Tropical Industrial Chic Home Tour

One of the things that bloggers are supposed to be good at (that I am decidedly UNgood at) is home tours.  

This is a shame because I know a lot of people with really cool homes.  

A good example of this is the (not-so-great) home tour I did of my sister-in-law's (extra-great) home back in October.  You can see that (rather incomplete) tour HERE.  

Another person I know who has a really cool home is my cousin, Paula.  She and her husband Anthony have amazing tastes and Anthony can build almost anything they can visualize.  So when we traveled across the country to see them last month I brought along my big camera solely for the purpose of photographing their home.

But you see, in addition to having a backyard that looks like this....  

Yes.  That's basically a full kitchen back there.  And they use it.  A lot.

They also have a kitchen that looks like this....

And although the kitchen is small, every last inch of it is functional.  This is important because in addition to being amazing decorators, Paula and Anthony are also amazing cooks.  

Like A-MA-ZING. 

So when you show up at their beautiful home, you can also expect a delicious meal...

And while you're eating the meal around this gorgeous table (that Anthony built himself), you can also expect great conversation.

And if you're not completely immersed in good food and great conversation, you might be busy looking at all the little details around the house, like this desk area tucked under the stairs.

 

I meant to ask Anthony about these cool lights on top of the lockers.  I'll bet you anything he made them himself.

Now, if you weren't so busy eating and chatting and enjoying the view, you might think to walk up these stairs and photograph the master suite with its attached balcony and outdoor jacuzzi tub.

I, however, couldn't pull myself away from the table (which is a shame, since I dragged my camera 3000 miles away from home) but oh well....

My husband had a hard time pulling himself away from this island just outside of the kitchen.  You see, right there, on top of the poured concrete counters (done over a decade ago, before anyone else had heard of such a thing) is where Paula eventually set out the desserts.  (And my husband is a huge fan of dessert.)

It's also where this cute succulent arrangement lives.  

Anthony made this little planter from a block of wood.  Then he painted it with some chalkboard paint.  It probably took him less than a half an hour.  

(Because that's how he rolls.) 

I did try to capture the living room, but my pictures do not do it justice...

The over-sized mirror (seen below) once lived in my cousin's salon.  Did I mention that she also owns a salon?  If you live in Miami I highly recommend her, especially if you color your hair.   But I digress...

Here's a better view from the living room taken two years ago.  And no, you're not imagining things.  The couches used to be orange and now they're gray.  Seeing how Paula and Anthony switch things up is always fun to do!

Now, if I were better at home tours, I would also have ventured into their daughters' room, where built-in bunk beds (each equipped with its own TV) look like something straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog.

And I would also provide you with some "before" photos.  Because, you see, this amazing four bedroom/four bath home with a pool was once a tiny, two bedroom/one bath cottage without a pool.  When they purchased it the kitchen cabinets had no bottoms.  As in, there was just a dirt floor when you opened them.  I kid you not.

But as I was saying in the first place, I kind of stink at home tours, so I didn't do any of that.

(Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to go back ;)