33 Best Items to Turn Your Home’s Interior into a Beach House
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33 Best Items to Turn Your Home’s Interior into a Beach House

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You may not be able to travel to your favorite beach destination this year. But, it’s possible to bring the beach to your home. In addition to turning your backyard into a mini-oasis, you can also transform your home’s interior to be light, airy, and fun, evoking a playful tone.  And fortunately, there are plenty of ways to recreate the sand and sea décor style – if you use the right materials and colors.

We found the 33 best items to turn your home’s interior into a beach house. And then, we asked several interior designers for tips to help you incorporate these items for the perfect look.

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Tips for creating the perfect beach house at home

Now that we’ve recommended some products to turn your home into a beach house, how do you pull everything together? Keep reading to get tips from our team of interior designers.

“Find a fun beachy  theme – like beach umbrellas, a clam shell, or a particular type of boat – that is of particular interest to your family,” recommends Diane Boyer of Diane Boyer Interiors. “In one home, we created a child’s bed that was a sail boat, since sailing was of major interest to the entire family.”  

Major changes

If you plan on making major changes to your home, Justin Riordan, interior designer, architect and founder of the Portland, Seattle and LA home staging company Spade and Archer Design Agency, recommends retractable walls. “Having a wall that can be tucked away to remove the barriers between the indoors and the outdoors can provide a perfect connection to nature,” he says.  

Riordan also recommends hard floors. “Eliminating the barrier between the indoors and the outdoors sometime brings in the outdoors, in ways you don’t want,” he says. “Wood, tile, epoxy, concrete, you name it, so long as it’s not carpet, a hard surface will make cleaning up sand and dirt easy as pie.” 

Interior designer Deborah Leamann in Pennington, NY, likes wood in particular. “Adding bleached wood floors can certainly help to create a casual beachy feel,” she says. And Leamann also recommends adding beadboard as wainscoting to achieve the desired effect.

Colors

When creating a beach house, it’s all about the colors. “Nothing says ‘seaside getaway’ like all white walls, white furniture, and flowing white drapes,” says Anna Tatsioni, interior designer at Decorilla. “Resorts often choose a white color scheme as it has a fresh, clean feeling, plus it reflects natural light, making spaces feel more open.” In fact, if you have a patio or balcony, Tatsioni recommends painting the railings white.

Riordan says you can always look to the clean air of the sea for color ideas when you want to paint your walls and ceilings. “But when in doubt, you can’t go wrong with paining it white,” Riordan says.

Frank Keshishian, owner and interior designer at L.A. Design Concepts, agrees. “Painting walls white — especially if you have an open floorplan — will immediately make it feel brighter, more spacious, and refreshed.”

But whatever color you choose, Liliana Gomez at Casa Lab advises consistency.  “Always stick with a monochromatic pattern of light and airy tones with an unexpected pop of color for focal points,” she says.

And here’s one way to get a pop of color: paint the door a vibrant color. “A true pop of color and unique alternative, painting your front door or any door in your home a vibrant color like yellow, blue, green, pink, or orange is a fun way to create a beach home this summer,’ says Jing Xue, co-founder at DecorMatters. “Paint a vibrant door - this interior design idea offers a distinct design feature that will automatically cheer up a room,” she says.

Furniture

When considering furniture, like upholstered items, Keshishian says comfort is key. “An overstuffed sofa in an off-white linen is very striking, effortless, and on-theme,” he says.  “To add more interest and seating, we recommend club chairs in a simple yet beachy pattern, such as wide stripes.” Keshishian also suggests adding an organic wood coffee table to bring warmth to the space.

However, if you’re on a budget, our designers have other ideas for using furniture to create a beachy vibe. “Sofas and large furniture can all be painted or slip-covered white or sand,” says Darla DeMorrow, a Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Philadelphia, PA-based HeartWork Organizing.  

“Also, consider introducing natural or worn painted wood into furniture and cabinets,” recommends Boyer.

Textures

If you want to add more texture to your walls, Keshishian says wallpaper remains one of the most popular trends out there. “And, now, there are so many beautiful grasscloth options, which create an organic and natural feel.” 

After you’ve set the backdrop, he says the next step is to incorporate elements that feel like vacation: coastal, relaxed, and comfortable. “We love casually layering natural materials like rattan, grasscloth, nautical rope, and braided jut with pops of coastal colors, like blue, aquamarine, and taupe.

Xue also recommends bringing in bright colors as a highly effective way to turn your home into a beach house. So, how can you add color with furnishings? “Adding color through throw pillows, patterned throw blankets, lampshades, and furniture, along with bright and bold colors is a great way to increase that summer beach feeling,” she says.

If you prefer more muted colors, she says pastels and matte finishes are also great options. “Additionally, color can be showcased through bold art prints on the wall,” Xue says. “To save money, you can print and frame photos from your favorite summer vacations to create an intriguing gallery wall.” 

Bed and bath considerations

In the bedroom, DeMorrow says there are also easy ways to bring in beach elements. She recommends painting your headboard white or using white or sand slip covers on it and other bedroom furniture.

“Bring tropical paradise to your home and make the ultimate statement with coastal palm leaf patterned bedding in bold and bright or classic neutral colors,” says Karin Sun, founder of Crane & Canopy. “Bringing coastal-inspired prints and elements of the outdoors into your home is also a great way to achieve a sense of calm and relaxation with a twist of tropical paradise.”

She recommends updating your bedroom with nature-inspired colors. “Consider bedding options like a blue duvet cover and throw pillows in oceanic blues, sunny yellows, and vivid corals, and you’ll be dreaming of the relaxing days by the seaside.” Sun also suggests using brightly colored towels.

Adding greenery

One of the simplest ways to create a beach house interior is to bring nature inside. “Multiple plants, such as large leafy plants and hanging plants, and vibrant fresh flowers emphasize summer and add color and brightness to any space,” says Xue.

It’s a view shared by Tatsioni. “Splashes of green against a white background immediately create the illusion of a tropical paradise,” she says. “Opt for either a statement plant in each room - you can place it center stage on desks or position it in an empty corner - or make a mini-jungle around seating areas.” Tatsioni recommends buying neutral color bases. “And, remember to buy plants that are suited to the room’s conditions - wilting nature won’t add anything to your aesthetic,” she says.

Additional tips

“Use plastic colorful cups and plates, and maybe some colorful visors to add to the vacation vibe,” says Jennifer Lewicki, designer at Judi Schwarz Interiors in Cliffside Park, NJ.  “Chose a bright color of your choice, and also add colors with coordinating beach towels and new beach chairs.”    

For accessories, Leamann has a few ideas. “Water-themed art, capiz shell lighting, or woven reeded grass pendants, wicker trays with shells displayed – these all help to complete the look.”

DeMorrow believes it’s important to remember the power of shimmer. “Seaglass is fun to find on the beach, and you can recreate that vibe with blue glass jugs - frosted or clear. “Plenty of mirrors and reflective surfaces remind us of the water,” she says. “Classic accents are starfish and shells, oars, and porthole details like mirrors.”

However, Keshishian warns that there’s also a tendency to overdo the nautical decorations. “Too many seashells, anchors, fish, etc., can diminish the space’s elegance,” he says.  “Plus, it’s easy to tire of a room with too strong a theme, causing you to spend more time/money re-doing it soon down the road.” 

Slipcovers were mentioned above, but Riordan wants to reinforce the idea. “We love to run around outside in our bare feet, and then come in the house and curl up on our sofa – the result is dirty foot marks all over upholstered goods.” He says slipcovers can be taken off and tossed in the laundry. “Less time cleaning, more time relaxing.” 

 

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