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accessories, Beach, Before and After, dark wood, decor, Decorating, Home Decor, renovation

Topsail Beach Condo Renovation

Take a tour of this Topsail Beach Condo with a top to bottom makeover including new flooring, paint, and bathroom fixtures.

Topsail Beach Condo Renovation

My stepmom, Diane Chamberlain (the famous author), purchased a fixer-upper beach condo in Topsail Beach a few years ago. She hired my sister, Caitlin, to work her interior designer magic on the place. My sister then convinced me to come put in some manual labor. We had a blast renovating this Topsail Beach Condo together and hopefully get the chance to work together again (especially because she lives on the West Coast and we’re on the East.

(Please excuse our sweaty appearance. This was midway through one hot and sweaty day.)

After a few days of sweaty labor, (and some additional work done by her contractor), the beach condo is ready to be enjoyed. Luckily, my stepmom gave us permission to stay in the condo anytime it isn’t rented! That’s a deal I definitely couldn’t turn down!

Without further adieu, I’m giving you an all-access view of the renovation with before and after images.

Welcome to 118!

The Door:

The old door was dried out and had some chipping in the veneer. To save it, I sanded the door down, fixed some of the chipping veneer, painted it, added new numbers, and a door knocker. Now it’s a welcoming door more fitting with the beautiful renovated rooms inside.

My sister and Diane picked out the knocker. Sea turtles are strongly linked with Topsail because of the sea turtle rehab and rescue facility on the island.

The Kitchen:

When you enter the condo, the kitchen is on your right. The old kitchen had dated Formica doors and countertops. None of the cabinet doors were hung straight. And the sink was barely deep enough to wash pans in.

The cabinet boxes were primed and painted by the contractor and new doors were installed. The appliances are the same, but they look so much better with updated cabinetry around them.

A new sink, faucet, and countertops were installed. To free up space on the counters, a microwave was hung over the stove.

The kitchen opens up to a bar and the dining area. Before, the wall was broken up by the back of the cabinets. And a 3″ molding strip blocked the view from the sink.

The bottom three inches of trim were cut off below the cabinets. Sheetrock was installed to cover up the oak and tie it into the rest of the walls in the condo. Caitlin created the clock collage and purchased new bar stools.

To add more lighting, puck lights were wired and installed beneath the overhead cabinets.

I painted the “We’re Always on Beach Time” sign for her collage.

Dining & Living Areas:

Behind the bar is the dining area. The dated mauve chairs, ugly light fixture, and teal carpet had to go! Just getting rid of the carpet alone was a big change in this condo.

The after is simple but elegant. An oval dining table allows for better flow around the table. And the new light fixture is perfect for the elevated decor.

Can I point out those floors?! They are vinyl planks that look like wood. Update: I can’t recommend this flooring as the planks started separating within a year. We’re not sure exactly what caused the warping, but unfortunately Diane had to have them replaced. Currently, the condo has waterproof laminate that we love, but only time will tell if it wears well.

The living room was frump-alicious with lumpy sofas and more dated decor.

My sister picked out a beautiful blue and tan coral patterned sofa and loveseat. A coordinating chair and ottoman rounds out the grouping.

The coffee table, side tables, and console table were painted to give them a fresh new look.

The oyster shell lamp also got a new coat of paint and a new lampshade. My stepmom wanted to get rid of it, but I’m so glad we kept it. Now we laugh about the lamp everytime we see it, because she likes it.

All the furniture got two coats of Annie Sloan French Linen paint. The console table looks brand new and blends well with the new furniture. Hooray for reusing old!

Bathrooms:

Unfortunately, some things needed to be retired. Like the dated bathroom fixtures.

It is hard to believe this is the same bathroom! New everything. Well, almost everything, we did save the medicine cabinet and had the contractor gave it a fresh coat of white paint.

The bifold door was discarded and new built-in shelving increased the storage potential for this small shared bathroom.

Speaking of dated bathrooms, this was the master bathroom. UGLY!

Caitlin’s vision for this bathroom was incredible! I wouldn’t believe it was the same room if I hadn’t witnessed the transformation. New vanity, mirror, lighting, toilet, and a fresh coat of paint.

The condo is filled with photographs by John Pagliuca, Diane’s spouse. They are all photos taken from Topsail.

Bedrooms:

The master bathroom is accessible only from the master bedroom. The dated art, furniture, and floral bedspread had to go!

Now, the transformed bedroom is truly fit for a king! New carpeting, furniture, paint and bedding makes a huge difference. You can read the tutorial for how I created that rustic wooden plank headboard.

The views from the master bedroom are stunning! The sun comes in the sliding door at day break and you can see the ocean from bed!

Down the hall is a bedroom for the kids. The before isn’t too bad.

Okay, so it was bad, especially because the after is amazing!

