In the living room, the story is about mixing color, pattern, scale, and texture. Dabito paired chunky pieces of furniture (the sofa, the fat-leg coffee table) with delicate sculptural lamps and simple sisal shades. All the different textures—the sofa’s weave, the jute rug, that nubby mushroom ottoman—look cozy and cool. To make the back porch feel like an extension of the home, Dabito continued the bold patterns and colors outdoors. He designated an entertainment zone with an Ooni pizza oven and stationed a bar cart nearby so guests have easy access to food and drinks.

Kitchen

Designer Gina Gutierrez leaned into beachy blues and whites but brought in soft sage tile and surprising fixtures, keeping the room miles from nautical-cliché land. There are plenty of lower cabinets, so Gina removed some of the upper ones to lighten up the space. On floating shelves, you can display the things you love.

Storage

The Home Edit team may be known for color-coding, but their real tricks are creating zones and keeping everything visible and accessible. To overhaul the utility closet (pictured below), The Home Edit installed white Elfa shelves lined with labeled bins for stashing everything from dish soap to Glad trash bags. Wall hooks keep cleaning tools off the ground but within easy reach.

Dining Room

Pulling from her kitchen design, Gina used the same blue Valspar paint, Pitch Cobalt, and light wood accents for a breezy flow. But she added sculpted black details for a slightly more formal feel.

Pick a Chair

A marble table can lean bougie, but mix-and-match seating makes the room less uptight. Here, black Windsor chairs look great with beechwood armchairs. Who knew?

Second Floor

Guest Suite

Hello, retro! Thanks to the 1960s color scheme, the plush textures, and a light that resembles a disco ball, visitors to designer Erin Wheeler’s guest bedroom will wake up feeling funky and fresh.

Sweet and Savory

Too much pink and peach can be cloying, so Erin threw in an avocado-green bed—a little acid to break up all the pastels.

Second-Floor Landing

This awkwardly shaped spot connecting three floors and bridging two rooms gets some TLC from REAL SIMPLE senior home editor Leslie Corona, with leafy wallpaper, a splash of paint, and thoughtful details.

Good on Paper

The 1980s-style palm-leaf peel-and-stick wallpaper (inspired by The Golden Girls, obvi) jazzes up this nook under the stairs.

Color Connection

Vibrant green paint, Valspar’s Green Trellis, ties into the leafy wallpaper across the landing while harmonizing with shades in the rest of the home.

Primary Suite

A showstopping landscape mural inspires a palette of sky blue, earthy greens, and wood tones in Clara Jung’s design, a calming ode to the natural world.

A Mismatch Made in Heaven

Proof that design doesn’t have to be symmetrical: In the primary bedroom, pictured above, Clara used a desk in place of a nightstand to maximize space and add function.

Storage With Style

In the primary bathroom (pictured below), the double vanities have enough room for little trays to hold all the essentials like Curél and Bio-Oil. The closet behind looks custom, thanks to a combination of green paint (Flora by Valspar) and The Home Edit’s meticulous organization method.

Third Floor

Loft & Bunk Room

Designer Kelly Finley splashed happy-hued furniture and decor throughout, taking cues from bold statement art from Minted. The result: a fun and fabulous kids’ hangout area.

Bright and Blue

Kelly chose swivel chairs instead of a sofa for this tight spot. Because the chairs face each other, the area feels communal. A patterned ottoman is a surface for board games and offers storage for throws or pillows. By the stairs, you can fill up your water bottle without running down to the fridge, thanks to an Elkay filtered water dispenser.

No Wasted Space

Low-sloped ceilings mean bunk beds are out. To create ample sleepover spots, Kelly laid beds end to end. The custom structure includes storage and a desk, making use of every available inch. A central air system from American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning keeps the top floor cool, even in the Florida heat.

Photos: Real Simple Home 2022

Time for You Weekend

To coincide with the launch this year, we invite you to join us for an immersive weekend experience September 15-18, 2022 in the Rosemary Beach community in Northwest Florida. Come relax, reset, and experience the REAL SIMPLE Home for yourself.

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