The next property that Kristi had setup for us was The Saltwood Cottage in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. An instagram giveaway netted her a lucky weekend at this neat new property in the Outer Banks. Billed as a tiny beach home, the Saltwood Cottage is a one bedroom, one bathroom property that is part tiny home and part surf shack with lots of character and thoughtful touches throughout. It’s fair to say that Kristi was even more excited to see this property than the much larger property we were just leaving! And that really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows Kristi, a self-described “woman of the Smokies.” Aside from her love for all things cozy, the surf shack is essentially the equivalent of the mountain cabin: small, humble, thoughtful, utilitarian, cozy, built for place, and prioritizing the connection with the outdoors and the specific environment.
The Saltwood Cottage is located in the side yard of the owners’ own home. A large black fence surrounding both the home and the generous outdoor courtyard ensures that privacy is not an issue. Walking around the side of the tiny home, the first thing you’ll notice is a slew of beach equipment: bicycles, a Yeti cooler, chairs, surf boards, etc. If you forgot to bring something (or couldn’t fit it in the car), The Saltwood Cottage has you covered. Around back, a large exterior courtyard features a hammock swing, couch, chairs, fire pit (complete with starter logs and wood pile), an outdoor shower, and tons of blooming hibiscus flowers (a really neat touch in November I might add!). Up on the back deck, you’ll find a beautiful green bathtub with shell chandelier hanging above: at this point, you realize that this is not your typical blah rental! Inside, the primary living space is a kitchen, sitting room, and bed, with a frosted glass door hiding a very generously sized bathroom and shower setup. The details are everywhere, and like any good boutique rental (in my humble opinion), there are lots of quality local and place specific books to enjoy!
Everything about this tiny beach home is very welcoming. Smart design choices using different elements and colors within–like the blue surfboard hanging above the door and the blue resin-infused wood block kitchen counter–really animate the living space, while the live plants create strong connection between the interior and exterior living spaces. An antique wooden gate at the back of the property draws attention and defines the passage from one area to another. Repeating patterns, like the shell-shaped door knocker and the soap dish on the back deck, unify the different spaces of the property together and make it all feel like a single expression. If you’re looking for a cozy rental that has loads of character and lifestyle details throughout, this tiny beach home will most certainly exceed your expectations.
The pressure was on to capture a blue-hour shot of The Saltwood Cottage! We checked into the property around 3:30pm and had about an hour to get our bearings and begin the process of capturing data as the night comes on quick in the late autumn. We both discussed lighting a fire and moving the fire pit to the center of the shot and so forth. But, time simply got too short and I had to pick a composition and get on with the business of capturing the scene.
The front of the home was thick woods with lots of trees, so, not much blue sky was present in this composition. I decided to use a darker sky exposure to simply eliminate the distraction. With regards to the house, it was actually very well lit without any supplemental lighting. In fact, I ended up turning off the exterior chandelier over the bathtub and the interior bathroom light through the captain’s window. Both were very bright and dominated the exposures. A string of white bulb lights decorated the rafters and the exterior fence of the property casting lots of beautiful soft light on the exterior courtyard. I considered even turning off the main interior lights as they were bright daylight lightbulbs in contrast to the warmer yellow bulbs outside. In short, the tiny beach home was very well lit on its own!
I decided to only add light to the rear gate, giving it some highlight and some dimension on the paver pathway. I also added a touch of light on the larger ferns to the right of the home. I decided to try a beam of light up through the wooden rails on the left to create the pattern on the house; perhaps this was getting a little too cute with the artificial light, but I decided to keep it in the end.
My rental gear was due to be returned the following morning, so this was my only opportunity to capture a full-on blue hour of this property. Just like the previous property, I just wish I had more time and access to both the gear and the properties to practice this new type of photography :-).
The interior of The Saltwood Cottage was a beautiful combination of color and life. The blue surf board, turquoise bulb above the sink, and blue resin-like wooden counter insert, combined with the many green plants and the red and pink throw rugs and towels. The result was a very lively and intriguing space. And that front door. So beautiful.
I had to return the photography gear I rented by noon on our first morning at The Saltwood Cottage. So, I had about three hours of available daylight to capture the interior and exterior photographs of this property. While I envisioned a more intimate scene involving the exterior bathtub with the shell chandelier on in the evening, I also found the first light of morning creeping across the bamboo and lace blinds attractive as well.
The 19mm tilt-shift lens allowed me to capture a large slice of this beautiful back deck. The two doors to the left both open widely to the exterior, where a playfully colored bathtub sits underneath a beautiful shell chandelier. The lace curtains around the deck hang from custom-cut shoots of bamboo. Many rentals have generic hot tubs on an exterior deck; a functioning bathtub underneath a beautiful chandelier…that’s perhaps another level of intimacy for those who fancy an outdoor soak.
The view over the deck is into the outdoor courtyard area where an outdoor shower, sitting areas, hammock swing, and fire pit await guests. The beauty of a tiny home, in my opinion, is the concentration on the outdoors and outdoor living space. This tiny beach home has plenty of both.
The view straight through The Saltwood Cottage from the front door into the kitchen and sitting area, by the bed and bathroom, and out onto the exterior deck and into the exterior courtyard.
The tiny kitchen as seen from the sitting area nearby. And that front door with a custom shell knocker…I had to open that into the shot as well! Simple, fun, and perfect for an individual or couple visiting the beach.
A view straight through The Saltwood Cottage from the back deck, past the bed and bathroom, and into the front sitting area and kitchen.
The sliding frosted glass barn door was a central design feature that I found myself coming back to repeatedly behind the camera. The door separated the bathroom from the main living space. Here you can see a view into the bathroom (left), as well as a view into the bedroom from within the bathroom (right).
The size of the indoor shower was quite surprising for this tiny beach home! It felt very generous and the simple, clean white vertical tiles worked well design-wise in my opinion.
The outdoor shower was framed and partially hidden by these large, beautiful blooming Hibiscus flowers. It was like standing within a jungle with all of the comforts of home and the extra bonus of feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin.
All around the courtyard were unique planters and flowers. These slanted wooden posts supported creeping pink flowers rooted in beautiful green/blue planters.
The entire property felt very tropical and natural with the inclusion of so many different plants.
A big thank you to Stacey and Abe for opening and sharing their tiny beach home with us! You guys did an amazing job creating an integrated, cozy space where individuals and couples can relax after enjoying long days exploring and enjoying the naturally beautiful environment of the Outer Banks. Thank you for the opportunity!
Helpful Links:
Saltwood Cottage Website
Saltwood Cottage Airbnb Site
Saltwood Cottage Instagram
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I heard about this property on a contest through Instagram. After following and then submitting an application to the contest I received a DM that I won. I was prompted to create an account on LOVBLLISS.com. I created it and was charged to create the account. An international charge. After attempting to confirm this was accurate with the property owner my message wasn’t accepted on AirBNb. Seems like a scam. Stay away from this property.
Sorry to hear you got scammed, Tyler. The property owners have been warning folks on Instagram that many fictitious accounts have been using their name and scamming information. Unfortunately, this is the world we are living in—especially with regards to giveaways and contests (no good deeds sort of thing). The Saltwood Cottage is a very real property and they will never ask you to submit information or charge you fees for the contest. Their real account on IG has nearly 10k followers and hundreds of photos; they are careful to advise that no personal information is required or asked for with regards to the contest. Again, sorry you had a bad experience.