This Relaxed Oceanfront Retreat in Florida Was Designed For Joyful Family Vacations

 While designer Ashley Gilbreath ended up designing an idyllic getaway, her first priority in renovating her family’s oceanfront home in Rosemary Beach, Florida, was damage control to help the house withstand the salty sea air and her family. “All the rules are broken at the beach,” she explains. “You have to be able to have the dog in there, three children, wet swimsuits, sandy feet, and sticky fingers because maybe we’re having cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We needed it to be very carefree.”

For Gilbreath, that meant taking inspiration from old Florida fish houses—less the actual style and more the way they celebrate slight imperfections from years of use. She envisioned well-worn wood floors with a natural sun-faded patina. While she left the facade of this ’90s home intact, she rehabbed the two-story interior, removing an ill-placed spiral staircase to improve flow and adding oak floors throughout to connect the spaces.