and chairs? Can’t wait to see it all together. I have always loved the look of creamy white with pops of pattern and color–so many possibilities. It’s going to be such a fun place for your family (and for you!).

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yes, I’ve always wanted a library dining nook, and it made sense to add shelves to make the most of that small space! Thank you so much, it’ll be fun to see the rest go in!

      Reply
  7. Molly

    It is all beyond beautiful!!! So charming and cozy and happy and all the things you are going for. And so spacious feeling! You just made such great layout decisions. I’m curious what the width of the kitchen is, specially how many feet are between the island and the new windows. Would there have been room there for an overhang and some barstools or would that have gotten too crowded? I can’t wait to see more!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you! We actually have a spot for a barstool, it’s a little cubby so the stool can tuck in! We definitely could’ve chosen to add more stools on that one side but I just didn’t feel like it was needed or how we wanted to use the space.

      And between the end of the island and the new windows there will be a dining table and chairs so no room to expand it that way.

      When we have family over we sit around the table or in the living room. It is still a small area but it feels so much more roomy for how we want to use it :)

      Reply
  8. Lori

    I absolutely love your color pallet! We had a designer help us with our family room about 10 years ago. We said we wanted something different from the blue we already had. She chose green, rust, gold and brown. I thought I loved it but longed for my blue again. Finally, we took the plunge and brought back the blue. It’s like home again!

    Reply
    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yay thank you. I am using that wise philosophy here, always asking myself what would feel like home? It’s easy to get off track when you try to consider something new or different or popular but when you do it just doesn’t feel like home! 🩵

      Reply
  9. Molly

    It is all coming together beautifully, Melissa!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Decor Finds:

browse categories:

browse archives:

let’s stay connected!

Follow for daily
Home Inspiration:

get my free decorating guide

home decor inspiration, free downloads,
and more, straight to your inbox

css.php