Coastal Chic

During the renovation, Beard and project manager Rob Kjellander exchanged design ideas via Pinterest. After pinning several pictures of modern Shaker-style cabinets, Kjellander commissioned the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry from Woodcrafters of St. Simons. The countertops are from Webster Tile and Bath, also located in nearby St. Simons Island.

Durable indoor/outdoor fabrics on the sofa and chairs from Bungalow Classic keep cleanup a breeze. The home’s existing wood-paneled walls were repurposed into ceiling beams by David Page Custom Trim & Millwork. The planters and greenery were provided by The Vine. The rug is from Myers Carpet.

In the dining area, French linen chairs from Acquisitions sidle up to a reclaimed white elm table from Bungalow Classic.

Bernhardt chairs and a sofa from Bungalow Classic make the sunroom an ideal place to gather.

A custom oversize mirror in the master bath helps flood the windowless space with natural light from the new skylight.

An abstract painting by Carol Benson-Cobb greets visitors in the foyer. The acrylic stools by Moss Studio are available to the trade at Codarus.

In its previous incarnation, the den served as the utility closet. The cozy spot now leads onto the pool deck. Beard whimsically captured the spirit of Sea Island by framing bingo cards, a popular resort pastime. The sofas and coffee table are from Bungalow Classic.

Shades of blue and sandy taupe keep the mood cool and calm in the ocean suite. The custom linen headboard is accented by throw pillows from Bungalow Classic and bedding from Gramercy Home. The bedside tables are from Bungalow Classic. Lamps are from Visual Comfort, and artwork is from Wendover Art Group.

The tranquil ocean suite is accessed via a hidden door in the kitchen that’s disguised as a tall cabinet. It features a rustic table and chair from Taylor House Interiors. The bedding is from Gramercy Home.

Alissa Portman Beard of Alissa Portman Interiors enjoys a moment on the lawn of her aunt’s Sea Island home, which she helped redesign.

“The home’s color palette was inspired by being on the water. I wanted to have a sense of tranquility wash over you once you stepped inside.” —Alissa Portman Beard

“We took advantage of the home’s deep front yard, which is rare on Sea Island, by planting palm trees along the front walkway to really create a grand sense of arrival.”—Rob Kjellander

This 1950s ranch-style cottage on Sea Island was originally bought by the late Jae Portman, son of international architect John C. Portman Jr.

To liven up the home’s exterior, the brick was painted white and accented with charming pale blue shutters.

Sea Island’s sandy shores just beyond the backyard.

Swept away by the charms of Sea Island, Georgia, the late Jae Portman, an avid sailing enthusiast and son of international architect John C. Portman Jr., surprised his family in 1995 with the purchase of a 1950s ranch-style cottage. His wife, Barbara, was thrilled with the oceanfront locale and, despite the home’s dated interiors, the couple found themselves too busy enjoying the island’s warm summers and ocean breezes to find time for renovations.

Twenty years later, Barbara, now spending most of her days in New York City, finally decided it was time to commence the much-needed refresh discussed so long ago. To get the ball rolling, she reached out to Rob Kjellander, whose company Cottage Concierge was charged with the maintenance of her beloved vacation home. Knowing that a complete interior overhaul was required, Kjellander tapped Chad Goehring of architectural firm Harrison Design to remedy the home’s choppy configurations.

Goehring transformed the mazelike layout into an airy, open-concept floor plan by eliminating walls and absorbing square footage from unnecessary closets. “With older homes, it’s very typical to have all these closets, so we had to figure out ways to clean up the clutter,” says Goehring.

“Chad helped us transform the original Francis Abreu plan from 1953,” says Kjellander. “Abreu was personally picked by the founders of Sea Island to design residences on the island, and he was the leading architect of his time. Recognizing that history—and reinterpreting it for today’s living—was important to us.”

Today, the home’s front entryway leads to a spacious foyer that gives way to a well-appointed chef’s kitchen to one side and a combination living-and-dining area to the other. Both were originally cramped individual spaces closed off from one another by wood-paneled walls made of wormy chestnut. Instead of tossing the removed panels, Kjellander enlisted a local carpenter to transform them into beams that now grace the common areas’ raised ceilings.

To complete the transformation, Barbara called on her niece, Atlanta-based interior designer Alissa Portman Beard of Alissa Portman Interiors. Both women share a love of clean, modern lines, a style that serves the beach home well. “My vision was to create a very understated look,” says Beard. “I wanted to have a sense of tranquility wash over you once you stepped inside.” Beard employed a strict palette of whites, sandy taupes and deep blues, employing a minimalist-chic approach to allow the once blocked ocean views to shine.

“As a team, we were able to create a brand-new house; yet not a single exterior wall was moved, nor did we raise the roof,” says Goehring. “The home feels a billion times brighter and livelier than it ever was. It now looks like the fresh beach cottage it was always meant to be.” 

ARCHITECTURE Chad Goehring, Assoc. AIA, Harrison Design. (912) 634-9603; harrisondesign.com INTERIOR DESIGN Alissa Portman Beard, Alissa Portman Interiors. alissaportmaninteriors.com PROJECT MANAGER Rob Kjellander, Cottage Concierge. (912) 268-4092; cottageconcierge.net LANDSCAPE & HARDSCAPE Edward Tankersley, Southern Resources of Georgia. (912) 434-6220; srgainc.com.