Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » before and after: beach house by otto baat design

lois mackenzie and pamela hill’s portland bungalow makeover was a huge, huge hit earlier this year- so i’m thrilled to share their latest project, under the name ottobaat design. their newest home renovation is a spectacular oceanfront home on the oregon coast. with all of their homes, lois and pamela like to utilize a color story, and for this home the story is about grey, yellow and white. the home furnishings are a mix of high and low (thrift shops, ikea, department stores and local boutiques) and some of the detailing around the house is actually thanks to their handy husbands. it’s always nice to see what people can do with their own two hands and a vision. if you’re interested in contacting lois and pamels for design work, etc you can shoot them an email right here. and you can also click here for more images of the home. [all photography by jeffrey cross]

[top image: front of house, before image directly above: front of house, after]

[image above: living room, before]

[images above: living room, after]

[image above: kitchen, before]

[images above: kitchen, after]

[image above: bathroom, before]

[image above: bathroom, after]

[image above: bedroom (sorry, no before)]

I love the wallpaper in the kitchen, the lovely tile and the entire fireplace, and especially the sink in the bathroom. I’ve been trying to find a picture of this kind of arrangement,which I think would help save space in a small bathroom like mine.
This is just a wonderful space altogether!

Beautiful!! I love everything they’ve done. The tile looks like Ann Sack’s Heath Oval Ceramic Tile, try this link http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268204&prg=270604 . I’ve admired that tile before and it looks perfect in this beach house!

the inside obviously looks great, but the outside had so much more character and was more appropriate for the kind of house it is. that weathered wood looks amazing, and should have been integrated into the new design. totally ruined the outside of the house – looks like new construction.

It looks really great, but I can’t believe they painted over that beautiful ceiling! WHY?!? Also, I’m pretty bummed out that they got rid of the deck and painted the outside. I’ve been harassing my boyfriend for months say that I want a weathered little cottage on the beach, and I was so excited when I saw the before picture, and a little disappointed when I saw the after picture.

It’s Heath tile, of course, but Oval not Diamond (as shown above), here: http://www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/tile/collections/dimensional-collection/
My fave is the black. But it’s all gorgeous.

@Claudia: Those sconces are a modern classic design by Tetrarch called Pistillino. You can find them at Retromodern, which has a great online store, and–if you’re in Atlanta–soon at the new showroom.

http://www.retromodern.com/item_detail.asp?5298

It’s kind of tragic, actually. It no longer looks like a beach house. Looking at the interior now, the house could be set anywhere. Granted the ‘before’ could have used a little work but how about respecting the setting. I’m getting really sick of this modern look thing.

Sam – that is a Eero Saarinen “Womb chair” To die for and v. expensivo.

So the flicker page says this house is only $200,000, but I find that very hard to believe… Zillow says it’s 2 mil. Which is it because if it’s only $200,000 I am moving to Oregon.

WOW what an amazing lightening and transformation of this space! I love the black/white/red theme they chose. The only thing I don’t get is why they cemented in the base of the house…? Personally I’ve always loved buildings on stilts, and for a beach house that of course makes sense.

Regardless, absolutely stunning.

Hello,
Thanks for the nice comments. When we bought the house it was very very dark, we kept the east wall all wood and painted out the rest for light and reflection. We also engineered the entire west wall with all new windows.
The wall paper is from walnut wallpaper.com amazing selection.
bathroom lights are from lux lighting
in portland.
Counter tops are poured in place concrete.
Fireplace tile is from heath tile, oval.
You can order direct from them at
heathceramics.com.
Thanks

To those of you who insist on loving the before…have you ever smelled an old weathered beachhouse with brittle carpet, damp wood and wallpaper that’s absorbed odors for years? If only the photo’s were scratch and sniff. This redo is the best of modern meets comfort. Nice job!

That is stunning!! I love the shelving in place of the cabinets. In a beach house, you don’t need as much storage, so what a great focal point for the kitchen. This is really an amazing transformation.

Honestly? Kind of boring. Sure it’s beautiful, trendy, immaculate- and I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to weekend there, but what the heck is wrong with cheesy wallpaper? Fake fur throws? Come on! It’s a BEACH HOUSE. I preferred the house before. Baby got soul!

Way to take a funky little beach house and strip it of all character. I really, really love most of the before and afters on DesignSponge, usually because it’s fun to see what small changes can make a big difference. In this case I’m disappointed. It looks like a hotel, doesn’t it? I give it five years until it looks really dated and needs a whole new makeover.

What hasn’t been addressed here was the challenge of designing a vacation home for 6+ households. So, of course there has to be a lack of sentimentality in the design, it’s a time-share people!
Granted, the shabby chic aspect might have been beachy, but that had to go if it was going to sell to multiple buyers. In place now is a more salable and universally acceptable version. At nearly $200,000 a pop, most folk aren’t going to pay for afghans and homey nick-nack touches.

what a waste of amazing potential. so much better before – its oregon for godsakes! all that gorgeous wood thank god so many oregonians celebrate what the unique character of their home state.

