After sharing pictures and plans of my parents’ new Florida beach house, I promised an update here, but I’ve been putting it off because there hasn’t been as much to report as I initially expected. To be honest, there have been a lot of challenges with this project, from the fact that my parents don’t actually LIVE there (and all furniture deliveries need to be coordinated through some very time generous friends of theirs), to the unfortunate reality that a lot of the furniture ordered–both online and locally–has been delivered damaged or with flaws, leading to multiple plan changes and much frustration. In addition, my parents aren’t actually clients, and it’s a delicate balance of how much advice is actually welcome as opposed to when I start getting pushy and butting in where I’m not wanted. 😉

So I guess this “Florida Beach House Update” is a real life glimpse into decorating a home remotely, bad pictures and all. How’s that for keeping it real? Hopefully I’ll have a little more complete update in late fall/early winter!

These photos are a combination of ones I took late in the day in April while I was there (in super low light), and a few more updated ones my mom took with her iphone in June when they were last in Florida. So forgive the quality!

The sunroom is one of my favorite rooms in the condo because of all of the natural light flooding in. The adults frequently hung out here while the kids were trying to fall asleep, so it may end up serving as a sort of lounge area. The blue sofa is a queen sleeper, so this room also doubles as a sleeping space, giving the condo the ability to comfortably sleep eight adults (two each in the master, the second master, the den, and the sunroom) and four kids (in the bunk room).

This long hall leads to the second master, the bunk room, and the den. The den is on the left, the third bathroom is on the right, the bunk room is at the end of the hall, and the second master is the last door on the right.

Here is a picture of the den when I was there in April. The day bed was originally ordered for the sunroom, but we didn’t have accurate dimensions for the space when we ordered it, and it felt way too big for the space. My dad hates it in this room, and it does feel a bit large, BUT it is SO practical (and comfortable – I slept on it a couple of nights before we switched sleeping arrangements after my parents left), so it’s staying.

I cannot wait to get my hands on those built ins and do some fun styling! Accessorizing book shelves is one of my favorite parts of decorating a space!

My mom has since purchased more neutral bedding for the day bed, giving it more of a sofa feel, as well as a few new throw pillows.

I love that the Florida beach house has a second master bedroom with a king bed. This is where I spent the last five nights when I was there in April. Clearly the room is nowhere near done, but the space is fantastic!

We can get pretty creative when we need to, and my sister and her husband slept in this room for the first two nights while we were there in April, and their baby slept in a pack ‘n’ play in the bathroom! It was a tight squeeze, but it fit. BTW, she sleeps in a closet in their bedroom at the lake. My dad jokes that she’ll be traumatized by her strange sleeping arrangements, but I’m pretty sure she’s doing just fine.

I know I took some cute pictures of the bunk room while I was in Florida, because I shoved all of the kids’ junk into the closet to make it look presentable, but somehow those photos have vanished from my memory card, so I’ll have to show you the bunk room with this iphone photo my mom sent me. With one of the beds unmade. Because one of my kids spilled juice on that comforter. Oops. 

This is what the main living space looks like now.

This is what it looked like on a daily basis while our crew had invaded in April. #lifewithkids

You might have noticed that the furniture is different. The bar stools the kids were sitting on came damaged (and those were actually the second set – the first set were my favorite, gorgeous rattan, but the dimensions were listed wrong on the website, and when they came they were way too tall for the counters). So the third (and possibly final 🙂 ) set are there now.

Here’s another view of the Florida beach house main living space from the kitchen. The back of the sofa below is the second sofa. The first, ordered from a large online furniture retailer, came with a black mark on it and squeaky springs. Thankfully the company offers amazing customer service and issued a full refund on the sofa. The blue sofa you’ve already seen in the den is actually the THIRD blue sofa. The first two came damaged, but the local company they were purchased from were determined to get it right! I wasn’t kidding when I said we’ve had issues.

When we were at the condo in April, we used a teal card table and folding chairs as the kitchen table. The one my parents finally purchased after a lot of deliberation is a slight upgrade. 😉

This little vignette in the entry way is probably the only fully decorated area of the entire Florida beach house, but it’s not a race… The decorating will get done eventually!

The most “finished” room in the Florida beach house is the master bedroom. My mom fell in love with this bedroom set from a local furniture store, ordered some bedding online, found a great throw and some cute pillows at Home Goods, and voila, a nearly finished master bedroom. All she needs now is some art and accessories, and maybe a cute chair in the far corner!

That about wraps up the Florida beach house update. I’m hoping to get down there in the semi-near future and help my mom with some of the final details. Most of the big furniture pieces are done now, but we need rugs (lots and lots of rugs), artwork, accessories… All of those finishing touches that really make a place feel like home! It hasn’t been a smooth sailing project, but this space has already been a huge blessing to our family, and I know it will continue to be in the future.