Seaside Ideas
I like how the creamy white balances the turquoise making both feel fresh. The use of darker wood tones grounds and pulls it together. I can see in my mind's eye pictures I have taken of sandy beaches with trees thrown around from a storm against bright turquoise water and clear blue skies. Perfect color combinations that remind me of long days of beachcombing.
If I couldn't use blue, these soft sea greens with white and neutrals would make for a room I would be comfortable in. Although I feel like it needs more soft, fluffy textiles.
That dresser is perfect. The blues and whites keep the room calm, while the dresser and pendant inject some personality.
This is also listed as Beach Style - no wonder it made me stop to look at it. This room is calming and has enough color to keep it from being bland.
This is listed as Beach Style and I really like the earthy neutrals with the blue and white.
White with spots of blues and greens says "ocean"
I love this kitchen. The textures and hints of color make it inviting. And the banquet table behind the island says the heart of the home is the kitchen.
"The best way to treat closet interiors is to paint all surfaces with light-reflective white for maximum visibility. You can check how reflective your white is by looking on the color card at your local paint store for the LRV number. The higher the number (accompanied by the initials LRV, for “light-reflective value”), the more the available light will bounce."
Although this is not "my feel", the strong accent of the black window frame being repeated in small details, corresponds to my rough-hewn wood frames throughout the house. Find some way to accents each room with enough textural wood to tie it together so it won't seem totally out of place. "Ultimately, the key to working with white is to add just enough color and texture to make the space come alive without taking away that beautiful simplicity you fell in love with in the first place. Add small accents and details over time until the look feels right, then you’ll have a soothing space that’s full of character."
"Seafoam Pale, watery blue-green is another excellent color to add in a white bathroom because it helps white look whiter without breaking up the ocean of calm." This picture was included because of the mention of seafoam green, which I hope to use in my bathroom. In fact, I could just replace the few accent tiles and change the style from South West to Beach. Previously I thought I'd need to replace all the tile, but since it's off-white I should be able to get that sandy off-white feel seen in the previous bedroom picture.
"Sandy Off-Whites Pale materials like burlap, linen and other textural fabrics in off-whites like sand and cream add depth and texture to a bedroom or living room while maintaining the dreamy quality of white. Use them in pillows, lampshades, carpet, picture frames or old maps and other sepia-toned art." The bedroom is the one room in the house that I wouldn't mind having covered windows. This room would be more appealing to me if the curtains were drawn to filter the light and block the view.
The orchids in clear containers and the sheer shades are ideas I would like for my kitchen. Actually, if I could find semi-sheer shades I would maintain the bit of privacy I have. In the living room, instead of replacing the wood blinds, maybe a valance of billowy white sheers would soften the windows enough. What about putting a small houseplant in the long "legs" of the pottery lamps and replacing the bulb with a grow-light? Is this even possible?
This room is rife with texture and complementing neutrals. The lack of hardware on the cabinets says "clean" to me. My little kitchen with its tile floor would look great dressed like this if I could keep the stainless steel clean. (I often wonder if the smudge-proof finish that the salesman steered us away from would have been a better choice.) All that is needed is a coat of white paint on walls and cabinets and new counter tops and backsplash.
Another room I don't like. This too (almost) has a window to nowhere with what seems to be bars over the window. So this little prison of white is cold and drab. The exposed ceiling, which is touted as helping this room, adds a feeling of dirtiness since it isn't tied in with any other organics; particularly wood. There is a tiny hint of wood on the floor. But, what little can be seen, also adds to the dingy feel because you can't see enough to know it is wood and not just a dirt floor.
By analyzing rooms that I don't like it's easy to see that the lack of nature is what I find unappealing. This room has only the heap of foliage on the table to tie the organics of the room together. Also, no texture in the white walls creates too much of a contrast with the wood, so the room loses the subtlety of the other neutral elements binding the look together. Finally, there is a window to nowhere. This is the biggest problem. Every room I love is an oasis of windows looking out upon the world. Even in my own home, that I find woefully lacking in personality, I get such sense of wellbeing by opening all the blinds and curtains.
"Open shelves are an especially effective way of revealing some hits of color through everyday dish ware. With the plant life below, this kitchen feels miles from all-white." However, what I see is layers of texture, from the tile backsplash to the shiplap wall behind the shelves and even the detail of the cabinets below.
