Even without a coastal view or a sea breeze, you can still have beach house style anywhere anytime. Borrow a few ideas from these inspiration photos and incorporate a nautical influence in your home. Just don't go overboard.
When searching beach house images, we always find whitewashed walls, light filled rooms, and varied natural textures. Color palettes are generally based on the seascape with shades of blue, green, beige and dabs of coral. Fabrics are worn and woods are weathered. Rugs are usually casual and durable in striped flat weave or seagrass. And of course, accessories should evoke a walk on the beach or an evening sail. Look for shells, coral, rope, maps, and driftwood details.
If combining all these elements in one room makes you sea sick, then just select one. Maybe try a lovely shade of sea glass paint on your walls or throw on a white slipcover with a rope edge trim. Basically, do whatever floats your boat (okay, no more puns).
1. This casual coastal dining area has neutral layered textures on the table, white glass front cabinets and a unique shell chandelier.
2. The blue glass vases and canvas lamp bring a coastal charm to this rustic dining table.
3. A blue painted floor with mermaid stencils is a bold nod to the sea. Tone down the look by just having a white or blue enamel painted floor. . .then let it get scuffed and worn.
4. This kitchen from House Beautiful is a nice take on a contemporary beach look with its cool color palette, glass table and sea green pendant lamps.
5. Add a definite nautical note with deep blues and a sailing chart as wallpaper.
6. For less of a commitment, try painting a nook in aqua or sea glass paint, then accessorize with quirky beach collectibles.
7. Another literal version of sailor chic is to use an actual sail to make a slipcover for the headboard.
8. If blue becomes boring, try yellow in a sunny grass cloth. Add accents in sea-glass tones and coral sconces (these are really antlers) or a coral chandelier.
9. This beach glam bathroom is almost sinful with its sink as-a-half-shell, opalescent mini subway tiles, and mirrored console.
10. Even without a seaside location, you can relax in a hammock on a porch with louvered shutters and a refreshing breeze. Just pretend you hear the waves breaking.
Ready to bring on the beach? Find the instructions to make your very own sea souvenir shadowbox here, thanks to Crafty Nest. If you're not crafty, you can turn to Etsy to buy a shell covered mirror from The Seashell Collection. Other great items that can be yours at the click of a mouse are these map covered lampshades, this rough linen duvet, and our favorite "seaside" print.
MORE BEACH STYLE DECORATING ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Beach House Beauty on Texas Coast
• Grace and Collin's Coastal Cottage
• Layla and Kevin's Country Coastal Cottage
Images: 1. Lisa Romerein/Coastal Living, 2. Lisa Romerein/Coastal Living, 3. Tria Giovan/Coastal Living, 4. Laura Moss/House Beautiful, 5. James Merrell/House Beautiful, 6. Country Living, 7. Kindra Clineff/Coastal Living, 8. Dominique Vorillon/Coastal Living, 9. James Merrell/House Beautiful, 10. Country Living











Nomade Express Slee...
I had the exact same thought about picture #1. "Don't go overboard" means saying no to shell encrusted grotto chandeliers!
My bedroom is actually beach themed but in a very subtle way. I too wanted to stay away from the shabby chic crackle paint stuff. One thing I did was find 2 really beautiful photographs of ocean shorelines for either side of the bed and frame them in modern black frames. The black helps anchor everything and keeps it from looking too cutesie. I actually do have a few shells in an apothecary jar but mainly tried to use color and natural fibers/textures to get the look.
I can't stand the literal interpretation of of the beach (or the literal interpretation of anything for that matter) such as the use of sea shells, sand, nautical art, etc. IMO, you shouldn't be trying to make your home the beach, but rather inspired by the beach with the use of color and light fabrics.
Once again this is a case of "to each his own". If you like beach relics, bring a few into your room. If you prefer a coastal influence, borrow the colors and textures.
Pictures 2, 4, and 8 are examples of a more subtle approach to beach style without the shells, signs, etc.
People that spend time at the beach tend to bring it home with them, whether it's the sand in the spine of a book or beachcomber's treasure picked up on a walk.
My home and my mother's are filled with jars of shells and dessicated creatures and stones and sea-glass and driftwood from two lifetimes of summers spent on the beaches of Long Island and Lake Michigan. It isn't so much "decor" as it is home and a reflection of our lives.
I love these rooms, especially that crazy crazy sink. And the picture with the bamboo in a vase could have been taken in my bedroom.
