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Could There Be Any More Country Charm in This California Beach Cottage?
Talk about inviting and cozy!
It’s a common conundrum: nostalgic charm vs. modern comfort. For five blissful years, Robert Shearer and Samantha Walker spent sunny weekends at a small, 1,000-square-foot shingle-clad 1940s Del Mar, California, beach cottage with their four kids. One by one, those children (Julian, Alex, Christian, and Abi) were packing off to college, and the couple knew it wouldn’t be that long until they would have growing families of their own.
While they were hesitant to touch the existing cottage—“The original home was so special,” says Samantha—they realized their best bet for accommodating a multigenerational family in the future would be to thoughtfully rebuild a new, larger cottage that was in keeping with the other neighboring prewar cottages that dot the sleepy street.
Once they established the design team of architect Rich Bokal and interior designer Alexis Garrett, who both pledged to honor the original home’s unique charms, the couple could breathe easy that they were in good hands. (Cedar shingles paired with white trim, a roomy front porch, and blue-and-white kitchen tile are all nods to the old structure.)
Smack dab between the Del Mar Fairgrounds (where the famed horse races happen each year) and the beach, the new 2,000-square-foot house, “is truly the midpoint between the surf and the turf,” says Samantha. Accordingly, the home embraces both coastal staples (a vintage surfboard, an outdoor shower) and country elements (antique floral paintings, slipcovered upholstery) that speak to Samantha’s British upbringing. “It is akin to an English cottage at the beach—small in space, but fine in detail,” she says “It’s the most inviting little home.”
That sense of invitation stems from the 12-foot-wide sliding porch door to the carefree finishes and fabrics that can stand up to the ebb and flow of beach life. “A dear family friend who visited bought us some coasters,” says Samantha. “I didn’t say it, but we don’t need coasters.”
Meet the Homeowners!
The Shearer-Walker family (from left) Samantha, Julian, Robert, Alex, Sandra Walker (Samantha’s mom), Christian, and Abi, with collie-chow mix, Holly
Prioritize the Porch
The big front porch with its sizable swing was a must-have for Samantha. “My family had a swing on the front porch of our home in Oklahoma, and that’s where everybody gathered,” she says. The custom swing—“It can almost fit all six of us!” she marvels—is covered in a graphic quilt and piled with pillows. “This is our favorite place. It’s especially lovely to sit out here on a rainy summer morning when you can hear the tinkle of water falling down the spout.”
RELATED: 70+ Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Making the Dreamiest Space Ever
Maximize the Light
Grab-and-go beach hats flank the entry’s welcoming Dutch door. Rather than a traditional 50-50 split, designer Alexis Garrett lowered the cut to maximize the light. The door’s lower section is lined with vertical planking, mimicking the room’s vaulted ceilings.
Get the Look:
Door Paint Color: Kensington Blue by Benjamin Moore
Embrace the Ebb and Flow
In the living room, a weathered antique butcher-block coffee table establishes the home’s kick-up-your-feet feeling. Washable slipcovers on the deep sofa and swivel chairs minimize wear-and-tear worries. Underfoot, even the thick sisal rug holds up to a parade of bare feet and flip-flops.
Take Note: Featuring both American and British flags, the vintage print above the fireplace is a nod to Samantha’s ship-filled family history. Her granddad was in the Royal Navy; she also left England on a ship to emigrate to the United States.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Simply White by Benjamin Moore
Open Up the Kitchen
The new kitchen sits opposite the living room, much as in the original home’s layout. English kitchen-inspired Shaker-style cabinetry stands on Queen Anne ogee bracket feet—a look Alexis extended to the adjacent dining banquette. Rich walnut butcher-block countertops add warmth amongst all the crisp white. To keep the small space open and help it live large, Alexis gave the deep island an overhang and added four bistro-style stools.
Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Simply White by Benjamin Moore
Add Country Charm
The small island’s prep area hits the trifecta of English country charm: white cast-iron apron-front sink, gooseneck bridge faucet, and a drainboard inset into the marble countertop. A blue ticking sink skirt adds color and softness.
RELATED: 65 Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas to Give Your Kitchen an Inviting, Timeless Look
Bring on the Blues
The La Cornue range and diamond ticking-patterned backsplash tile by Tabarka Studio echo the blue of the entry’s Dutch door. (The blue-and-white color pairing also has sentimental value; it’s reminiscent of the family’s original beach cottage.)
Make Time For Tea
Positioned within reach of the dining space, a hinged-door appliance garage makes it easy to embrace morning coffee or afternoon teatime. Samantha takes her heritage seriously: Teacups must be English bone china—preferably by Royal Doulton.
RELATED: 20 Inspired Coffee Bar Ideas to Infuse Your Morning Cup with Style
Embrace Swimsuit-Friendly Bench Seating
Set against a board-and-batten backdrop, the dining room was designed around the seven-and-a-half-foot-long trestle table found at C’est la Vie Antiques in nearby Encinitas. The large table enabled the team to create a spacious banquette (the more the merrier!), with church pew-inspired curves punctuated with diamond punch-outs. The bench seat is topped with cushions made of camel-colored leather from Kravet, chosen for its wearability. “I want it to get spilled on and stretched and wrinkled and have an old baseball mitt feel to it,” says Alexis. The powder-coated aluminum Windsor chairs also hold up to whatever comes their way.
Get the Look:
Dining Chairs: Metal Windsor Chairs by Nickey Kehoe
Swear By Slipcovers
While slipcovered seating in the living room is fairly common in a coastal cottage, a slipcovered bed is a bit more novel. “I love how it’s easily washable,” says Alexis. To reinforce the English cottage feel, Alexis handpicked mismatched antique wood nightstands and a chest for the foot of the bed to store extra blankets. The warmly patinaed reproduction sconces make it easy to stay up late reading.
Get the Look:
Bed Slipcover Fabric: by Kravet
Create a Quiet Corner
A custom rod placed over the bumped out window seat ensures privacy even on the busiest of beach days. Alexis chose a multi-layered linen for a super soft look that still allows the morning light to filter in. The vintage milk glass was a 1stDibs purchase. “From the street it feels like I was electrifying a little doll house,” says Alexis.
Add a Vintage Look
Topped with durable soapstone, the bathroom’s center cabinet was designed to feel like an antique dresser someone plopped into an old cottage bath. “Most of the design decisions were to honor the original cottage,” says Alexis. “We wanted it to look like it had been in Del Mar forever.”
RELATED: 80+ Best Bathroom Decorating Ideas to Add Some Soul to Your Bathroom Remodel
Rethink Screen Time
“It was a total Hail Mary,” says Alexis, rehashing the moment she unearthed this hand-painted French screen at a local antiques shop just as she was completing the guest room. The artful piece not only functions as a headboard, but it also makes the small room feel more prominent. A block print duvet complements the floral theme. The bobbin-style nightstand holds sun-faded beach reads.
Tuck in an Outdoor Shower
After a day at Dog Beach, a stop at the outdoor shower is a must.
RELATED: Beautiful Outdoor Shower Ideas to Try in Your Own Yard
Tour More Seaside Retreats!
Get even more beach house decorating ideas from these coastal country cottages:
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