Step Inside Karen E Laine’s 525-Square-Foot Beach House as Seen on 'Good Bones'

After retiring in 2019, Karen E Laine of Good Bones has been doing everything she wants: landscaping, taking care of grandkids, traveling and even dusting off her lawyer attire every now and then. After visiting Wilmington, North Carolina, Karen knew she wanted to call the beautiful beach town her second home. “Wilmington has everything. It has beautiful weather year-round, there’s an amazing river walk, bike trails, parks and so many beaches. It feels like a small town,” said Karen.

After a quick real estate search, Karen found a fixer upper she knew was just right. “This house is like one of our original Good Bones houses," she said. "Just wretched. It needs a lot of love, but we can fix anything." The 525-square-foot house was built in 1900 and has two bedrooms and one bath. Though it's small, the house came with some big problems, including rotting flooring and roofing. Karen and her team lifted the house to pour a new, much-needed foundation. Then they took the entire structure down to the studs.

With Karen’s vision revealed, you’d never believe what the house once was. Sweet blue siding and a statement-making gable roof bring cheery and charming curb appeal to the block. Her front flower beds are full of rosemary. (Karen vowed after retiring to always have a spot to grow the herb.) The coolest part: The entire roof is covered in solar panels that capture all the energy she needs for her house. In fact, they gather so much energy she's able to give some back to the community.

Like any artist, Karen visited local places to gather inspiration, including the Battleship North Carolina, a World War II naval ship docked right in town. While visiting the ship she became inspired by its creative workarounds for small living, as well as its color palette. The green flooring on her new porch floor is similar to the hue used throughout the battleship. Bright orange furniture creates an appealing contrast and provides a spot for Karen to sit and enjoy her morning coffee.

Karen embraced the home's cozy galley kitchen, which includes her creative fold-out barstools — an idea taken from the battleship. Pull them out when you need a seat, and tuck them out of the way when you don't. “One of the ways to make a space seem larger is to not have items on the floor. If things can float, it looks more spacious,” she said.

A trip to the beach influenced Karen's color choices in the kitchen. She stained the cabinets a shade inspired by gray seashells. To mimic the look of sea glass, Karen built the counters out of wood, painted them seafoam green and covered them in resin. Open shelving creates a bright and airy ambiance and keeps all the kitchen essentials within easy reach.

A cozy dining nook sits in a corner of Karen's open floor plan. Wide, white oak plank flooring was laid throughout the home, and to the surprise of her contractor, Karen chose to paint the wood a bright blue. To accomplish this look, she added fabric dye to wood stain. The mixtures created a cool, uneven hue on the floorboards that mimics the surface of the ocean.

Simple white walls and flowing curtains are a neutral backdrop to what Karen really loves: color and pattern. She found a vintage bed frame from a local shop and used gold leaf sealed with wax to transform it into a one-of-a-kind stunner. Floral bedding complements the whimsical wall art and gives the space a collected-over-time look.

Just inside the front door, stairs lead up to the loft area. Karen installed underlighting on each stair for a unique accent that also guides friends and family safely upwards. Well-placed windows pour natural light into the home.

The second-story loft is a bonus space Karen now uses for her hobbies, as well as a guest space. When she visited the battleship, she loved how the sailors' beds folded up out of the way, so she incorporated Murphy beds into the loft.