As I’m sure you can imagine, if I had my way I’d tackle all of my wish list items in our Florida home right away. Not only is that not feasible from a budget perspective, it’s probably not all that realistic with all the supply chain delays we’re currently experiencing. It’s also probably not a great idea to make changes after only staying in a space for a collective 12-15ish days or so!
With that, we’ve really tried to prioritize our projects based upon time, product accessibility, and what will really help our guests or add to their experience in a more positive way! Today I’m sharing our Florida home design plans as they stand today. They’ve only been modified at least 20 times in the past few weeks 😉
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If you read our announcement post, we’ve only seen the home on three trips and are back again this week to work on some of the updates. The first visit, we stayed there to look at other homes – ours wasn’t even on the market! The other time was to quickly fly down and close on the property, and then the last was to work on a few small projects right before I had my girls’ trip in town for my friend’s 50th birthday! Needless to say, making design plans remotely has been a bit of a challenge – especially as it relates to finding products that can arrive in the exact small window we’re there. I also had to rely on various photos I took to approximate measurements, etc. So, we were excited to get back down here last weekend to work on the house even more before the truly busy season begins.
However, Kurtis and I only have so much time to work on projects while we’re in Florida – especially since we still work during the weekdays! I obviously have a lot more flexibility with that, but there are only so many projects I can do without Kurtis’ assistance. While we’re here this time around, we plan to tackle a few DIY projects, and I plan to get as much painting done as possible! The painting will include touch-ups in as many places as possible, but hopefully also adding a few fun colors throughout!
There a few key pieces in each room we’d love to replace over time. I was able to get a few orders placed prior to heading down and could coordinate a delivery that aligned with us also being in Florida. Others are going to have to wait until things slow down a bit, as the house is nearly 100% booked in March and April already.
Let’s dig into a little bit of the short-term and longer term goals we tentatively have planned for several of the spaces. I’m sure these will evolve slightly over time, but these are the currently thoughts! Several of the items are placeholders for color/pattern ideas until I find the perfect pieces! I’m excited to test durability on many of these and report back to you guys. We’re obviously newbies at the furnished rental thing, so it’s hard to know if it’s worth investing in performance products or if we just need to plan to replace things every few years. We’re shooting for a mix right now to better equip ourselves for the future!
Florida Home Living Room, Kitchen & Dining Room Design Plans
As a reminder, here is how the space currently looks. Or at least how it looked last week before everything started arriving!
And here is a super rough mock-up with some of the changes we’re hoping to make soon. The biggest unknown currently is the range hood cover and if we can actually build one or not while we’re here (at this point, we’re leaning towards ‘no’). I still have a few placeholders like the coffee table and dining room light. Still trying to finalize several decisions. But otherwise, most of these items have already been ordered and are en route or have arrived!
SOURCES: Counter Stools | Kitchen Pendant Light | Dining Chandelier | Navy Blue Swivel Chairs | Diamond Indoor/Outdoor Rug | Wide Striped Pillow Covers | Pinstripe Pillow Covers | Lamps | Ceiling Fan | Coffee Table | Vase | Faux Fan Palms | ‘Surf Tribe’ Book
My friend Rachel had just bought a gorgeous new white sectional right before we bought the house. Since the house came fully furnished, it was a great score! This sectional is the closest I can find online (she bought ours locally). But it’s obviously a pieces we’ll keep as long as possible because it’s so beautiful and fits in well with the aesthetic we’re going for. The cabinet is already in the house, as well, filled with games, etc. underneath the living room TV, so it will also stay.
The navy blue swivel chairs arrived yesterday and we’re super happy with them! My friend has them in white and I’ve always loved them (so comfy but also stylish). So, when they launched the navy blue version recently, I snagged them! It’s a little more contrast than I’d like in this room, but the prior chairs were cream colored and had been essentially destroyed over the past year. So, navy felt like a better option here!
I’m also really excited about the Diamond Indoor/Outdoor Rug I ordered! This is one of my favorite lines because you can hose them off, bleach them, etc. Although they’re indoor/outdoor, they are fairly soft underfoot and have incredible durability!
