By: Jacqueline Gonzalez Photos By: Jason Page
Near the velvety sand and the crashing waves of the Port Aransas beaches sits a unique beachfront community of homes called Cinnamon Shore. The community features classic architecture with clean lines, crisp coastal colors, and the perfect gathering spaces. In fact, this place is so perfect that a San Antonio-based family, Sherri and Brandon Carter, chose to purchase a vacation home to stay connected with the Coastal Bend.
The Carters had been visiting Port Aransas for many years with their three children, and in 2019, they made their dream of owning a home on Cinnamon Shore a reality. Their home, Coastal Casa, is a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 2-story townhome. It’s one of the eight-unit townhomes in Tradewinds Outpost, a townhome building located on the main circle. As an added bonus, their unit is located at the end of the building, which offers a great view of the ocean from the balcony.
When they began the process of acquiring their vacation home, they fell in love with the design in the realty office at Cinnamon Shore. When the Carters caught sight of it, they knew this was the perfect look that they wanted their home to reflect. They got in touch with the designer, Courtney Rangel, to begin the process of transforming Coastal Casa into the playful, beachfront home of their dreams.
Rangel played a major role in the entire process for the Carters. In addition to designing the Tradewinds Outpost building, she had also worked together with the architect to add the finishing touches with furniture and upholstery, so it was only perfect that the Carters hired her to achieve the best coastal-inspired design to infuse their space with that beachy, vacation-vibe feeling.
Along with the aesthetically pleasing stone exterior, the entrance to the home is filled with natural light and understated elegance, making the perfect backdrop for the playful, happy design that the Carters sought. Instead of overpowering the area with busy fabrics, the custom upholstery and drapery by Cathy Aiton presents the right amount of statement pieces that add fun and playful designs to an otherwise subdued and neutral color palette. As Courtney reflects on her masterpiece, she says that what truly makes the area pop is the design on the upholstery – “it’s the bang and happiness in the home!” The combination of the neutral color palette and the pops of coral and variety of blue hues provides an air of peace, calmness, and carefree fun that is reminiscent of being out by the ocean.
The townhome offers a smaller space, but instead of limiting the options available to achieve the Carters’ desired style, Rangel focused on maximizing space by selecting the right furniture and layout. The living room and kitchen are in a shared space, so in order to satisfy Sherri’s desire for a gathering space that would seat a larger crowd, Rangel opted for a big sectional from Chic to Chic in lieu of placing several chairs in the area. The sectional allows more people to sit comfortably and offers extra wiggle room.
The unit did not have a kitchen island, which Sherri was hoping for, so Rangel chose a dining room table that would double as an island. On the kitchen side of the large wood dining table are small custom stools made by Ballard Designs that neatly tuck underneath the table, allowing Sherri to use the table as a food prep area. As an added option, the stools can be pulled out to seat an additional four people on that side of the table. On the opposite side, there are four upholstered chairs, also by Ballard Designs, in the same blue and white patterns used throughout the home. As a finishing touch, a shiplap wall ties the shared space together with a nod to the beachy, coastal-inspired décor.
The hallway upstairs was wider than usual, but not wide enough to provide a seating area. Instead, Rangel opted for a console table and added a custom Schumacher skirt to add flair to the space and greet guests cheerfully as they walk upstairs.
Whether guests are spending time inside or out enjoying the beach and amenities on Cinnamon Shore, everyone is guaranteed to have a great and relaxing time.
