G’day lovely Beach Cottage ladies…wanna come in and see some nautical cottage decorating? I do hope so cos I sure love cottage decorating!
Back in September when we made over the sad and sorry state of the Family Bathroom, I did a quick botch job of the window dressing. I had two main objectives, one to cover up the awful aluminium window and two to make it into more of a feature, to draw the eye to it and frame the light (& keep the eyes away from the other not-so-nice features in there)…oh and to add some beach decor, do a little bit of nautical cottage decorating. We spent a couple of weekends, Mr Beach Cottage and I working together in a too small space, him talking about the physics of DIY and me whining about, errrm, just about everything.
Anyway I ran out of steam with the window dressing, to be honest I’d just about had enough of the whole thing…the double bracket pole was already up and I had planned to make two lots of drapes, one neutral on the outside and one in heavy white denim for the inside, for a bit of Beach Cottage decorating & layering.
But what I did instead is stick up the white wooden blind for coverage and then seized a leftover piece of linen and cut it with pinking shears so it didn’t fray, turned the top over about four inches to make a kinda inbuilt pelmet & fastened this whole piece to the curtain clips. Job done in about, oh 2 minutes, that’s my kinda nautical cottage decorating. Tops. Isn’t that just the best metamorphosis?
Morphing a yucky aluminium window into something a bit more acceptable in the time it takes to make a cup of tea? Oh yeah.
Lying in the bath, door locked, with cocktail and candles, I’ve often mused at, actually, how these pretend drapes don’t look too bad. And more, the no-fuss light filtering is just what it needed. I so like it when things work like that. You can find more morphs at Susan’s…
Here it is before
And after, I used piles of candles, stacks of towels, painted the floor with tile paint and the wall tiles white…I added linen on the windows and white blinds…I think white and linen and candles is great for nautical cottage decorating and baskets add to that look too!
So that’s it, a nautical cottage makeover from nothing to ok, far from perfect but a whole lot better than before
Bye lovely Beach Cottage ladies, I will catch you later
Sarah
p.s. find more nautical cottage decorating and beachy coastal style right here
and another nautical cottage here and a beachy budget table here
Oh and I’ve had lots and lots of emails and questions about how we got to Australia, how we emmigrated, why we had to buy a fixer-upper, how I got into nautical cottage decorating, beachy decor and various other questions that I just simply have not got my act together to reply to that I found myself, for no other reason than I was in a completely revolting mood and was needing downtime, which I found by mooching round my blog, composing a little bit more information about how we got to getting, if you see what I mean, the Beach Cottage, here’s a snippet
G’day I’m Sarah, owner of A Beach Cottage. Welcome to the chronicles of my eventful life at my old cottage by the sea.
I�m a thirty-something (okay I’m nearer 40 than 30) owner of a tatty old beach cottage in a beautiful seaside town in Australia, mother of three, wife to one, seaside taxi driver…
But I haven’t always lived here, for nearly my whole life I resided in the same, very pretty village in England. Life was quite comfortable, filled with country pubs, cricket on the village green, walks in the woods, lots of drizzle and warm beer. Our children went to a good school, we had a good income, nice holidays, two expensive cars and some cash floating around for a nice life.
If you are like me, incessantly nosey & want to read the rest, see on the menu bar above ‘Beach Cottage Story’ or click here
Hi Sarah,
Another great post! Hmmm you have give me a lttle hope of making the bathroom in this rental nice…Thanks for the inspiration!
Sarah xxx
Good grief Sarah what a difference, your new bathroom by the sea looks great. I have never done anything to my gruddy old cannot swing a cat around bathroom (except paint it what I thought at the time a nice brighten me up *yellow* & now dash in & out as quick as I can because I cannot stand it anymore) & hubby put in a large Linen cupboard that no one dares open anymore because everything falls out to meet you! So now I am kinda thinkin’ perhaps it is time to do something in there even though it is going to be demolished one day. Hmmm now you have really got me thinking!
Have a great night
Lyn xxx
Ahh, Sarah, you know I am one of your biggest fans..I like every single thing you do to your beach cottage…and I LOVE your bath’s little curtains.
xo bj
Hi Sarah, Thank you so much for the read about your move to Australia. We are kind of in a similar situation, living here in Germany we both have good jobs, a nice home, able to travel if we choose…but something seems to be missing. My husband’s always dreamed of living in Australia and as for me, I would just love living near a beautiful beach. I was an army brat and as it is with army brats, they can live just about anywhere…so if hubby ever did find a job in his country of choice I wouldn’t hesitate to follow (as long as the ocean isn’t far off). Anyway, I love reading your blog, it inspires me to keep working on my cottage and not to give up my dream of one day having one by the sea.
Siggie
Sarah, I can’t believe I don’t need to sew to be so creative as you. Love Love your drapes in your soothing bathroom. love it!!
I’m ready to run to my bathroom and transform it!