The mirror was a $15 score at a thrift shop. I transformed it with Miss Mustard Seed Tricycle paint and some wooden scraps.

New furniture, lamps, carpet, paint and bedding transforms this room into a nautical retreat. The vintage oars aren’t really vintage. I made them myself. You can read the tutorial to create your own vintage painted oars.

Caitlin and her friend Michelle painted the stripes on the wall. What a fun way to add some more color to this kids’ room.

One bedroom left! This is the queen bedroom. But, I’m not sure what Queen would appreciate this eclectic floral explosion.

My sister picked out a beautiful color scheme in this room. Restful green walls, khaki linens, and accent pillows of beautiful coral pink.

The queen bedroom overlooks the sound. The views from this condo are gorgeous from every window!

My other sister, Alana, is the photographer of the art over the bed. Yes, I know, we are a talented family.

Interior Flat Door Makeover:

I added beadboard and molding to all the hollow core doors to give them a more attractive look. Here’s the easy tutorial for adding molding to a flat panel door.

My sister, Caitlin, did an amazing job! For more before and after transformations, be sure to check out her facebook page. Also, if you live in the San Jose area, she can help you with your next design project.

I can’t leave you without a quick view of the ocean from the condo deck.

Wouldn’t you love to vacation at this beautiful beach front condo with your family?

Unfortunately, this Topsail Beach condo isn’t available to rent, but you can rent Diane’s 2 bedroom condo in the same complex. Both are on the water and both have been renovated.

When you book a rental in one of her condos, you’ll have to read one of her novels, (they are perfect beach reads!) If you haven’t read her books yet, they are phenomenal!

I hope you enjoyed this Topsail Beach Condo Renovation tour. It was so much fun taking this space from dated to dreamy!

Source list:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

King bedding
Queen bedding no longer available.
Twin room bedding
Wood Plank Vinyl Flooring: Mannington Adura Luxury Plank – Burma Teak (color)

Paint Colors (all are Benjamin Moore)

Living Room, Front Halls, Kitchen, Halls = 924 San Mateo Beaches (Eggshell)
Master Bedroom = 1633 Brittany Blue (Eggshell)
Master Bathroom = 688 Seacliff Heights (Satin)
Queen Bedroom (the one off the hall bath) = HC-116 Guilford Green (Eggshell)
Hall Bath = 478 Sweet Caroline (Eggshell)
Twin = 957 Papaya (Eggshell)
Stripes in Twin Room on Headboard Wall Only: 1323 & HC-156 (Satin) **just need a small amount of paint for the stripes
All Interior Doors, Doors, Basemolding = Swiss Coffee (Semi-Gloss)
Kitchen Cabinets= Swiss Coffee (Semi-Gloss)

January 20, 2014/52 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

DIY Aged Chippy Paint Technique | Pretty Handy Girl

This is another one of those tutorials that I’ve been dying to share with you! Like sitting on my hands and anxiously waiting to type it out. But after taking 2 weeks off from blogging, I’m back and ready to give you this fabulous tutorial for achieving the aged chippy paint look on your next project.

Before I give you the chippy gritty, I want to give you the background story on those gorgeous corbels.

If you’ve been following along, I finally completed my 13 month kitchen renovation. The last task was installing two open shelves on the full tile wall. Finding the perfect corbels to use as shelf brackets was not an easy task. I scoured eBay, Craig’s List and salvage shops. I was really getting discouraged. That was when I met Garlan from Southern Accents Architectural Antiques at Haven. We talked for a few minutes and he showed me some of the corbels he had in his store. There were some wonderful old ones, but I felt a bit like Goldilocks. One was too tall. The other not big enough, but the biggest problem was that I needed four of them. Garlan showed me some new corbels that he had. He told me he has a guy that can duplicate any corbel design and can customize them to meet any size requirements. It was as if the heavens parted and angels sang! I was elated and couldn’t wait to find an image of a design I liked. But, again, the Goldilocks in me couldn’t find the “perfect” corbels. So, I opened up Adobe Illustrator and started to design my own unique corbels.

Chippy Paint Technique

I designed a scroll pattern based off of one corbel I saw, but also added some relief portions inside the corbel. I sent the image to Garlan and a week later he sent me a picture of one of the corbels. It was love at first sight! I quickly approved the initial one and waited anxiously for the corbels to arrive. When I opened the box, they were beautiful and exactly as I had pictured them in my head.

I set forth to give them an appropriate aged chippy paint look to fool people into thinking they were actually antique salvage. Here’s how I did it. Read more

January 10, 2014/47 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Before and After, Decorating, kids art, Kids Room, painting, renovation

School Library Reveal

School Library Painted with Montpelier Wedgewood | Pretty Handy Girl

Remember last week when we were picking colors for the school library? Well, I’m back to show you how everything came together!

