Journeys End House Tour

It’s hard to believe we’ve just celebrated living in our little island cottage, Journeys End, about eight years now. Our styles have definitely changed over the years from coastal to shabby chic to farmhouse neutrals to a vintage mix inspired by the South.  During that time, we’ve painted almost every room, traded out and traded up so many pieces of furniture, given old pieces new life, constructed and decorated our way to a cozy home we treasure.  Come on in…

I live on an island in Florida and that makes the drive to town a long one.  Most days I don’t mind though.

It’s honestly the best of both worlds.  To get on or off the island, I pass a field full of goats,

and drive under a canopy of trees dripping with Spanish moss.

We have plenty of room to put in the kayaks with just a quick walk or a relaxing bike ride near the water.

The front porch is one of my favorite spots on the property to decorate and relax especially during the Fall season.

There’s plenty of room to read,

hang out,

or just enjoy brunch.

The entry holds a bench we made from my childhood bed and lots of hooks for purses and bags.

Just off the side of the entry is the dining room.  It holds a beast of a hutch and buffet I swore was headed for the garbage before my bestie S convinced me we could save it.

We’ve had this table that comfortably seats ten all eight years and it makes our hearts melt when it’s completely filled and everyone is eating family style.

My parents saved the old fence boards from my childhood home Loblolly Manor to help make a place for one of our favorite things to collect, brown and white transferware.

Off the other side of the entry is the home office. It’s one of the hardest working rooms in the entire house and it has a great view too.

Living in a home that has an open floor is great about 90% of the time. It forces us to be tidy and to understand our decorating style because so many of the spaces are open to each other.

Off the living room is the kitchen

and breakfast area. I love that you can be in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner, guests can be talking in the living room and the littles can be coloring at the table yet everyone still feels included in the conversation since it’s all open.

We waited 7 years before painting our kitchen cabinets white and we still can’t get over the transformation.

Right off the kitchen area is the walk-in pantry,

laundry room,

and folding station.

The master bedroom has been completely redone

including the hand painted stenciled floors which was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

Nestled just inside the master bedroom is the master bathroom. Can we just talk about that tub? It’s the best way to relax and unwind after a long day.

We installed board and batten in the tiny half bathroom and it instantly made the entire space look bigger.

Now I want to put up board and batten in another bedroom

and another bathroom too.

My office was once a bedroom that’s been completely converted into my dream space. I can’t believe I get to work here any time I want.

Finally, one of our favorite spaces is the back patio.  We love to eat outside so it really feels like an extension of our indoor living areas. We have some big plans for this area too. We definitely could use more swings because they’re used every day.

Part of our property has been left for wildlife and native plants which makes for a fun adventure. We never really know what is going to show up but our goal is to always be good stewards of the land.

You guys have been the best cheerleaders during so many of these projects and we can’t thank you enough. We know turning a house into a home is a journey that takes time and we’re glad to have you here with us.

Many blessings,

CoCo