Beach Cottage Soul

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Virginia living
April 2023

“At first sight, says interior designer Anne Pulliam, this Virginia Beach condo “looked like a contemporary mountain bachelor pad from the ’90s.” The kitchen, with its dark cherrywood cabinets, gray glass tile backsplash, and “spaceship pendant lights,” felt sterile and dated, while the stacked stone fireplace in the living room did little to brighten the mood. 

Her clients, Trudy and Cliff Porter of Richmond, also happened to be her parents. “They wanted a coastal cottage with that old beach soul,” says Pulliam. After a year of house hunting, they’d found a place spacious enough for visits from their three grown children, grandchildren, and family dogs. And while the ocean views were lovely, the décor was in need of an overhaul.”