Beautiful Beach Interiors

To conclude my tribute to Alys Beach, I wanted to share some of the beautiful interior homes of Alys Beach. (I pulled these from www.alysbeach.com). The living room above reflects the beauty of the French Caribbean. The detailed laced mahogany console, palm leaves, soft sunny yellows and greens, deer horns harken us back to the French West Indies when 18th and 19th century Frenchmen came to the islands for "white gold" (sugar).

These next few rooms illustrate the soothing environment of the beach. The soft beechwood and driftwood accents, creams mixed with other neutral tones, seagrass and use of straw and linen fabrics represent my favorite elements of the beach (and without all the sand).

The subtle grayish green painted cabinets looks soothing with stainless appliances and hardware. and neutral tiles and other stones. I use this kitchen's palette a lot in my own design.

I like the wood planked ceiling in this kitchen. Not only is it a nice aesthetic touch, but a good a acoustical barrier in a kitchen like this one with little upholstery and soft materials.

I think of sand when I see this bathroom. How about you?

A quiet modern bedroom. I love this modern piece of art above the bed.

I think of quaint, cozy and comfortable when I see this bedroom. My (future) kids would love this room. I'm pretty sure that the lamp, quilts and pillow shams are from Anthropologie.

My ideal beach bedroom--romantic, reminiscent of the French Caribbean and sweetly antique.

Awh...I'd love to entertain in this room. Imagine six of your closest friends, a few lit oversized hurricane candles, scents of lobster bisque, fried oysters, a baking French baguette and your favorite chardonnay and Sammy Davis Jr. playing in the background = Heaven on Earth in my book!

My Husband's 30th Birthday Party

My husband turned 30 while we were at the beach, and to celebrate, we went to a beautiful and delicious restaurant in Alys Beach called Caliza. Not only was the food amazing, but the restaurant itself was gorgeous. I pulled some of my own pictures as well as some of the restaurant from the Alys Beach website (www.alysbeach.com) so that you could see how amazing the restaurant is. Here's a glimpse of our evening...

Here's the entrance. Look at that custom chandelier!

J and I in the comfy little cabana seat shown above. He's so cute in his new birthday button down!

A glimpse of the poolside bar.

The comfy waiting area. What a beautiful place to have a drink while you wait for your table.

The bar! My favorite. I love the oversized clock, the tile, the Janus et Cie bar chairs, the lighting and the fact that it's recessed inside the exterior walls. Doesn't it just glow?

A better glimpse of the bar backsplash/wall tile. It reminds me of one of my favorite tile lines Bisazza Mosaico. Here are some of Bisazza's works of art...

Here's a glimpse of the dining area. The floor-to-ceiling metal curtains are genius, because they define the dining space without closing it off to the view of the pool and rest of the restaurant. Be careful--they are heavy and hurt if you hit one.

Look at this awning! I love the fountain pool below.

Here's the entrance to one of the four private cabana rooms.

And the interior. Don't you want to get a group together and have drinks and mingle in there?

I'm loving these Janus et Cie Leaf Lounge Chairs. Here are some of my other favorite installations from Janus et Cie...

ABaC Bar & Restaurant Barcelona, Spain

Shangri-La Maldives

A view of the table...gorgeous!

The Architecture of Alys Beach

I've promised lots of inspiring pictures of my trip to the beach, and I haven't provided. Sadly, I've been under the weather this past week with one of the horrible flu viruses that has been going around Nashville. It has been tough to sit on the couch and rest (I mean, I love Regis and Kelly and Oprah, but how many shows in a week can you take?). So, despite a fever and clammy hands, I'm blogging on my beach trip inspiration.

I'm in love with the architecture of Alys Beach, and here's why:

Alys Beach Model Home

The contrast of the black and white buildings with pops of color allows you to appreciate the shape and form of the architecture.

Frontville Press, Alys Beach

A facade in Alys Beach, photo taken from www.alysbeach.com

Caliza Pool, photo taken from www.alysbeach.com

The Moroccan archways and oversized planters.

Fonville Press, photo taken from www.alysbeach.com

The mix of interior and exterior spaces.

Fonville Press, Alys Beach

Fonville Press, photo take from www.alybeach.com

A residence of Alys Beach

The contrast of black and white intermixed with greenery. The landscape of Alys Beach invades the architecture. Whether it's ivy creeping up facades...

A Door of Alys Beach

Green walls and interior gardens...

A Potted Plant in Alys Beach

Pots filled with green plants...

A Walkway in Alys Beach

Or grass growing throw stone pavers, the lush vegetation of Alys Beach is part of the fabulous design and architecture of the area.

Patio of the Alys Beach Model Residence

I love the interior/exterior architecture of Alys Beach Residences.

A detail of the Alys Beach Model Residence

I love the attention to detail.

A Buidling of Alys Beach, photo taken from www.alysbeach.com

At Alys Beach, the sky's the limit for design.

The Staircase at the Model Residence in Alys Beach

The beautiful white stucco buidlings make me think heavenly thoughts.

The Model Residence Upstairs Outdoor Lounge

The exterior space is not an afterthought but is considered another place to live.

The Model Residence Upstairs Outdoor Lounge

I like how the furniture becomes part of the architecture. This Janus et Cie exterior lounge sofa provides an elegant anchor point for social gathering and relaxation. This furniture is all over Alys Beach!

Although, I love the architecture at Alys Beach, the interiors are my favorite! Join me next week as I explore some of the interiors of Alys Beach.

Design Actually Fosters a More Meaningful Life

I feel refreshed and enlivened--some due to my vacation last week but mostly because of the beautifully designed places that I visited. While in Santa Rosa Beach, I spent some time in my favorite beach towns: Rosemary Beach, Watercolor, Seaside, Watersound and Alys Beach. My favorite on this particular trip is Aly Beach, and here's why:

Alys Beach is a place where design actually fosters a more meaningful life. The welcome center at Aly Beach shares the design intent of the community.

It is one of America's most environmental communities. Everything from the exterior building material to the layout of buildings that works with wind patterns and creates breezeways is well thought out and planned.

Fresh air is automatically circulated in Alys Beach homes. Floor finishes are water based, and most homes are finished with veneer plaster instead of paint. So there are no harmful fumes. Clean and healthful air is not an afterthought at Alys Beach--it's built in.

The walls at Alys Beach are not your typical studs and sheetrock, but rather an incredibly durable and energy-efficient structure. The walls are made of a reinforced steel and concrete structure with a spray foam fill (which has tested to save consumers 30-50% a year in heating/cooling).

The beautiful white exteriors of Alys Beach homes are water, wind and termite resistant. The roofs are made of white concrete tiles, reducing erosion, replacement and heat absorption typical of tradition roof systems.
The architecture, interiors and landscape of Alys Beach are impeccably designed.
Bermuda influences much of the architecture of Alys Beach. There are also strong Moroccan ties as well.

In my next post, I will share the beauty of the interior and exterior architecture and design with you. Stay tuned!