After Haven, I took a couple days to recuperate and then left for the beach on Wednesday for 4 nights. Mark and his entire extended family go to the beach every August and stay on St. George Island, FL for a whole week in beach houses. Once it was decided that I would go down there after Haven was over, I looked online to book a place for myself. I knew that Apalachicola was close and looked on Air B&B to find a place and it didn’t take long to find something quaint and cozy.
The Hays House looked so cute and quaint to me and so I booked it, knowing that it would be a good spot more than likely. It did not disappoint! This was my first time booking an Air B&B, but it won’t be the last. I booked the Petit Jardin room, but there are 2 more to choose from.
The Hays House is in the downtown Historic district of Apalachicola and built in 1908 (or 06, as I was told by Molly, the hostess). It’s a really cute old house, with lots of quaintness and vintage appeal. The owner is artist Amy Friedman, who I found out lives in Alpharetta, GA, when she is not living the coastal life in Apalachicola.
She is definitely a lover of old and chippy things and the house is a treasure trove of fun bright colors and vintage appeal. You’ll see what I mean when we go inside.
Every corner of the house inside and out was so fascinating, with color and texture everywhere. It felt so relaxing and warm, like visiting your grandma’s house.
Staying here made the downtown area very walkable and you just go out and head down the street to shops and restaurants. We ate in downtown Apalachicola one night and I’ll tell you about that later. It was a fantastic meal, our best in fact!
One thing I noticed was the use of all these shells and I found out later they are limpet shells and the hostess of the house, Molly, told me all about them. She orders them and does lots of crafts with them and they are hung all over the house. I think I must order myself some of these shells. They are such a beautiful color. I’ll show you more of those later too.
Inside the foyer is a big welcoming table, full of fresh colors and more vintage goodies. It was apparent pretty early on that an artist lives here. And she loves color! That appeals to me as well, since I love color too.
The house has 3 guest rooms currently for rent and I stayed in the Petit Jardin, a small and cozy room, perfect for my needs. It was tucked in that back right corner right beside the armoire you see by the back door.
Artwork covering the foyer walls.
Take note of that little painting. I ended up buying it and took it home with me.
Coming in the foyer, the house has 2 living rooms with fireplaces on either side of the front door.
Cozy sofa and pretty colorful pillows make a nice sitting area.
Amy’s colorful artwork was hanging all over the house too. Note all the colorful painted ceilings.
I really loved this piece! Everything was for sale and I bought that smaller piece to take home with me.
The woodwork in the Hays House was so pretty.
The right side living room or sitting room with built ins was so nice.
The built ins held all sorts of beautiful old pottery in an array of colors. Notice the art by Amy of oyster shells above the fireplace.
Of course, I loved all of this!
Old pottery speaks to me.
A bicycle painting by the artist owner, Amy.
My cute little room was so cozy and quaint. It was a great place to rest and relax at night.
Bathroom wall shelf.
Vintage chippy painted door going into the bathroom.
I loved the colorful painted ceilings in the house too. You know I love lime green!
Right outside my room, this common area had a back door to the outside.
There was so much to look at all over the house. I though y’all would enjoy this tour too.
A blue painted ceiling going up the stairs to the 2nd level.
Upstairs, I checked out a bigger room than the one I was in and this one was so pretty too.
More of Amy’s artwork in this room anchors the wall.
I can see she is a collector of old things and it’s very appealing in this house.
Each room has it’s own little kitchenette and bathroom.
Kitchenette area for the larger bedroom.
The center hallway upstairs was very spacious and large.
Loved the Apalach pillow. That’s what they call it here.
You will probably not be surprised that there is a resident house cat. Jilly was so cute and she is an indoor/outdoor cat. If she scooted out the front door in the morning when I left, Molly told me not to worry, she goes in and out. She was so friendly and adorable!
There was even an art studio on the first floor, with paintings and crafts using these limpet shells I showed you earlier. Molly told me she orders them online from Atlantic Coral Enterprises for the best price. She said they aren’t cheap, but they sure are charming shells. I had never seen them before. Look how they are brown and ugly on the outside, but such a beautiful aqua shade on the inside.
When I heard limpet shells, I immediately thought of the old movie, “The Incredible Mr. Limpet”. Remember that old Don Knotts movie from the 60’s??
Molly pointed out all the crafty things she has done with limpet shells and I loved them all! This was an old plastic bust she found somewhere and covered it in shells.
A is for Amy. Any big monogram letter could be covered with shells. Oh,the possibilities!
A picture frame covered in limpet shells.
More shots of pottery collections around the house.
Amy loves this old turquoise pottery like I do.
Detail on a neat vintage mirror.
The common area kitchen upstairs has coffee and continental breakfast every morning, so you can help yourself to fresh coffee, along with cereal and breakfast bars. Molly fixed biscuits one morning and sweet rolls one morning, along with fresh fruit that was available. Not a sit down breakfast, but still very acceptable.
The original artwork was so pretty and fascinating to me with all those beautiful greens and blues. I decided I had to buy something to take home from this trip to remember The Hays House and my trip to the beach. I purchased the smaller painting on the left for $75 and will treasure it.
I did find a link for Amy’s art studio and it says that you can call and order online as well.
I knew you would all love seeing the Hays House and hearing about my experience in Apalachicola. I’ll be back soon to share more on this small coastal town as well as St. George Island. It’s a beautiful area and very Old Florida. My parents are both Florida natives, so it’s fun to get off the beaten path sometimes and see Florida as it was back when my parents were raised there. Speaking of my dad, he was raised from age 12 on in Panama City, Florida. We went to dinner one night over there and drove by my grandma’s old house. Oh, the memories! I’ll share that with you later.
Have you been to Apalachicola or this area? It really is worth a visit to get out of the hustle and bustle of the other beach towns that draw so many people each year.
I think you look happier than ever! I’m glad to see that and so happy to see you enjoying your life. I just love the paint that she’s used for the house, those greens and blues are wonderful. I love looking at homes like that and it’s always fun to stay there. I think it’s such a good idea to buy something like the picture so you can look at it when you get home and it immediately takes you back to the feelings of the day you purchased it. I’ve been staying in B and B’s when we travel and I think my husband won’t freak out. We always meet the most interesting people and have so much to talk about after one of those trips. I live in Oregon and we spend winters in Arizona, but my heart has always, always been in the South. You are my southern fix every day.
Thank you, Jean, it is such a happy time in my life now! Thank you for following along.