But first, I’d like to announce the winners of the Valspar paint samples:

Congrats to Bonnie, Lynda, Marion, Cathleen, Joanne, Colleen, Amy H., Nicole, Becky V. and Nancy B!

To quickly review, we painted the walls and ceiling tiles using Valspar Montpelier Wedgewood. Then we stenciled stars on the ceiling. After installing the ceiling tiles the library looked like this. Better, but still a bit ho-hum.

I had much bigger plans and was far from finished. I called in some expert help from my friend Leen the Graphics Queen and her husband. They cut and installed all the silver trees and birds. We had an absolute blast working together. There were several birds leftover, so Leen played hide and seek by putting a few birds elsewhere in the library. The kids (and I) had fun trying to find them over the next few days. Read more

December 16, 2013/15 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

adfree, book, bookshelves facelift, Decorating, kids art, Kids Room, Paintbrushes, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, renovation

Tips for Choosing Paint Colors in the School Library

Tips for Choosing Paint Colors | Pretty Handy Girl

Choosing paint colors can be a daunting task. Looking at small paint chips at your local Lowe’s Home Improvement store can be a bit overwhelming. Especially because there are so many colors to choose from! (That can be a good thing too ;-).)

Luckily I have two tips to help you choose the paint color that’s right for you:

1. Use Valspar paint. Finding a paint color you love is easier with Valspar. If you don’t love the first color you choose, you can have another on them. It’s as easy as, love your color, or change your color. That’s the Valspar Love Your Color Guarantee. And it certainly helps alleviate the stress of choosing the right paint color for your room.

2. Create larger paint chips. Looking at tiny paint chips won’t help you conceptualize that color over the entire wall. Making large paint swatches using foam board and sample paints is easy and can save you time when choosing the ideal paint color. I put together this short video to show you how we selected the final color for the school library.

I knew if I could create big paint chips and let the librarian live with the large chips for a few days, she’d be better prepared to make a final decision. As you saw, she was much more comfortable choosing this way.

The winning color was Montpelier Wedgewood by Valspar. And, luckily after we began painting, we all fell in love with the color she chose.

Here’s how we tackled painting the school library (acoustic ceiling tiles and all!):

Before removing the ceiling tiles, we created a map of the tiles on a sheet of paper and numbered each square. Then we marked the number on the back of each tile as we took them down (team work really helped with this task.) Why the map and numbering? It made it easier when it came time to re-install them (especially if some were cut to fit.)

After removing the ceiling tiles, they were all wiped down with a wet rag. Then we used a medium nap roller to paint all the tiles. A paint brush was used to paint the sides as well. Then they were left to dry.

Meanwhile, I mixed a sample of white paint (mixed with some shimmering craft paint) to stencil the stars. I created a star stencil using my Silhouette cutter and a sheet of acetate, but you can also cut one by hand with an x-acto knife.

Luckily we had loads of volunteers to help stencil oodles of stars. Parents and children alike all chipped in to help.

By the end, I was seeing stars. LOL.

The ceiling tile grid had to be painted with a paint brush. This is where I was really glad that we bought the Valspar Paint & Primer in one paint. It definitely saved this project from being a literal pain in the neck.

The two tiles we couldn’t remove were painted and stenciled in place.

After the paint was completely dry, we returned them to their appropriate location. Thank goodness for the map!

I put a fun surprise on top of all the bookcases, but I wanted to hide the cords. It was as simple as purchasing some adhesive cord covers at Lowe’s and painting them the same color as the wall.

See, much less noticeable now! Oooooo, sneak peek!

Next week I’ll show you how we added the final surprise elements to the library. In the meantime, is there a room you’ve been putting off painting? What do you think about choosing paint colors now that you know these tips. Ready to choose your color?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Valspar Paint. I was compensated for my time writing this post. Valspar was also kind enough to donate the paint for the school library project. All ideas and words are my own.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

December 10, 2013/54 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Before and After, book, Books as decor, bookshelves facelift, Decorating, Furniture, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, reading nook, ReNew, renovation, Sconces

Elementary School Library Reveal

School Library Reveal | Pretty Handy Girl

For a month I’ve been working on the school library makeover that was facilitated by a donation from Overstock.com. This morning I got my emotional reward. I walked into the library ready to put on the finishing touches in the room. There were a few kids in the main section of the library reading. But, when I turned the corner and gazed into what used to be the dark back corner…

…I was surprised to see a dozen kids sprawled on the rug, dog beds and bean bags.

They were all piled back there and quietly reading! My heart almost burst. The librarian told me it’s been like that since we finished painting. The kids love to hang out there. And not just the younger grade levels, all the kids love it! My heart is just singing with joy. Read more

November 20, 2013/19 Comments/by Brittany Bailey