Since launching Plumeria Coastal Home, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of meeting some gorgeous customers who have become great friends. I received an order back in June 2011 from a customer who had real island style. The order consisted of a Rattan Butlers Side Tray and a designer Hamptons Cushion with Palm Tree print, the address Palm Beach NSW, beach house royalty territory.
Subsequent orders followed and I received a surprise call one day introducing herself as Kathy Sheeran, none other than the Shopping Queen from Shopping Confessions. Our first conversation was an hour long thesis on our mutual love for coastal homewares and island living. I sensed straight away I was dealing with a seasoned professional beach style lover.
Our friendship has grown, as well as our mutual admiration for champagne and Kathy has been our biggest supporter both in print and on TV. Kathy featured our stunning Coral and Soap Rattan Tray on Channel 7′s The Morning Show.
So I couldn’t wait to take a trip to Palm Beach and shoot Kathy’s beautiful beach house overlooking Pittwater, to show you her unique island style.
Kathy’s home can best be described as Island/Beach style with a vintage Hawaiian/Polynesian influence. It’s a relaxed, open and welcoming home. The moment you are greeted by her beautiful dog Maui, you feel at ease in this breezy, palm tree lined beach house.
So let’s take a look at how Kathy has created this homely island abode……
It’s a vignette paradise inside Kathy’s home, fabulous eclectic vintage pieces mixed with wooden parrots,shells and Hawaiian collectables.
This stunning Coral piece is a statement perched upon a classic retro Bamboo book stand along with metal fish, wooden pineapples and rattan boxes.
Kathy’s home is surrounded by lush Palm Trees which are the perfect accessory for indoors. Kathy cuts fresh palm fronds and places them in a clear low vase to bring the outside in.
Kathy loves to use raw materials like palm tree pods, dried Pandanas seeds and bamboo sticks. It gives the interiors a natural beachy feel which we love.
A beautiful beach house is all about natural textures, think shells, coral, rattan, linen and seagrass.
This vignette is to die for, we can spot a few of Kathy’s Plumeria Coastal Home purchases such as the Antique style globe, Sam the Toucan and Cyril the green parrot. Kathy has collected unique items on her travels around the world to add to her collection for over 10 years.
Maui was the perfect assistant and was there to oversee the shoot whilst relaxing on the deck. She also whipped up a few cocktails and threw a few prawns on the BBQ, brilliant host.
Kathy is THE Shopping Queen which is why her tips and advice are so sort after. Kathy is a regular on Channel 7′s The Morning Show and has her own column for the The Sunday Telegraph in the Shop Smart lift-out, which attracts a huge following for everything related to shopping, sales and the very latest in must haves.Her personal style is always on trend, but she loves nothing more than finding a great buy! We loved her bangles with a hint of aqua, forever the beach girl.
Kathy’s love for Pineapples knows no bounds! Pineapple is the symbol for welcome and hospitality and in this coastal home, pineapples abound in every form and texture both indoors and outside.
Breakfast on the deck overlooking Pittwater, beach house bliss.
The kitchen overlooking the deck is open plan with an island bench. Kathy’s chalkboard illustrates her cute sense of humour and her love for coastal living. We ALL need to know what time it is in Hawaii….surfs up!
Above the wooden bi-fold doors which open onto the deck, are a series of vintage style black and white stills of the beach life. Simple, classic and almost reminiscent of a Surf Lifesaving Clubhouse.
My favourite area of the home was just off the kitchen, especially the stunning island portraits by Stephanie Burgess in the dark wooden frames. Rattan baskets, retro drinksware, Balinese distressed mirrors and fresh lilies filled the room.
I’m a huge fan of the dark bamboo dinnerware, it’s very Gucci meets British Colonial living. Combined with the black ceramic dishes, it’s timeless yet contemporary.
I asked Kathy, what her most treasured item was in the home. Without hesitation she showed me this fabulous original Bamboo Cocktail Set bought by her parents on their honeymoon in Surfers Paradise 43 years ago!! Kathy still loves to use them each summer and whips up her favourite Coastal Cocktail featuring vodka, Bunderberg ginger beer, limes, mint and crushed ice. ALOHA!
Kathy not only collects her wares on her travels but loves to scour auctions, garage sales, vintage and collectible stores for her unusual finds. She sourced these fabulous 1950′s original plastic tumblers & jug with island motif from the US via Ebay, what a find!
I absolutely loved Kathy’s obsession with baskets from Rattan to seagrass and wicker. The baskets pictured above are actually Ate (at-ay) and are very time-consuming to make as evidenced by the intricate designs in the weave. They are also smoked in honey for that dreamy colour.
Kathy recently fall in love with this vintage 1950′s Pineapple sugar bowl in our Vintage department. We can see it is right at home already!
When the fireplace is not in use, these coconuts look amazing on a bed of stones flanked by two wooden statues complete with shell leis.
These little crabs are deceivingly heavy and quite life like, they add an air of Oceania fun and keep Maui on her toes no doubt.
This little creation really shows off Kathy’s flare for decorating. Suspended on bamboo poles from the ceiling, she’s taken a palm tree pod and created a beachy display thats simply too beautiful. The lifelike candles are flameless candles by Shaynna Blaze from Selling Houses Australia, which can be timed to come on each night at a certain time for instant ambience and mood. We love this idea, safe for your home, kids and pets, they can be purchased here.
A break out area above the lounge is perfect for Kathy’s family to chill out and enjoy a good book or relax with an iPad as the sun streams through a skylight.
Our Barbados hand painted Pineapple cushion is the STAR amongst a sea of Hawaiian tropic pillows. Get the look here.
Kathy is an avid SUP fan (stand up paddle boarder) whilst her husband Mike and stepson Liam cut the waves. Displaying surfboards inside a home certify it to be the home of genuine surfers!! I love that Bamboo step-ladder so much, I should’ve tried to squeeze it into the car, surely she wouldn’t have known it was missing???!!!
This hand-painted Hawaiian mat brightens the wooden floorboards with tropical hues.
