Blog

Coastal Cool

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

If you’re planning a staycation, you don’t need to live in a beach hut or a lighthouse keeper’s cottage with beautiful views across the Irish Sea to recreate a holiday feel at home this summer. Coastal styling breathes new life into interior decor and can make staying at home a real pleasure. Create a haven within your home – it’s amazing how some interior sprucing can satisfy the urge for escapism and enhance the relaxed summer mood.

Colours play an important role in beach inspired décor, so incorporate blue and green shades which work well against a white backdrop. Stripes create the feeling of living in a beach house and enhance a nautical look. A restful palette hints at a remote holiday cottage with muted colours from soft corals to serene blues making a room feel brighter and more spacious by reflecting light. Simplicity is key to coastal style - white all over is instantly refreshing, then introduce one or two vibrant accessories -maybe a vase in yellow or aqua, which, along with flowers, will instantly lift a room.

For a smarter, nautical feel, look for deep cobalts, indigo and inky, French navy blues. Tricia Guild, founder of Designers Guild, wrote “Blue in nearly all its tones has such an uplifting quality. My favourite at the moment is cobalt. Using it with white creates a feeling that is crisp and timeless; it says summer without being twee.”

Accessories can really add to a seaside atmosphere. Shell and coast inspired pictures are easy DIY touches while summery accessories, such as woven baskets and reed matting, look beautiful against dark colours. Choose pieces of décor that evoke shoreline textures, such as rope covered vases, smooth wooden tables, driftwood lamps and shell chandeliers; use soft textiles and natural weathered items such as pebbles and seaglass.

For a mere £285,000, you can have stunning harbour views and an immaculate interiors at one of the most desirable huts on Mudeford Sandspit. Situated just a short walk from the restaurant and ferry terminal hut, No. 112 is accessible, and benefits from having a sandy area directly in front, ideal for entertaining. Double doors at the front of the hut open out onto a terrace, which enjoys delightful harbour sunsets. Contact Denisons, Christchurch for details on 01202 484748.

You can create your own “seaside” bolthole on a more modest budget with some creative inspiration and imagination. Owning a beach hut maybe well beyond most people’s budget but you can makeover a garden shed with clever painting and a few well-chosen accessories to make your beach vacation last all year.

Transport yourself from Burnham to Barbados in the ultimate in summer relaxation - a hammock. Colourful deck chairs add to the seaside mood and offer a casual but comfy place to relax as the sun goes down.

Create a family-friendly outdoor space for the summer with a beach hut theme. It's an easy look to achieve, simply start with whitewashed walls and ship style decking and the scene is set. Add painted garden furniture and introduce colour with nautical accessories, from seat cushions and parasols to tableware and planters.

A swathe of cobbles and gravel in a flower bed with tall, spiky succulents and low-growing plants, such as sea thrift (Armeria maritima) and dark drifts of hen-and-chicks (Sempervivum) echoes a shingle beach effect. Use horticultural sand, shingle and smooth pebbles from a builders’ merchants to complete the look.

Resist the temptation to overload on the seaside theme - go too far with ticking stripes, anchor motifs and driftwood and you’ll lose that lazy, hazy summer feeling you’re after. Keep it simple, relax and enjoy the summer holiday mood at home.