For years I thought of an all-white bedroom as a 'poor girl's room'. Now that I have read many articles and searched hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures, I believe the difference between this room and my memories is the textures. The textures here create a feel of luxury and comfort, but the poor girl's room was cheap off-white paint, thin sheets and blankets and usually some form of beat-up wood.
There is a beach-glass vibe here while also small doses of elegance that I like. Perhaps instead of going white all over with jewel-tone accents, I could use a beachy color palette that highlights one color in each room. This would be the green sea glass room, another would be blue ocean room and another the beach sand room. But just writing "jewel-tone accents" has me drawn back to it. I'm afraid rooms like this would seem blase, too pastel, after the newness rubbed off.
"This kitchen achieves essentially the same effect as the previous one (cream cabinets against white walls), but in a much subtler way. The cabinet color would be considered pure white in a different context, but when it’s surrounded by a crisper white, the eye is able to detect its warmth by comparison. This slight contrast creates a serene, romantic air, and makes this white kitchen feel elegant instead of minimalist." What I like (other than the fresh white) is the dark marble, shiny brass and blue glass bottles.
This look fits in with my idea of pure white with jewel-tone accents; even though the accents here are closer to pastel. However, this room could be part of a jewel accented house as long as the color palette 'allowed' for it. Think of sunsets with hot pink, lilac and grayish-blues.
Nothing says Beach quite like turquoise
This is high on my wish list. A swinging couch with soft cushions and airy white curtains. This also has a birdcage; a great decorative accessory that can be used as a plant holder.
I love this look but it would require a complete remodel to accomplish. All the southwestern stuff needs to go (tile, floor, wallpaper and paint.)
"There is something about turquoise that inspires a sea theme, like with the stunning coral pillow here. The designer of this room remarks how the rich dark turquoise shade on the wall brings such a vivacious vibe, while serving as a backdrop for a wide selection of colors, prints and styles." This seems to be the color pallet I had in mind for the bedroom, although I hadn't yet decided on an accent color, I love the coral with the deep turquoise.
"We can channel that beach vacation year-round by pulling our color scheme from the sun-drenched beach, the blue sky studded with creamy clouds and the vibrant turquoise sea."
"Other less expected elements to glam up your beach abode include leather (or hide) director chairs, sleek modern light fixtures and statement-making oversize artwork." Love the dark romantic feel of the art against the textures and neutrals.
"A good balance includes around 80 to 90 percent classic beach-style elements (like weathered wood, seaside paintings or rope accents) and 10 to 20 percent glam."
"Beachy Glam Popular in both Southern California and the coastal South, this version of beach style is colorful and playful. Think of a soothing aqua and white palette, jazzed up with a zebra print and a blingy chandelier. Or a beautiful lamp with an organic shape but done in slick white porcelain. Color is used confidently but not overdone — focus on one main hue (try sunshine yellow, kelly green or aqua) and surround it with plenty of classic neutrals." This, so far, is the closest I've found to my beach vibe. Who knew there were so many Coastal Styles?
I have always wanted a soaking tub that opens to the great outdoors, whether that be an enclosed garden or a deck screened with foliage.
"Dramatic lighting: The exterior parts of the home, including the courtyard, glow on summer nights through the use of dramatic lighting. “The whole idea was to wash it with light without having to do big spotlights everywhere,” Adler says. “Between lighting the pool and lighting the house, it creates some nice ambiance out there when it gets dark.”" If using this as interior inspiration then I need to really work on the lighting part. This is my missing piece that I'm still working on; whether it's undercabinet lighting in the Kitchen, or additional light in the living and dining rooms. I find the overhead lights too harsh and have longed to add soft light in the corners to open up the space, three-way or dimable table lamps, as well as task lighting on desk surfaces.
"Courtyard: With frequent houseguests, the homeowners wanted spaces for entertaining both inside and out. Adler helped them create an oasis-like courtyard that’s elevated to the second level with state-of-the-art amenities. “We managed to accommodate a small swimming pool and hot tub,” Adler says, as well as an outdoor wood-burning fireplace, a tiki bar and an outdoor kitchen." This is my ultimate idea of Coastal Style. Although most coastal stylebooks say to use a lot of white and neutrals, this space has background colors of Water, Sky and Earth, with earth being the neutrals and organic things like the palm tree, which adds not only the green color but texture and sculpture. How could this not bring the outside in when using as interior inspiration?
