If you do like to be beside the seaside, bring the beach into your home. Choose a beach theme for your interior design plans.
Everybody loves the seaside – especially me! So why not bring the joy and experience of a wonderful day at the beach into your home – try beach and seaside decorating for a wonderful, casual and relaxing style.
Beach decorating styles recapture that wonderful feeling of open air, carefree living, sunshine (hopefully!), the crashing waves, the mysteries of the sea shore…
Try decorating in a beach style in coastal and beach houses, to really get a feel of unity with the outside environment.
Or if you live far from the sea, and wish you could visit more often, decorate your home in a relaxing beach style, to remind yourself of happy, carefree afternoons, spent combing the sea shore and soaking up the sun on a quiet beach…
The beach decorating style is a fantastic style to live with – very light, airy and relaxing – with a really natural feel. It is actually really easy to do, as well, so read on to find out more…
Walls and Color
Your use of color is a really important basis for this style. Soft, muted tones are essential to get a really weathered look – imagine how a piece of glass looks on the beach, after it has been tossed about in the sea for a while.
Choose whites, off-whites and creams for a light and airy look. To warm up the look a bit, and add soft color, try colors inspired by the beach and seaside itself. Go for soft, muted blues and greys (to represent the sea and sky) – ranging from turquoises and aqua to deep slate blues and navy. For yellows, choose soft beiges and golds – real sand colors.
If you want to go for a real seaside/pier look, add small accents of brighter reds, yellows and blues – think jolly deck chairs and beach huts! Otherwise keep the whole look very harmonising and mellow – think deserted beach, pebbles and driftwood!
Your choice of colors will set the whole tone, atmosphere and feel for your room – so decide whether you want to go for a jolly, fun seaside feel and beach decorating style, or a relaxed, natural, romantic feel and beach decorating style. You can choose your accessories accordingly as well (more on that later!) although you can mix and match a little too!
Flooring
Natural floor coverings really are your best bet when choosing a beach decorating style. White-washed, waxed or stained floorboards are ideal – a distressed look (weathered!) is a fantastic beach style to emulate.
Also look for natural fibre matting – coir, sisal or seagrass.
If you fancy a nice warm carpet - that’s fine, it won’t ruin your seaside look – but do try to go for a cream or beige neutral tone.
Choose rugs to warm up your look, and add interest and texture to your room. Choose simple rugs in natural fibres in cream, neutral or muted tones – try a simple cotton rug, a faded-look rag rug, or a cosy wool, flokati or even sheepskin rug.
If you are going for the jolly, fun, seaside look, you are free to choose brighter colors and especially stripes for your rug.
Windows
A very simple look for windows is the best idea for beach decorating styles.
Choose wooden shutters or slatted blinds or simple tab top panel curtains in a neutral cream or white.
For a more romantic, light and airy feel, try floaty white voiles at the windows.
Furniture
Natural materials are ideal for beach style furniture too.
Choose rustic-style, chunky wood in a distressed or weathered finish. Distressed wood, white painted, or white washed, wood or waxed pine are all good seaside looks.
For a lighter look, choose wicker and rattan styles.
For upholstery choose neutral cottons and linens, or subtle navy and white stripes (it is better to go for muted and weathered navy tones for a beach decorating look, and not the fresh, crisp tones of a nautical theme)
Accessories
As always, it is with your accessories that you can really make your beach decorating theme a success. Accessories for a beach style room are really easy – especially if you have access to a beach, to collect your own beach treasures…
Natural beach items are best for your beach decorating look – shells, pebbles and drift wood are easy to collect. You can buy more ‘exotic’ beach items such as starfish or tropical shells.
Mirrors and picture frames can be made or bought with beautiful, driftwood frames. Use your imagination, and really get creative with driftwood – see where you can glue it or hang it to make unusual and original artwork.
Wicker baskets are a very useful storage items that will also enhance your beach style. Fill them with shells, pebbles, pine cones, or just your magazines or other ‘stuff’.
Try to include a fisherman’s lantern in your lighting plans, for a really authentic sea-faring feel.
You could also make use of old fishing nets, lobster pots or glass fishing weights, for a great look. But be careful not to overdo it (you don’t want to end up looking like a seaside themed pub – it is your home after all) and be sure to wash these items thoroughly – to get rid of any lingering fishy smells!
Look out for ornaments with a beach decorating theme – carved wooden seabirds, boats or lighthouses are all good choices.
Beautiful, atmospheric pictures and photos of your favourite seaside haunts will look gorgeous and let you relive happy seaside memories whenever you wish!
If you go for a mellow, natural, beach feel, keep your accessories muted, natural and neutral in color and feel – if you want a jolly seaside feel, choose more vibrant colors for a fun feel.
A beach decorating look is simply a fabulous look for any home – it works well for bathrooms, bedrooms and lounges for a very calm and relaxing feel.
Take a look on eBay for beach-inspired accessories to get your decorating off to a flying start…
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I hope that some of these ideas will help you to make your perfect beach decorating a reality in your home...
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