Misty Adair

We asked ourselves this very question when we spied the dreaded droplets (sounds sinister, eh?) on our beautiful vintage hardwood floors in our soon-to-be house. Someone had clearly been a sloppy painter in the past. With an 80 year old house, who knows how old those paint splatters might be or how they might be removed without destroying the floors?

Even without a coastal view or a sea breeze, you can still have beach house style anywhere anytime. Borrow a few ideas from these inspiration photos and incorporate a nautical influence in your home. Just don’t go overboard.When searching beach house images, we always find whitewashed walls, light filled rooms, and varied natural textures. Color palettes are generally based on the seascape with shades of blue, green, beige and dabs of coral. Fabrics are worn and woods are weathered.

Name: Susan Castor Collection “Beach House”Location: Port Aransas, TexasSize:3980 square feet — 6 bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms The Gulf Coast is all over the news these days, but it’s rarely linked with design and decor. Today we’re bringing you news from the Texas Gulf Coast of a lighter, fresher sort. On a recent trip to Port Aransas, we unexpectedly discovered a beautiful custom-built (and eco-friendly) vacation home open for tours at Cinnamon Shore.

With two new puppies creating puddles of pee and piles of poop every 4 minutes, we’ve been occupied with substantially more cleaning lately. It’s a good thing Mother Nature made puppies so darn cute, even if she did make their deposits smelly. No matter how sorry our puppies seem to be, cleaning up after them is frustrating.Fortunately, there are specially formulated products to eliminate the smell of urine and feces and to discourage your puppy from a repeat performance.

Making the right color choices for your home can sometimes be intimidating, especially if those color choices are attached to large price tags. In the kitchen and bathroom, most color selections, from floor to ceiling, can seem very permanent (tile) and very expensive (cabinets).[image: Coastal Living]As most Apartment Therapy readers have noticed, color inspiration can come from anywhere but not all colors work everywhere. The trick is finding the right colors for you and for your room.

Let’s discuss bathroom fans. Though not a very sexy addition to the bath, it is likely to be an essential one. The problem is most fans are either extremely ugly or institutionally boring. Granted, fans serve a purpose and don’t have to be show stoppers, but can they be moderately tasteful?If you’re thinking that you don’t need a bathroom ventilation fan, think again. Exhaust fans are necessary to prevent mildew, mold and swampy smells because . . .1.

Name: Ray and Patricia HammLocation: Llano, TexasSize: 2,100 square feetYears lived in: 12 years Money is no object when it comes to decorating Patricia’s house. That’s because it doesn’t matter if she has money or not, she will find a way to make her home fantastic. Living in the small town of Llano does not afford the luxury of big city shopping, but it does inspire creativity.

Sometimes you have exactly what you need right in front of you, maybe even right there in your kitchen. Open up your fridge, bypass that Diet Coke, and reach for the mayo. You might be surprised what it can do besides adding zest to your sandwich.When we were recently reading a novel, The Help, we were reminded of a household tip that a grandmother or aunt mentioned once upon a time.

Name: Location: Size: Years lived in: It’s a family thing around Paul and Katharina’s house, as evidenced by the wooden blocks and sippy cups left strewn about by their three kids. It’s about a fun, relaxed lifestyle where friends can come over to watch movies in the sunken media room or strike up the band on the built-in stage. Their home is comfortable and easy to be in, but it’s also composed of concrete and steel and is all about modern efficiency.