Just because you dont have a seaside retreat doesn’t mean you can’t add a dose of it to the house you live in….in Michigan or Texas or New Jersey—wherever! A dose of warm weather inspiration is always at home.
But how? Add bamboo forms and textures, pale water colors, a piece of coral mounted on an acrylic block, driftwood hunks, blue and white porcelain—anything that reminds you! The houses below could be in Kansas or Kennebunkport. The decor is appropriate for year round living anywhere where you want light and bright. If you can’t be at the beach, I say bring it to you!
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Phoebe Howard 2.
Pinterest 3. House Beautiful 4.
Pinterest 5.
Pinterest 6.
Lonny Mag 7.
Milk and Honey
This week has me dreaming up my bedroom at my imaginary beach house. The requisite retro elements Cole & Son Wallpaper, natural fiber bed, white lacquer, batik jolts and pops of color are all covered.
The questions is: where is it going to be? Hmmm….
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Southhampton Chandelier 2.
Sunburst Mirror 3.
Cole & Son Palm Leaves 66/2010 4.
Ceylon Lamp 5.
Side Table 6.
Sorrento Bed 7.
Chevron Bedding 8.
Batik Prints 9.
Green Zig Zag Rug
What I tried to do here is a simplified and inexpensive approach to Beach-House decorating—but I selected items that could be at the shore or on the pavement. West Elm is a designer’s dream for everything “now” at great prices, and when buying for a beach house, one-stop-shopping is the best:
Harbour Rope Pillow Covers
Subtle Natural Chic!
Gilded-Grasscloth Pillow Cover
In an all white space, this is the kind of texture you want:
Lacquer Wood Trays
These are a designer staple: use them ANYWHERE for a pop of color:
Chunky Weave Chair
Can you say, texture?
Andalusia Rug
I could see this mixed with red, fuschia, turquoise, purple, green—you name it!
Round Coco Mirror
Once again, simplified reference to the beach but not too overt!
If you like color, a summer home is a place to let loose and go for broke. Throw in any colors you like—please don’t limit yourself to the typical blues, greens aquas. Or if you do, throw a surprising punch in with them like coral, taxi-cab yellow, fuschia or orange. Hell, mix them all together to form a crazy fruit cocktail.
This is a place to have some fun, and take a no-prisoners-approach to style. It’s low risk because you don’t have to see it all year, so go for it!
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Alexandra Angle 2.
Pinterest 3. Coastal Living 4.
Home Ideas 5.
Coastal Living 6.
House Beautiful
Let’s put first things first. I don’t HAVE a beach house… But, if I did, here’s how I would approach decorating it. There are countless ways to go, but the two easiest ways for me to look at the project would be:
1. Stick with all white and cream.
2. Go bananas with color.
I might add that both ways can intermingle and coexist– But decorating with all white is both simple and very complicated at once. You would need to play with textures so it doesn’t look clinical. Think raffia, wicker, wood, grasses, nubby textiles and layer upon layer of rich texture. This, to me is such a dramatic look, one highly impractical for every day life, but for a summer house—go for it. My friend upholstered all her major pieces in cream Sunbrella fabric. Wipe-able and impervious to water and sand. Brilliant….
Farrow and Ball has about 20 white paint colors all of which are great, or stick with Benjamin Moore White Dove or China White for walls, trim and even floors. Add tons of white painted or lacquered furniture, and accent with tons of different grains of wood. Buy driftwood pieces. Use grass woven rugs everywhere you can. If this bores you, add pops of color in pillows, throws and accessories and voila: done.
1. Canadian House & Home 2.
Brooklyn Home Co. 3.
Canadian House & Home 4.
Alexandra Angle Design 5.
Campagne Decoration 6.
Munger Interiors 7. Coastal Living
