My interior-designer friend Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz gave me a tip about a great store with a little bit of everything in Rockaway Beach called the Blue Bungalow & Loft (thebluebunglalow.com). And because I believe everything Benjamin tells me, I went out there one recent Saturday, which couldn’t have been a more gorgeous day to go to the beach. This was the view from the A train as we approached the Rockaways”undoubtedly the most scenic subway ride in New York. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The Blue Bungalow carries a selection of vintage clothing, home accessories (many of which Liz and Jeanne design), children’s clothes, and vintage furniture that they refinish themselves. There is also a photo studio and a massage room upstairs. The interiors are fresh and light, a reminder that summer is not that far away. Photo: Wendy Goodman
I loved this vintage photograph of bathing beauties from the thirties ($140). Photo: Wendy Goodman
Among the furniture and vintage clothing upstairs is an original fireplace that is, sadly, one of the few things here that is not for sale. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The lovely mercury-glass jar on top of the mantle, however, can be had for $32. Photo: Wendy Goodman
Wagon wheels and wicker: What else would you want in a Rockaways beach cottage? The distressed wagon wheel is $75, as is the painted wicker chair. Photo: Wendy Goodman
This simple side table ($85) and lamp ($48) remind me of wonderful seaside vacations when I was kid. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The owners carry a great selection of frames, some of them containing photos by Liz or paintings by Jeanne. These natural barn-wood frames are $78. Photo: Wendy Goodman
This occasional table is $90, and the miniature deck chair is $20. Photo: Wendy Goodman
An antique wheel and a painted rocker are the first things you see when you enter and the last when you leave. A print of a Zhen-Huan Lu painting hangs above ($275). Photo: Wendy Goodman
Liz has created a series of her photographs of sand writings. She writes out a saying, a short poem, or a thought and then waits for the perfect wave before she takes the picture. “Sometimes,” she says, “I am not fast enough, and the whole thing gets washed away.” Photo: Wendy Goodman