I agree with the folks who thought before had character and the new one looks – well like any “modern groovy electic” condo anywhere in the midwest.

heard of jump the shark? i read this blog almost daily and this one post sorta crystallized my being very done with this brand of modern eclectic. style. give me grandma’s house anyday.

The clear counter stools are by Kartell – they are the companion piece to the Ghost Chair. They can be purchased through a number of websites like HiveModern. The Womb Chair is a Knoll classic that will never go out of style, in my opinion. It is the dream chair purchase I keep on my wall to inspire me (to sell) as an interior designer. If you just want it in one of the standard colors DWR carries a licensed version. Otherwise it’s available through the trade in a wider variety of fabrics and colors (frankly I’m tired of the red, even though it’s the classic color for the chair). Nice project, and I love how they worked within the project restraints to create a comfortable, warm and light space. Kudos.

Grace, your website is amazing! I love checking it out everyday. So much inspiration.
I hope you don’t pay any attention to the negative comments, like pixen’s above, you have in no way “jumped the shark”. Of course not every post is going to appeal to every reader, one shouldn’t codemn your entire blog beacause they don’t like this post. I remember being so excited waiting for my first issue of Domino and it totally lived up to my expectations. Like Domino, your website speaks to my (and obviously many people’s) personal taste in design more than any design magazine or website. Keep up the great job, my home is looking better and better, thanks to your wonderful blog.

Lisa

Thank you for your kind comment. I can assure you that I’ve heard enough negative comments over the past four years to know that I need to stick with my own gut about what’s right for this site, not every angry commenter’s.

Grace ;)

I have to say that I really loved this makeover. It isn’t the same natural beachy home, but I didn’t think it lost it’s beach home character. Maybe it’s just the fact that noone I know has a really well designed modern home, but I certainly am not tired of the look . Loved it!

Thank you for all the wonderful colorful comments. It has been interesting to see all the different levels of emotion regarding this remodel. I’ve been asked by some for a comprehensive – one stop resource guide for some of the design elements…..so here it is:

1. Kitchen wallpaper is from Tres Tintas – Galaxia 1968-1. You can find it here…..http://www.walnutwallpaper.com/wallpapers.php?filter=designer&type=38&name=Tres+Tintas&paperID=663

2. Fireplace tile is from Heath Ceramics – Dimensional Collection – Oval. You can find it here…..http://www.heathceramics.com/go/heath/tile/collections/dimensional-collection/

3. The bathroom sconces are designed by Studio Tetrarch – Pistillino. You can find it here…..http://www.bostonmodern.com/catalog/item/653219/2150408.htm. For those in Portland OR – we purchased them at Lux Lighting in store (though I can’t find them on their website).

4. Bathroom sink is from LaCava – Aquamedia. You can find it online here…..http://www.lacava.com/HTML/Sinks-aquamedia_5061.asp. We purchased it locally from George Morlan Plumbing.

5. Kitchen stools were designed by Philippe Starck – Charles Ghost Stool. You can find it here…..http://www.dwr.com/product/furniture/dining/counter-barstools/charles-ghost-counter-stool-set-of-2.do?sortby=ourPicks

6. Dining room table and chairs are from IKEA. Dining table is JAMSUNDA…..http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10146686. Chairs are NORVALD…..http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70115045

7. All bare bulb lighting is from School House Electric. Pendants over the kitchen island…..http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/fixtures-detail.asp?FixtureID=178&all= and wall sconce bare bulb…..http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/fixtures-detail.asp?FixtureID=153&all=

8. Red chair with ottoman is designed by Eero Saarinen and manufactured by Knoll. You can find it here…..http://hivemodern.com/products/?view=sub_product&sid=173&cid=2&cid2=3

9. Chocolate daybed was purchased at Crate and Barrel – Simone Daybed. You can find it here…..http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=949&f=10891

10. Couch was purchased at Macy’s – Corona. You can find it here…..http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=251414&CategoryID=35389

11. All pillows and accessories are from West Elm, Anthropologie, our favorite store in Cannon Beach – Sesame and Lilies….http://www.sesameandlilies.com/ – and our favorite store in Portland…..http://www.inkandpeat.com/retail.html

12. The coffee table and wire chairs were from a vintage store in Portland in the Hawthorne Neighborhood.

13. The MALM bed and bedding are from IKEA. The bedside lights are FADO – also from IKEA…..http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70096377

14. The chandeliers were purchased at The Rebuilding Center where they were salvaged from Portland’s historic Benson Hotel….http://www.rebuildingcenter.org/

Hope that helps everybody! I do want to say that Pam and I often find ourselves at a crossroad when we renovate. Our decision to paint the wood was mainly driven by the notorious grey skies of the Oregon Coast in conjunction with the fact that none of the woods matched (difficult to see in the photos).

Thank you for all your comments, Lois

Hi,
I hope I’m not jumping on the thread too late, but I was wondering if those lights in the bathroom give off much light? I was considering the cheaper “anenome” version and I wasn’t sure if two of those would be okay with one overhead light.

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