Have a great day,
LuLu
That’s a gorgeous makeover, the bathroom looks great.
The blind and clipped up curtain looks really good, I like that a lot. I’ve not every tried using the clips but I can see that for a lightweight curtain they’re really good. I’m thinking of making a new curtain for my little one’s bedroom but it’s such a faff I’m putting it off!
Mel xxx
Your story is wonderful and I am always amazed at the ways God moves within our lives.
Good Morning! I so much enjoy reading your blog everyday and seeing all of your inspirational stories and creative ideas! Your home is the most charming and you should be so proud of how cozy and charming it is. Your story is wonderful and how I wish my husband and I would have just taken a leap and made a change in our lives. It seems to be a home filled with love and isn’t it amazing how our lives take such crazy turns but those turns can give us such peace? I look forward to more stories and beautiful projects! Have a wonderful day!
Sarah
You make all things simple seem loved, tranquil and perfect.
Beautiful bathroom…very relaxing..
I wouldn’t want to leave!
I think the curtains are perfect, what a fab idea to use the linen.
I love the curtains! So cute! I love what you have done to your entire home. The colors are so pretty and relaxing. You’ve inspired me to add more blues, browns, greys, and whites to my own home.
I could stay in that bathroom for hours. It truly is beautiful.
Great job Sarah.
Love Claudie
What a wonderful story you wrote on how you moved to Australia. You were a brave women to have moved such a long distance and it sounds like you are so happy! Sure wish I was able to invite you over to my home for a cup of tea but New Jersey, (USA) is a long drive:)
Oh I love your style. It really is perfect for a beach cottage. Just beautiful…
Gorgeous bathroom! Love all the personality you’ve added to it.
Sarah, Love the transformation! Superb taste! ~CC Catherine
Another fabulous post. I think you need to come to my place for a little holiday and do some redecorating for me. Your home is beautiful.
Alison
Enjoy reading your posts. Good for you, following your heart to Australia. Hubby and I are planning a move to SF, following our hearts. Not a beach cottage, but rather a high rise studio.
How fresh and nice!
Linda Q
I think your “pretend drapes” have a whole lot of style!
Sarah I love those little drapes! And I’m loving burlap a lot these days, might have to find somewhere else to use it. I did those 2 monogrammed shades in my DR & how cheap & chic it is! Great fabric & perfect for your beach cottage.
In my opinion, if you are female, you are nosy. And I am both. Your bathroom looks like just the place to get away from the kiddos, drop your head back as you relax in the bath, and dream of future auction fun.
Brenda
You’ve really achieved a nice beachy feel in your bathroom with the soft colours and natural elements. I love the shot of the shelf with the square candles and basket of towels.
Nice job on your speedy curtain project!!
Kelly (one half of DesignTies)
Your new look is so soothing and peaceful. This should be featured in a magazine!
Kathy b
This is lovely. I think this is perfect in this space, what a great, creative solution!
Sarah, How come I can never think of anything this quick and easy?! Looks great!
Susan
Sarah,
I wish I lived in Australia. U.S. is great, of course, but I’ve always dreamed of AU!
Your home is so cute. White is also my favorite color.
I’m going to clean my house and take pics to post on my blog…or maybe move junk from room to room.
You’re an inspiration! I just picked up a table from an alleyway and I think I going to retrofit it and paint it white. Nowhere to put it yet though.
Thanks for your posts!
I always look forward to reading your latest blog entry. Your bathroom make over is stunning and I love the curtain idea so much I think I might have to steal the idea for my laundry (if you don’t mind!) Thanks x
Thanks for the comment. I live in the desert, but I used to live on the coast and I love beach style. I am trying to incorporate more light and airy colors and pretty things in my home, and am starting to feel more relaxed already. I used to have an olive green color on my living room walls, and it was driving me absolutely crazy. Now it is a light grey blue and I love it! Anyhow, thanks for all the great decorating inspiration!!
Loved being nosey and even more loved your bathroom- I might have to move to Australia! Just so I could be your friend and hang out at the beach.
Sarah, thanks for sharing. I choose to think inquisitive versus nosey.
Renee
I’ve just now read of the devastation in Austratia. I follow your blog and couldn’t help but think of you immediately. I pray that you and your family are okay and that God cares for the hurting people of Australia.
I absolutely love your charming cottage. Could you possibly tell me where you got those tan/white stripe pillows?
Dear Sarah…I just read the further Sdetails of your A Beach Cottage Story…and how you and your family came to land on Australia. You should write a book! I love your pictures…thanks for sharing!
hello sarah… i’m so glad you reposted your bath pix. i love what you’ve done! KUDOS to you and mr.bh. however i have one suggestion that would make it even *better! if you’ve already done this then, great… i think you need to take the extra slats off the blind so that it sits inside the window sill. it’s not that difficult a job as i’ve done it with mine. again, awesome job!