New, airy beach retreat has a sense of history

Dining room

Make small spaces live big

A window-filled alcove functions like a dining room, with a casual table, two slipcovered end chairs and a pillow-topped banquette. The built-in bench and wall of windows make this small space seem much larger. Interior designer Paige Schnell of Tracery Interiors  chose two vintage light fixtures, hung with nautical rope instead of standard chains, to illuminate the space.

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Kitchen

Raise the kitchen

“We created a stadium effect by raising the kitchen one step up,” explains architect Louis Nequette. The counters in the kitchen are standard height, but because of the elevation change, they reach bar height from the opposite side of the island in the family room.

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Kitchen backsplash

Apply a unique backsplash

Interior designer Schnell designed a custom antiqued-mirror backsplash for the stove. It reflects light and gives the cook a glimpse of the room behind her or the guests seated at the bar.

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Kitchen countertops

Mix materials

Schnell balanced beauty and utility with her countertop choices: Calcutta marble on the island and maple butcher block on either side of the stove. “The extra-large piece of white marble lightens up the space and is beautiful on top of the espresso-colored cabinets,” she says. As a contrast to the dark cabinets on the island, Schnell selected unfinished cabinets for the rest of the kitchen and had them painted to match the crisp white trim. Sleek nickel hardware adds a modern touch to the Shaker-style cabinets.

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Kitchen bar

The third-floor loft opens over the family room. Industrial-style stools line up along the kitchen bar.

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Downstairs master bathroom

Open up the room with a glass wall

Instead of a basic doorway between the downstairs bedroom and bath, the architects designed a glass wall as a divider, with grommeted curtain panels that can be pulled for privacy. The glass wall visually enlarges the space and adds a sense of calm to the dramatically stenciled room. The large floating bathtub invites relaxation and serenity.

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Upstairs master bedroom

Install a built-in headboard

To create an architectural headboard in a boxy space, Schnell designed a 12-inch-deep, 5-foot-high wall along the back of the upstairs bedroom. She centered the bed in front of the wall, with industrial-style tables on either side. To fill out the eclectic look, she stacked books and leaned artwork atop the ledge.

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Upstairs master bathroom

Marry exterior and interior styles

The upstairs master suite showcases a modern barn door, which slides along a track to close off the bath. Because the exterior architectural style of the house borrows from farmhouse vernacular, with board-and-batten siding and a galvanized roof, the barn door is a fitting interior detail.

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Front porch

Double-sided fireplace

The stucco fireplace shares a chimney with another one in the courtyard. This double-sided design helps to frame the casual entry. Two woven rockers, positioned next to the fireplace on the front porch, create the perfect place to unwind on a warm summer night.

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Second-floor porch

Get comfortable outside

This second-floor porch, just above the front porch, has a sense of privacy, with solid railings and overhanging eaves.

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Family room porch

Embrace simplicity

The second-floor Gulf-front porch, accessed from the family room, is the ideal spot from which to watch the sun rise. Architects Jeff Dungan and Louis Nequette designed a horizontal rail, rather than conventional vertical pickets, for a seamless view.

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Children's playroom

Liven up the walls

Schnell designed a horizontal stripe pattern for the playroom walls with vibrant shades of aqua, green and pink. Tip: Use painter’s tape, a level and lots of patience to get this look ― you must wait for each row to dry before you move on to the next.

The architects exercised true space efficiency in this room by carving out even more sleeping space. Because this is the only room in the house with a television, the built-in double-wide daybed, covered by two twin mattresses, serves as video-game perch by day and comfy bed by night. Two beanbags round out the daytime seating.

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Children's loft

Use every inch

Influenced by train bunks, the architects designed a row of three built-in beds on the third-floor loft, each lit with a marine-style sconce and closed off with curtains. Storage areas for the bunks line up across the hall, with a cubby and a drawer for each bed.

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Loft storage

Built-in cubbies and drawers are great for toy storage or as a place for kids to unpack suitcases.

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Garage

Amp up your storage space

With rigs to hang kayaks and a sink to clean freshly caught fish, this hardworking garage takes beach storage to new heights.

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Fish prep station

To embrace the fishing lifestyle of Port Aransas, the “fishing capital of Texas,” the architects designed a fish-prep station inside the garage, along with space for an outdoor grill to cook up the day’s catch.

Styling by Matthew Gleason

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