Tour a Beach House With a Fresh Take on Coastal Style

Seanna and Matt Covell spent their childhood summers in Ocean City, Maryland, eating French fries on the boardwalk and biking barefoot with friends. They wanted the same for their girls, so when this 1,000-square-foot bungalow — just two blocks from Matt’s parents’ place — came on the market, they snagged it. Matt, a builder and designer, took the lead on transforming the dilapidated 1960s house. He and his team gutted it, vaulted the ceilings and installed white oak floors and shiplap throughout. “In a beach house, you can easily go overboard with the nautical theme,” says Matt. The Covells wanted a fresher vibe and layered in modern geometric tile, vintage surfer swag and bright pops of color. “It’s a tiny house, and it didn’t take much to trick out every space,” Matt says. His daughters approve. “They get to wake up every morning in a funky paradise,” says Seanna, “then head down the street to get spoiled by their grandparents.”

Pink siding and a sunburst design in the gable set the tone for the family’s laid-back lifestyle. The living room and kitchen open to an expansive deck by Trex — a space that’s equally geared toward kiddie-pool dips and entertaining. The bar window swings out to let in the breeze.

The Covells worked with a local spray paint artist to come up with the plan for the pelican accent wall, then let him go to it. Matt built the oak box to house the TV, with shelves for family photos and a retro skateboard to keep the screen from dominating the living room. The girls perch on the stools by TOV when they’re not competing for the Anthropologie hand chair. The leafy sectional is from Lee Industries.

The couple had planned to put a geometric reclaimed wood panel on the barstool side of the island but realized it would have more visual impact as a backsplash. “It’s the feature guests talk about most,” says Seanna. For the island, they used the same light oak that they chose for the floor, which made the space seem bigger. Also, says Matt, “We had leftovers and were trying to save money!”

When he’s not riding his custom Album surfboard, Matt hangs it in the dining area. “Honestly, there was no room anywhere else — and the colors fit our theme!” he says. He and Seanna display the girls’ art on a string with clothespins. A zebra pattern rug is Matt’s cheeky, nonbeachy addition. “I got it on a safari to Pottery Barn,” he says.

The flowy layout of Clé tiles in the shower creates the illusion of movement in the primary bathroom. An old surfboard fin on the CB2 mirror and a pop-art painting of a snorkeling woman keep the theme going.

“You’ve gotta go blue somewhere in a beach house, right?” says Matt of his shiplap bedroom wall. (Try Baritone Blues by Valspar for a similar look.) For quirk, he turned half of the planks on an angle. The bedding is by Hawaiian brand Noho Home. Framed surfer magazine covers from the ’70s and ’80s show the way to a deck and outdoor shower.

While the installer was hanging the fuchsia wallpaper (from Wallshoppe) in the guest room, Matt got the idea to cut around a few fronds and paste them to the ceiling. The black-and-white bedding and tapered lamps are from Crate & Barrel.