Since buying our St. George Island vacation rental house we’ve been having a great time updating. During the purchasing process, amidst inspections and surveys, we’d talk endlessly about changes and updates we’d like to make. Over the month or so before officially closing on Beach, Love & Happiness we made lists of projects which included purchases we’d need to make.
Time was an issue because our goal was to begin in February and be done with the first phase of updates by the end of March. Spring break on St. George Island in Florida is a busy and popular time, and we already had requests for bookings.
One of the first rooms we tackled was the entryway. Previously, it had an old beige framed mirror, a console table (with absolutely nothing in it’s 6 over-sized drawers), a picture, and a vase with an artificial flower arrangement that had sat in the same place for 20 years. That was it. The entry to this popular SGI rental house was sparkling clean but not very welcoming.
Our idea was to infuse a little color, beachiness and fun, with a bit of practicality. We want our guests to walk into Beach, Love and Happiness and feel welcome and know they’ve made it to their beach holiday!
“What we love most about our home is who we share it with.”
Bench & Entryway Shelf for Beach House
There was a very sturdy 5′ white bench already in the home and we moved it to the entry level. This will give us and our guests a place to put shoes on or rest a beach tote before they head for the ocean. I think it’s also a great place for Steven to sit and wait for me when I promise I’ll be ready “in a minute”. 😉
I also wanted a shelf with towel hooks where our summer guests could leave damp towels after returning from the beach or the pool. In the winter it’ll be handy for sweaters and jackets.
I commissioned a local St. George Island woodworker to build an entryway shelf to the exact size and specifications I wanted so it fit well with the existing bench. It’s a full 5 feet long and made of solid wood. It’ll last forever. We decided on 2 partitions creating three areas for decor and functional use. I found a set of galvanized cast iron boat cleats to use for the hooks. They add to the beachy nautical vibe. I originally planned to paint the cleats, but the silver looked pretty great so I left them alone.
If you’re doing a similar project I used the 6″ Galvanized Cast Iron Boat Cleats (see link for info). Just be sure you aren’t choosing a ‘rough cast’ boat cleat because they will have very sharp bits that you’ll have to sand off. I also recommend you pick cleats that come with screws, otherwise you may have a hard time finding the proper marine screw that will fit the cleat.
My wonderful parents happened to come to Florida to see the new beach house the day before the shelf was delivered. Lucky me, they took on painting it – and did an amazing job! Once dry, we installed the boat cleats and then the shelf itself!
Finishing Touches to Our Beach House Rental Entryway
I found the teal “Beach House” sign that we hung over the entryway shelf at Christie’s Cottage Living in Carabelle, FL. Carabelle is a short 30 minute drive from SGI. I’d recommend you put it on your things to do list when you visit St George Island. It’s a waterfront town on the Forgotten Coast known for fishing, snorkeling, hunting and birding. While you’re there pop into Christie’s Cottage Living. I’ve been there twice in the last 6 weeks and left with a bunch of coastal decor finds each time.
To add some coziness to the room we bought the biggest area rug the space could handle. I loved the fun and nautical vibe of the starfish rug. Starfish are fairly easy to find on St. George Island… just another reason we liked it. The rug also helps grab sand and dirt off feet and paws.
Our property manager suggested a basket for beach shoes because they help capture sand entering the house. We found this cute plastic barrel locally. I’ll let you know how it works out.
I was able to reuse the mirror by just painting the frame white to freshen it up. While I had out the spray paint, I also painted the ceramic shell (formerly beige like everything else) and it fit perfectly in the new entry shelf.
The last thing we did was put up the great fish hook by the front door. We found it on a day trip to Apalachicola Bay in one of the charming bayside shops. It was an impulse purchase we made early on that we knew would go somewhere. We plan to use the hooks for leashes when we’re vacationing at Beach Love & Happiness with Harvest and Luna, and hopefully guests who bring their dog to our St George Island pet friendly rental will too.
We’ll do more to the entryway in the coming months. Some ideas include adding color to create an accent wall, and possibly find a St. George Island themed sign for over the door. We’ve seen some cute ones in Apalachicola.
We also have painted our picnic table with a chess / checkers board and a tic tac toe board. So we’ll need to add some baskets to organize the game pieces on the shelf.
If you have a great idea please share it with us and let us know what you think so far!