SOURCES: Navy Blue Swivel Chairs | Diamond Indoor/Outdoor Rug | Sectional | Striped Pillow Covers | Patterned Pillow Covers | Lamps | Ceiling Fan | Coffee Table | Vase | Faux Fan Palms | ‘Surf Tribe’ Book | Cabinet
Eventually we’ll make some changes to the dining room area as well, but for now, pretty much everything is staying. Here were some tentative thoughts on how we’d want it to look down the road. This is obviously all very flexible and subject to change as we find pieces that work well.
SOURCES: Woven Chairs (look for less here) | Bistro Chairs | Striped Pillow Cover | Vase | Faux Fan Palms | Chandelier
Florida Home Bedroom Design Plans
We have four bedrooms plus a bunk room so expenses can escalate pretty quickly if we do too much! Our property manager has recommended white linens and coverlets for the rooms, which we already have in place thanks to the prior owners. Now we just need to add a little bit of color and personality to each room, with a few furniture swaps as well.
Florida Home Main Floor King Suite Design Plans
I have a new rug pad and our striped rug sitting back in Omaha that I had been hoping to use in Florida. We really wanted to make it fit in the car, but traveling with a 10×14 rug and a pad in a large box obviously wasn’t ideal. I built most of the plans around the rug, so hopefully I can get it down here eventually!
I ordered this bed, partially with some credit card rewards I had accrued, and it gets delivered shortly. I can’t wait to see it in person! I’d ideally love to get all of the upholstered beds in the house swapped out with a natural fiber or wood.
Most of the other items on this plan are very loose and are serving as inspiration so if I find something similar, I can grab it! Getting the bed in place is key and then I’ll update the other items over time. I’m hoping to at least snag some cute throw pillows while we’re down here to zhush the bed up a little!
SOURCES: Woven Bed | Nightstands | Lamps | Striped Rug | Bench | Euro Shams | Woven Throw Pillows | Patterned Throw Pillows | Vase | Faux Fan Palms | ‘Surf Tribe’ Book
Florida Home Upstairs King Bedroom Design Plans
While we visit, Kurtis needs a quiet place to work during the day so he can attend video meetings and work. With that, the biggest change to the upstairs king bedroom was adding a desk. The rooms are all fairly spacious, but with large beds and dressers in all of them, a desk didn’t easily fit. So, I decided to order this desk to double as a nightstand on one side of the bed. It has worked really well so far! With so many people working from home now, I think this will be a change that others can use and appreciate as well! I also ordered this bed for the space to replace the existing upholstered bed. It arrives Thursday so I’m excited to see it in place!
From a long-term perspective, I would love to add a wallpaper behind the bed (like this one) or maybe do a fun wall treatment. But, we’re finding just how limited our time is down here (especially with 1+ hour round trip drives to/from the hardware store), so it may have to wait until our next visit.
SOURCES: Wood Bed | Euro Shams | Patterned Pillow | Linen Lumbar Pillow Cover | Bench | Charging Nightstand | Desk | Desk Chair | Lamps
Florida Home Queen & Daybed Trundle Bedroom Design Plans
We plan to keep much of the existing furniture in this bedroom. We did however swap out the nightstands and I think they look really cute in here! They weren’t the most fun to put together, but I really like them now that they’re assembled! I also ordered this set of lamps, as the prior ones were pretty ornate and extra tall. Eventually we’d love to do a fun wall treatment and paint color in here but that’s probably a project for another trip!
SOURCES: Upholstered Bed | Euro Shams | Throw Pillows | Nightstands | Lamps | Frayed Edge Diamond Quilt | Vase | Faux Fan Palm
Most of the dressers that came with the home are not my style and I’d love to gradually replace them over time. They’re all very solid and great quality, but replacing them all will add up in a hurry. And since all the rooms have really nice sized closets, it’s not a priority to replace them at this time. Maybe later this year or early next year! But, if you’re on the hunt for a great light wood or coastal style dresser, I have some great options in this post from a few years ago, most of which are still available. We now own this dresser and this dresser at home. But I have my eye on a few of the other options too!
