House Crashing: LBI edition

The Youngsters over at This Young House Young House Love have this great section of their website labeled "House Crashing". Now I don't know anyone who has done amazing, jaw-dropping, cover-of-a-magazine renovations, but I do know people who own houses. Therefore, I shall crash them.

First up is my parents shore house. This story is really a "lemons to lemonade" story. I mentioned before that my parents owned a house on Long Beach Island, NJ for over 15 years when they decided it was too much for them and sold it (making out like total bandits too!). They still wanted a place to come during the summer so they struck a deal with my Great Aunt Ola who happens to own a duplex. Mommacita and Daddy-O rent out the bottom for the summer and my great aunt doesn't have to worry about where the extra income is coming from.

I need to preface this a little more by saying this duplex was built sometime in the 1950's by Ola's hubby, Uncle Wilfred. When my parents took over the bottom half of the duplex it looked like Ola decorated in 1957 and never looked back. Everything was gold and brown. My mom has done a lot with what she had. She convinced Aunt Ola to let her freshen up the house with a fresh coat of paint and replace the dated peel-and-stick tile with carpet. Although my mom doesn't have the same decorating tastes as I do ( she's a little more country/ traditional), I think she's done a great job with what she had.

To start with, we have the family room:

The furniture is what Ola had in here, and I have to say, I kinda dig it. It has this great mid-century vibe to it. I've already called dibs on the set if they ever decided to get rid of it.

All the slip covers are hand sewn by Aunt Ola. My mom added the throw pillows.

I love this little table by the window. How adorable is that lattice work on the side? I love the molding on the top as well. Couldn't you imagine this with a coat of white paint? Love it.

What better place to hold the remote then a glazed sea-shell?

I love this chair in the corner. It is so soft and comfy, AND it rocks! The light behind it creats a perfect little reading nook.

The master bedroom sits off the family room, and most of the furniture was supplied by Aunt Ola. My parents replaced the linens with one of their bedspreads, a bed skirt and some throw pillows.

There is also a cute little bench so my mom can set down her yard sale finds:

The dresser- also a hand-me-down - is just big enough to hold their clothes

The guest bedroom originally had two single beds, but just this past spring Aunt Ola removed the twins and added a double bed. My mom inherited my old bedding from my bachelorette days (JEGs was not feeling a fully purple bedroom) and added a little coziness to the guestroom:

The kitchen is not very big so my mom painted the walls a pretty yellow and cheerful curtains:

Since there isn't a whole lot of cabinet space my mother aquired two buffets for storage. The first one was a yard sale find and is the perfect place for snacks, sodas and other dry storage:

The second one is from Aunt Ola's daughter, Becky. It was painted blue to match the room and houses other dry goods such as paper plates, canned goods, as well as scissors, tape and other office supplies in the drawer:

The backyard is really were everyone spends most of their time. After a long day at the beach, here is were everyone gathers for cocktails and snacks. When the weather is pleasant, most dinners are served al fresco

In the corner of the patio is a wood carving my mother bought. He has been dubbed "Old Salt". He watches over us.

So there you have it ladies and gents. This is the place where my retired parents spend their Thursday evenings to Tuesday afternoons (yes, you read that right. That means they are "home" in PA for Wednesdays only). It might not look like much, but it is a cozy place to spend a weekend in the summer.

Always & Forever,

ME