Designing a Beach Home
As I mentioned in my post about Driftwood furniture, this is an easy area to fall overboard with (bad pun). With any "theme" in design, it is important to think abstractly and veer from the literal interpretation. A wonderfully designed "beachy" home, will rarely have seashell photo frames, anchors on the wall and sailboat murals.
I'm going to tell you a secret. Ready? The idea is to look at what these things have in common and pull from this. Now, this gets complex, but the gist of it is this… we want a "beachy" theme, so what does the beach make you think of? Stop saying "sand, shells, boats" and look more at texture, line, shape, color, harmony, and gradation. Every beach is a little different, of course, but think of YOUR beach, the one that you want to be reminded of every time you step through the door.
My beach is sandy, and littered with broken sea shellls. It has wispy grass and pebbles closer to the water line. The water is a grey-blue and the skies are clear. My beach is brimming with life. There are crabs under every rock and clams squirting me with every step. I have a place to play and a place to relax and enjoy the sun. Now, to interpret this: My beach has the following textures: grainy, rough wood, and smooth ripples. Lines are horizontal and long. Shapes are random and imperfect. Harmony and gradation may be seen in the blue, blue-green, and green-yellow colors. See where I'm going with this?
Okay, now everyone go to your favorite online store and pick one item for my beach house! Or, even better- describe your beach and then show me an item you've selected for it and explain why.
