Hospitable Houseboat

Homeowners Michelle Harris and Raphael Barragan love living on the water and want to infuse their houseboat with a nautical and tropical theme. Designer Caroline Vesey steps in to blend the themes together and give the home bright color and eye-popping accents, while focusing on the main goals of the project, which include de-cluttering the front deck and redefining the front entry.

Here's how they accomplish it:

• remove the old ramp and rebuild it with sturdy new planks
  
• put up a new arbor at the top of the ramp
  
• new non-slip urethane-sand coating for the deck
  
• vibrant tropical paint colors: aqua goes on the body, sky blue trim and white accent paint and new shutters
  
• bright blue awning over the door, and a new front door with sandblasted etchings of fish
  
• lots of planters and pots for the deck, new window boxes with magenta and pink flowers for color
  
• decorative accents: a buoy with housenumbers, new deck furniture and a hammock, and bamboo screening for the deck