Jean Carroll
“When we get up in the morning, we put on our bathing suits, and we don’t take them off until dinner.” Karen didn’t want to worry about rugs and upholstery. Although the house needed attention, it had big windows to let in the ocean breeze, and some original materials and details remained.
They repositioned a backyard tool shed and added flowerboxes and a cupola to make it a focal point.
Karen called in the talented interior designer Iliana Moore; together they chose a casual color palette that said “beach,” New England style. The outside of the house was repainted in a simple polychrome scheme featuring blue and gray; cottage shutters with sailboat cut-outs add to the appeal. Blue and white toss pillows were made from vintage linens and fabrics that have sea themes.
On the top floor, four tiny bedrooms, separated only by single-ply walls of beadboard, were reconfigured into three comfortable rooms for grandchildren and guests, and a bathroom was added under the eaves. Iliana Moore kept to the theme, choosing old-fashioned Bar Harbor wicker and painting it patriotic red.
Now the family spends a lot of their summer on the porch, sipping lemonade in the cool ocean breeze or hosting nighttime parties.
