Modern Beach Retreat

Our goal was to create an epic modern beach retreat for this client who had just retired and sold her other home. We started by removing a wall, replacing a large two-sided fireplace, and upgrading most of the windows in the house. The kitchen was reconfigured to be more functional for daily use and family gatherings. A new walk-in pantry was created, and the laundry room, hall bath and master bath were all renovated as well. The home's exterior was transformed to be consistent with the new modern interior. The easy access and views of the sunny private back yard are priceless.
Project team included...
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Design: Kate Handel Design
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Contractor: Bodas Construction
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Photos: Gallucci Media























Design Vision


















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Client Feedback:
"I wanted to buy “that perfect house” but nothing suited my personal style or price point. Instead, I decided to purchase a house I could renovate and personalize. Luckily, I started working with Kate right away.
Kate is an experienced renovation designer who helped me make my dream home a reality. Initially I thought I’d just remodel my kitchen, but as soon as I began working with her, I knew immediately I wanted to enlist her design services to update the entire interior of the house. She designed my home to become a stunning place that reflects my personal taste while keeping my budget in mind.
Kate worked side by side with me every step along the way in the design process. She’s easy to work with and leans in to her client's desires to offer creative and simple solutions to potentially complex problems. She began by offering structure to my ideas that ultimately helped me articulate my big ideas and truly define what we could achieve. Then, we met on the job site and we visualized and discussed the possibilities together. She is an amazing listener and during this process she employed her keen sense of style with an eye for detail to preview every idea using live CAD drawings. I was blown away by her ideas and this part of the process exceeded my expectations.
Next, Kate helped me select materials, build a budget, and shared cost savings for materials selection. She has built a team of dedicated tradespeople who respect her. We met at each vendor location and she helped articulate my needs to the various vendors as we selected finishes and materials. It was a sheer delight to work with Kate on site as we selected floor, appliances, cabinets, lighting, fireplace, bathroom and kitchen fixtures together. Again, she added all the choices, live, into CAD, to help me visualize my selections.
Kate helped with the essential final stages of renovation—actual construction. Kate prepared the set renovation plans that a general contractor can bid and work efficiently from. Ultimately these detailed plans helped me save money, define the budget, and she helped me find a talented and reliable local contractor for this project. She also produced the plans for submission for structural engineering, electrical design, and plans ready for the permit processes.
The finished renovation project is even more wonderful than I could have imagined on my own. As the project progressed, it turned out that we touched every room in the house. Simple aesthetic suggestions such as matching paint or door hardware made a huge difference. I’m grateful for all of Kate’s thoughtful guidance and suggestions. We made these minor adjustments along the way that didn’t cost a lot but, in the end, makes the house just epic. Now that we’ve completed the project, this dreamy modern beach retreat is welcoming my friends and family."