CINDY MORRISON had just completed a total renovation on
her California home when she thought, why not keep the momentum going?
The next project she had in mind was her parents’ East Coast beach house,
located on South Ridge Lane at the northern end of Wrightsville Beach.
Morrison’s family moved from New Jersey to Greensboro, North Carolina,
30 years ago, and soon began looking for a vacation home on the coast. She
suggested Wrightsville.
“I had heard of Wrightsville Beach because friends from work had been
coming here for years,” Morrison says.
Her parents first purchased a condominium at Cordgrass Bay. In
1997, Morrison’s father worked with Randy Williams of Hardee Hunt
& Williams Real Estate to purchase the South Ridge home, then
about 15 years old.
The house became a spring and summer respite for Morrison
and her four siblings, the place where the far-flung family came
from near and far — from Greensboro, California and Chicago
— to gather with friends for vacations and reunions.
“The pattern has been almost every holiday, starting with
Easter, I’m here and some amount of my family is here.
Then my siblings all have access for at least a week a year
for their vacations as well as friends and extended in-laws,”
Before the remodel, a big U-shaped bar made the kitchen feel small (top) and a large brick fireplace intruded
on living space and restricted views (bottom). A mixture of ceiling heights added to the lack of cohesion. Beds
scattered haphazardly and a lack of privacy made the upper level sleeping space feel like a dormitory (middle).
PHOTOS BY ERIC JABALEY
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WBM august 2017
she says.
Throughout the years, the family didn’t make many
changes; cosmetic projects included painting, adding
in hardwoods and new tile. While surface changes
brought temporary satisfaction, small differences
only provided a fleeting new aesthetic.
Now, Morrison was ready for a thorough
update.
“There was never a question of leaving
Wrightsville Beach, it was a question of
when to renovate or do a complete make-over,”
she says.
Beach access behind the house
provides a quick path to the ocean.
Outside staircases provide entry
to the upper floors after a day
at the beach.
transformation