In the remaining queen bedroom and bunk room, we plan to just do some light refreshing in the form of throw pillows. I’m hoping I can grab some locally or at HomeGoods!
Florida Front Porch Design Plans
The front porch is so charming here! The porch swing was already in place and we love it so much! The cushions were starting to show their age, but thankfully Ballard sells replacement cushions. I’m also adding these striped cushions that tie in so well to the house color! And, we randomly found these Hola door mats at Target and they’re perfect for Hola Beaches! And I love that the fan palms are part of the landscaping in our side yard!
SOURCES: Ceiling Fan | Porch Swing | Striped Cushions | Polywood Adirondack Chairs | Hola! Door Mats
Florida Accessories & Design Plans
I’m trying to shop local at all the amazing home decor stores along 30A while I’m here. It’s a coastal decor lovers heaven down here, and I love supporting the local business owners. Here are a few items I picked up at the cutest store, Be Casa, last week. I had never been before, and my friend messaged me that it’s one of her favorite stores and yesterday they were having their semi-annual sidewalk sale. So, I cancelled my plans to work on some touch up paint around the house, and went shopping. Best decision! I came home with so many cute items and had to snap a quick pic once I got back. I saw the “No Wake Zone” framed art and immediately thought it would be so cute in the bunk room or another bedroom, allowing for a double meaning! It was a splurge but I’m so happy I snagged it. I can’t wait to work some of these other pieces into the decor. I’m linking some similar items below the image.
For artwork, we’d love to get some local photos either with our drone our my DSLR camera. I then envision blowing them up large and using them for art around the home!
I also thought I’d share these fun throw pillows I found. I ordered a few to give them a try. We’re not making any changes in a few of the bedrooms at this time, so I thought some fresh linens would be a fun update!
SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
I’m excited to head out of this week to some local shops. I’ll be sure to share my favorite stores and finds along the way if you want to follow along the Hola Beaches 30A Instagram account!
Additional Coastal Decor Posts You May Find Helpful
Following are several of the older posts I’ve found myself referring back to in my search for the perfect beachy decor for our Florida Rental. Click any of the article title below to be taken to that post.
- Stylish Ceiling Fans
- Coastal Wall Art
- Coastal Dining Chairs
- Modern Coastal Living Room Chairs
- Traditional Coastal Coffee Tables
- Coastal Modern Console Tables
- Coastal Inspired Home Decor For Less
- Coastal Chandeliers
- Classic Coastal Bathroom Vanities
- Coastal Den Reveal
More About Our Florida Rental House
If you missed the news, you can read more about our Florida rental house in the posts below:
- We Bought A House . . . In Florida!
- Tour Hola Beaches, our Florida rental house, and book a stay here.
- Follow Hola Beaches on Instagram here.
I hope you all have a great week!
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Would your friend be willing to share where she bought the existing sectional? We own in Rosemary and buying a new couch is on my list this spring. But options are overwhelming when looking at cost of one and putting it in a rental. Thanks! The house will look beautiful with even just these few little updates – gives it more personality
She got it at Not Too Shabby next to Amigos! Unfortunately I don’t believe it’s a performance fabric and she had to pay to have it treated separately. She had to get something quickly at the time, and with lead & shipping times being so crazy, she bought what they had in stock. I hope that helps!
I looked there as well! Sounds like I’m on the right track. Thanks!
i think the place already looks great especially for a rental. i think its already perfect
Hi Sarah,
Beautiful updates! Congrats on the beach house addition to your portfolio😄
Can you share the rug source for the “upstairs bedroom suite”?😍
Hello to Kurtis & the kitties!
Thank you Lori! Here’s the link to the one in the mood board. https://rstyle.me/+oEOaoWdKqeFhlQNlxGssyA It’s the closest I could find to one that’s already in the space 🙂
My husband and I are in the beginning stages of building our permanent home on the coast of South Carolina. I am so appreciative of your site for inspiration and have referred to it often. I really like the wood flooring in your beach house. Do you know the color and manufacture?
That sounds exciting! Congrats! Unfortunately I don’t have any info on the floors since we are the third owners and there doesn’t appear to be any extras anywhere.