The "bathroom’s wall is adorned with Stikwood, a thin wood veneer that Adler calls “ingenious” because any homeowner can install it. “Basically you use an X-Acto knife or a box cutter to cut the planks, and it even has its own adhesive on the back,” Adler says. In this bathroom, they used a bamboo style and ran it behind the sink."
There are so many choices that I may be able to find similar tile to what I have picked out at a much lower cost Also, I had wanted to get some samples to attach cor-board to use as spoon rests and potholders.
Hang your hats. A cluster of straw hats and bags on wall hooks is both beachy and practical — when you’re heading to the shore, just grab a sun hat and a bag and go! Including a few other objects, like the oversize beaded necklaces shown here, adds texture and interest to the arrangement. This might make a nice addition to the entry wall. Our straw hats, beach shoes, maybe even the beach bag - packed and ready to go. (If bag won't work I had planned on hanging it in the hall closet. Once that is also cleared out.) Use bare tree limb mounted on the wall as a holder. If I can't find the right piece just use the accordian hanger.
This reminds me of Cari. I especially like the idea of using wicker baskets to replace shades of either hanging fixtures or table lamps. "Give sofas a quick makeover with summery textiles. Almost anything is fair game, as long as it’s big enough: a tablecloth, a quilt, even a pretty sarong or fringed fouta-style towel can work. If the textile won’t cover the entire sofa, fold and drape it over the center section, or wrap only the bottom cushions."
Frame beach finds. Shells, sand dollars, sea glass and small pieces of driftwood take on special significance when mounted on smooth linen in a big frame. If you’re using your own finds, consider including a small, neatly written label at the bottom with the place and date you found your treasures. This is along my plans of putting beach finds on painted canvas; but the reason I saved this picture is that the blue glass and dark wood made be consider using dark wood in the MBR if my fabric and paint choices won't look good with white. I'm still on fence about this as I keep coming back to desire for a padded headboard against a dark accent wall - possibly keeping the "bachelor" blue on other walls.
Cover an interior wall with trellis. Trellis used for decorative purposes is known as treillage, and it can be a surprisingly affordable way to bring architectural interest to an interior room. Try it in a breakfast room or sunporch to enhance the indoor-outdoor feel. I'm not sure if this will work, but if I could put treillage, painted white, over the Dining/Craft yellow wall, I would gain a place to hang my pictures plus some verticle storage without putting a lot of holes in the wall. Since I want to make Project Boards for each room I may be able to hand 3-D items along with pictures, paint and fabric samples.
Paint your wicker. Wicker chairs, love seats and tables can be found for bargain prices at yard sales, but they’re not always in pristine condition. Consider giving your wicker pieces a fresh update with a coat of colorful paint. Spray paint will provide the most even coverage, but it’s messy: Be prepared with a drop cloth, painter’s face mask, gloves and ample outdoor space. Put an indoor-outdoor rug in the living room. Indoor-outdoor rugs come in all sorts of fun colors and patterns, and they typically cost less than their strictly indoor counterparts. Plus, outdoor rugs are usually stain- and fade-resistant, which makes cleaning off all of that summer sand and muck a breeze. This had been my idea for the deck - A small bistro table & chairs, an umbrella (Posstbly clipped to railing. In fact with this idea I could start with the umbrella and use existing furniture until I had saved enough to replace their cushions and put in the cafe.) These changes along with strategic placement of citronella torches, candles, etc., may allow my to expand my living area outward and possibly spend a little quality time with Herman.
Deck out a backyard tree. Like something straight out of Gilligan’s Island, this tree is overboard — but in a delightfully good way. Drape a tree with lengths of rope, vintage buoys, bunting and even a surfboard for a free-spirited decoration that will last all summer. Kids and party guests will love it! This is how my front porch started out, although not nearly as much stuff. I need to bring that back when I tackled the porch which hasn't had much done to it since the 2004 hurricanes.
Replace towel rods with nautical rope. Tired of your ho-hum towel rods? Unscrew them and tie up some rope for a seaside-inspired bathroom makeover. Tip: Check out a knot-tying book from the library to learn how to tie a secure (and cool-looking) knot worthy of a sailor.
I like the pendant lights and to a lesser degree the blue tile backsplash
Q