LIZ GOLDBERG was just two weeks into a kitchen and bath remodel in Beaufort when havoc struck. In September 2018, the coast was ravaged by Hurricane Florence, leaving wreckage in its wake. The home was entirely flooded and the project was instantly put on hold. “We’d just started with things,” says the designer. But, like any good story, there was a silver lining to the destruction. “My clients were able to completely reimagine their beach home and create something that they really loved in its place,” she says.
The three-bedroom home had a typical 1980s floor plan: compartmentalized and closed off, with dark rooms, including a tiny galley kitchen, dining room, and den, and little to no water views despite its stunning sound-front location. “They had this amazing view of the sound, but you couldn’t see any of it with the way the home was originally designed,” explains Goldberg. “The house was extremely dated; the spaces were built blocking the view of the sound, making the rooms feel small, dark, and lifeless.”
So what began as a straightforward kitchen and bath remodel soon transformed into a whole-home renovation that included tearing down water-logged drywall throughout. It also meant removing interior walls and opening up all the main living spaces so the rooms were seamless and connected and afforded spectacular sound views. “We brought the home down to the studs, removing walls and reworking the floor plan, making the overall flow and function of the space more cohesive to our client’s lifestyle,” explains Goldberg. “Being empty nesters, our clients realized this would be an ideal time to bring their dream of living full-time at the beach to a reality.”
“You can now see the view of the backyard as soon as you open the front door,” says Goldberg. “You enter the home and can immediately see their dock, which overlooks marshy land and small islands that look like a painting. It’s the perfect, quiet place to connect to nature.”
That view inspired the entire home’s interior design, as Goldberg drew color cues from nature’s landscape just outside the window. “We believe the Southern charm and coastal lifestyle of this project is what makes it a dream project,” she says. “There is an instant ability to relax and feel right at home in this space.” Goldberg’s ultimate design goal was to enhance the coastal cottage home without incorporating the typical navy-and-white combination or overused nautical elements. Exposed wood coupled with dusty blues and greens with pops of saturated color throughout elevated the home into the relaxing retreat of which the homeowners had dreamed.
While the home was damaged beyond repair, many of the furnishings were not, and, as such, the homeowners wanted to use those pieces along with some from their Raleigh home. “I had a lot of furniture, and I didn’t want to get rid of it all,” says the homeowner. “Liz was so great at revamping the pieces.” A large French yellow-oak armoire was lacquered in a soft gray, instantly updating it, while a chair in an ultra-traditional seersucker fabric was reupholstered in a more modern gray-and-white stripe. “Many of their preexisting pieces were on the traditional side, so we went on a sourcing hunt to find modern, durable, and elevated fabrics that complemented the frames,” says Goldberg. The combination of updated traditional pieces with more modern additions like the lighting by Visual Comfort above the kitchen island or the beaded chandelier by Ro Sham Beaux in the breakfast area resulted in a more contemporary feel to the once shabby-chic beach cottage.
In addition to opening up and modernizing the entire home, the kitchen was one of the main focuses of the makeover, as the homeowners love to cook and entertain. Because the couple was downsizing, every inch of the home needed to function, and the kitchen was originally too cramped to cook and entertain. “We added new appliances, raised countertops, updated plumbing, tile, flooring, and lighting—really the whole shebang—to infuse new life into this space and make this house a home,” says Goldberg. The couple, who love to read and relax while drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, requested a place to sit and enjoy the morning sunrise. “We created a reading nook at the end of the island by incorporating big cozy reading chairs in the front of the kitchen by the windows, as this is where the best morning sunlight shines through,” says the designer. “This doubles as a great space to enjoy an afternoon cocktail!”
The homeowners now live in their beach house full-time, loving every inch of what Goldberg designed for them. “The only thing we had done in thirteen years was paint the home,” says the homeowner. “Liz came in and completely revamped it, making it feel so modern and cozy and relaxing. Liz truly made this home so enjoyable that we decided to move here full-time. We absolutely love it.”