Summer is the perfect time to embrace your inner beach bum. With sunny days and warm nights, it’s easy to channel a relaxed, beachy vibe in your home decor and personal style. Here are some tips for updating your look with breezy beach style this season.
Bring the Ocean Indoors
Incorporate ocean-inspired colors and textures to evoke a coastal feel. Light blues, greens, and whites are classic beach colors. Introduce them through pillows, throws, area rugs, or wall art. Natural textures like jute, rattan, driftwood, and woven sea grass are also easy ways to conjure up images of the seaside. For more impact, use these materials in larger pieces like chairs, tables, headboards, or storage units.
Shells, starfish, coral, and sand dollars make charming coastal accents. Display them on tabletops, shelves, or wall mounts. Glassware and serving pieces in ocean-inspired hues can also help set the beach mood for entertaining.
Adopt Relaxed Fabrics
Breezy linen, cotton, and seersucker fabrics relaxed feel perfect for channeling laid-back beach style. Use them to make curtains, pillow covers, duvets, and slipcovers. Swap heavier throws and quilts for lightweight cotton or linen versions. Avoid formal upholstery fabrics and instead opt for durable, casual textures like denim, ticking stripes, and sunbrella.
Bring in Natural Textures & Materials
Incorporate natural elements like rattan, bamboo, sea grass, abaca, driftwood, and sustainable woods. Use them in furniture, mirrors, storage baskets, and decorative objects. Macrame wall hangings and sisal or jute area rugs also fit right in with beach-friendly decor.
For an extra touch, display stacked books on natural history, seashells, or ocean life. Adding greenery and flowers in sand pails or planters can also help evoke the easy, organic feel of being seaside.
Try a Neutral Color Palette
White, tan, beige and light gray make up a popular beach-inspired neutral palette. But you can also pull in pale blues, greens, and cool yellows for a soothing understated look. Use neutral linen slipcovers or update seating with neutral-hued cushions in breezy fabrics.
Paint walls, ceilings, built-ins or trim work in neutral colors. Then add pops of ocean blues and greens through accessories, plants, tiles, or accent walls. The result is a relaxing canvas to build your beach-chic decor around.
Add Weathered, Reclaimed Woods
Distressed, water-worn and reclaimed woods have an authentic coastal vibe. Use them in furniture, shelving, paneled walls, ceiling beams, or built-in cabinetry. Painted finishes in beachy hues like pale blues and greens can enhance the coastal charm.
Whitewashed, weathered finishes also help new wood pieces feel sun-bleached and beachy. Salvaged wood from boats, docks, and buildings offers the ultimate well-worn ocean appeal.
Incorporate Rope & Netting
Incorporate rope and netting accents to reference a nautical seaside aesthetic. Macrame hangings look great on walls or used as plant hangers. Woven rope baskets make charming storage in place of traditional options.
Nautical rope and netting can also be used on mirrors, lanterns, and vases for a beachy touch. Anchor your look by including a hammock, hanging chair, or extra-wide net swing for optimal relaxation.
Add Hardware in Ocean-Inspired Finishes
Swap out traditional metal finishes for hardware in coastal-inspired living finishes. Cool toned metals like aged brass, bronze, copper, and nickel have an ocean appeal. Look for handles and knobs in shapes inspired by marine hardware or nautical motifs.
For a weathered look, seek out salvaged marine and dock hardware.Collections of floats, buoys, and anchors make great coastal-themed displays and can even serve as towel hooks or unique wall art.
Incorporate Beachy Textiles & Patterns
Lightweight cottons, linens, and seersucker in fun beachy prints help capture the seaside spirit. Look for prints featuring nautical motifs, tropical foliage, shells, coral, fish, or ocean creatures.
Woven textiles like burlap, abaca, and classic rope stripe also fit the coastal aesthetic. Use beachy fabrics for drapes, roman shades, slip covers, accent pillows, towels, and table linens.
Add an Element of Whimsy
A playful, relaxed vibe is key to the beach house mindset. Incorporate a sense of fun and whimsy through your coastal decor accessories. Think starfish throw pillows, a shell chandelier, a coral or sea fan mirror, or even a table made from surfboards.
Sculptural jellyfish or octopus lights also lend a quirky, beachy touch. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and let your personality shine through.
Embrace Casual, Carefree Style
Channel laid-back beach style in your clothing and accessories too. Breezy maxi dresses, jumpsuits, tunics, and caftans capture the easygoing coastal vibe. Neutral-toned accessories in woven leather, straw, or wood also fit the beach theme.
Don’t be afraid to embrace water-ready pieces like swim coverups, robe dresses, and sarongs. Hats, sunglasses, and canvas totes round out the carefree look. When dressing in layers, lightweight cardigans, kimonos and dusters keep things casually chic.
Summing Up Beach Style
With a relaxed color palette, natural textures, and breezy fabrics, channeling beach-chic style is a breeze. Find inspiration in ocean and nautical motifs and don’t be afraid to add a bit of whimsy. The result is a laidback look perfect for seaside living or just dreaming of your next beach vacation. With a few easy updates, you can bring a taste of the ocean into any space.
Frequently Asked Questions About Updating Beach Style
What colors work best for a beachy theme?
Light blues, greens, tans, whites, and pale yellows are classic beach colors. Neutral palettes with cool tone blues and greens are easy to decorate around.
What kind of furniture has a coastal look?
Rattan, bamboo, jute, teak, and driftwood pieces evoke casual beach style. Natural linen and cotton fabrics enhance the relaxed feel.
How can I accessories a room for coastal flair?
Shells, starfish, sea fans, coral, and sand dollars make charming coastal accents. Blue and green glassware and ceramics also inject ocean inspiration.
What patterns say beach chic?
Nautical stripes and rope patterns, tropical foliage and hibiscus prints, fish, anchors, shells, and ocean creature motifs all lend beachy style.
How do I get a weathered coastal look?
Use reclaimed woods, salvaged marine pieces, and furnishings with whitewashed, water-worn, or distressed finishes. Aged brass, copper, and bronze hardware also look beachy.
Conclusion
Whether you live seaside or just love the relaxed vibe, bringing beach-inspired style into any space is easy. Focus on light, breezy fabrics, weathered woods, and casual textures for a vibe that’s coastal chic yet utterly livable all year round. With a tranquil palette and touches of ocean whimsy, you can enjoy beach house style wherever you are.