Oh, and guess where I'm going this Saturday! To the enjoy one of the greatest pleasures of summer - the beach.
@MistyforAustin - well said.
We live at the beach and we have what I'd call a modern beachy home. We've decorated it to be evocative of the beach, rather than quite so literal. No signs, glass floats, etc. We chose textures and colors that reminded us of what we see out there every day. When you really take a look at a sunset or a sunrise, or even a foggy day, there are so many colors and textures to choose from.
But our neighbors have a very literal "to the beach!" theme going on in their home and I love it. It's cozy and sweet and perfectly THEM.
@hunted
I couldn't have said that better myself.
Text in décor needs to die. Now.
@ laurabellk - I would love to see photos of your bedroom... sounds a lot like what I want to do, but I am having a hard time convincing my husband. Beautiful inspiration pics would surely help :)
I'm searching for the perfect shade of "sea glass" paint. Any recommendations? (I am thinking about it for my home's exterior, of all things.)
i LOVE this post. As someone who lives so incredibly far away from an Ocean ( Central Canada) and experiences a solid 6 months at minimum of snow I have actually tried so hard to capture a literal beach cottage vibe of my vacations. It may be tacky or too literal too some, but I think it is cozy and inviting.
And everyone knocking the text in design thing...I think it is a great way to add a personal touch to any space, especially when renting and you have paint limitations.
Great post and great photo gallery!
Ditto Hunted.
I don't need a sign in a room to inform me what I should do there ("EAT!" "SLEEP!" "DEFECATE!") anymore than I need to see someone in a bubblegum-pink T-shirt with rhinestones that spells out "Daddy's Princess" to tell me everything I need to know about a person...
Text only needs to "go. now. " if you dont' like it.
I loved the blue Ocean sign. For some of us who don't live near the ocean, it's a sweet symbol. I prefer to imagine my ocean with a text prompt of an evocative word than to see some artist's rendition or even a photograph. They would become stale and part of the unnoticed background after awhile, while the well loved word would give me a different visual every time.
Of course, I'm a bibliophile and love words so much I could swim in them
I'm not a fan of instructional signage, but I do love to see unexpected words. I just painted a canvas with the words Absolutely No Confetti for my dining room.
I love the sand colored linens with the sea colored glass dishes -- the matte vs the shiny, the opaque vs the translucent. Very beach without any beach artifacts.
But let me say this: stuff like found seashells becomes much more than trite decor, and it's not meant for YOU. It's a memory trigger for it's owner. It's nostalgia, emotion, rememberance. When people show rooms here that are "too staged" "too uncluttered" people squawk. If they have mementos people squawk.
AmandainAustin. . .
This is a link to Coastal Living that shows some sea-glass paint colors: http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/decorating/color-it-coastal-seaglass-00400000046158/page18.html
I have a few more suggestions: Covington Blue by Benjamin Moore is always a great color, Martha Stewart at Home Depot has a color actually called Sea Glass (the Opal Silk and Yucca Plant are nice too), Tame Teal from Sherwin Williams is brighter while Tidewater is more muted.
@AmandainAustin - I love BM Bird's Egg: http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Benjamin-Moore-2051-60-Birds-Egg-p/mpc0004380.htm
The overdone look may be because the rooms are from magazines that have been set-dressed to emphasize the beach. They may have been chosen and photographed as part of a beach-themed issue. Or sponsors have brought in some of their pieces to sell, so it may look catalog-y too.
It's what's nice about the House Tours here; they are not set-dressed to match the editor's theme.
This is so cute!!! Lots of inspiration for my future home!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Soliloquyshoppe
i'm not wild about the bathroom as a whole, but that enormous Tridacna shell used as a sink has been one of my dreams since i was a teenager...
There is nothing unattractive to a beach motif, overdone or not. It is evocative and adds atmosphere. If your house says bold or even with a touch of humour and irony, I say go overboard.
I completely agree about not going overboard and having a few beach-y elements that convey the theme. Exactly how many elements depends on the householders taste. My friend is a minimalist who hates clutter so I added just a few capiz shells & corals while sticking to navy, white, turquoise, & gray colors when decorating her home.
Here's how it came out...
http://chictechnique.com/2011/04/seaside-glamour-part-2-3/
I moved to LA recently and I am starting to get into the beach decor. It definitely evokes a different energy.
Beautiful pictures. I just posted an article on my interior design blog
Seaside Inspired