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Beach Theme Decorationsby Giorgina Devereaux By incorporating beach theme decorations into your home, you can live outdoors while you're living indoors. Life is truly a beach when you can live the best of both worlds. Beaches are lots of fun, but unfortunately the party ends once you get in the car and come home… or so you think. You can't literally bring the beach home with you, but what you can do is try some beach decorating, which is the next closest thing. After all, the elements of the beach translate well into any room in your home. Being at the beach is all about feeling you are there, and with the right beach theme decorations, this can be accomplished quite inexpensively. The good news about beach decor is that it's rather simple, because the key themes are always the same, and it doesn't really take much to achieve what you're looking for. Depending on where you live, you might only get beach weather a few months a year. And if you don't live near a coastline, you may not even be near a beach at all. But even if your beach time is limited to summers and vacations only, it is still possible to evoke the experience of being in the sand by making a few simple adjustments to your home. We will now take a look at a few beach theme decorations that can be applied easily, cheaply, and quickly.  It's All About Space… Lots of ItBy space, I don't mean a large room. On the contrary, you can achieve beautiful beach decor in a very small room. But the key is to make that room as empty as realistically possible. Why do this? Because when you're at the beach, there are no walls. There are no boxes or closets or storage cabinets. There's just an endless amount of open space; otherwise it wouldn't be a beach. So if the room that you plan on decorating with beach themes isn't spacious, then it will be next to impossible to mimic that feeling. Pick a room, any room, but make sure it is free of excess clutter! It needn't look empty; a bed and dresser are fine, and maybe some other furniture to round it out. But messy floors or boxes full of junk, both of which may adorn other rooms in your home, will prevent your room from truly having that beachy feel.  Beach Color ThemesThis is where it gets pretty simple. Unless your local beach doubles as a toxic dump, there really aren't many different color variations in beach decor. Consider all the elements of the beach, and their colors. Sand: Beach sand can be white, golden, or tan. Each color appeals to everyone differently, so pick the one you like best and go with that. Most people dream of beaches with white sand, and if you do too, then you've got your color! But you need not limit yourself to white, as tan or golden can do wonders for you room too.  Water: The water at the beach is always blue, which is why most interior
decorators strongly recommend light blue as the main color of your beach
theme decorations. Dark blue doesn't work as well (neither do dark colors in general) because they don't give off the vibe of open space. Light blue is perfect for making you feel like you're at the beach. The sky: Again, light blue. On a perfect, clear day at the beach, there's not a cloud in the sky and it's blue all around. Waves and clouds: The image of waves crushing against the coast reveals a lovely white color, matching the clouds on a typical summer day. And just like that, you're done. Light blue, white, golden, and tan are your main colors to play with in beach decor. All colors, if you notice, are light. Light colors give off open space, and that is the main ingredient of all beach theme decorations. The Rest of the Room Windows: Windows play a vital role in beach decor, as you might imagine. When you're at the beach and you close your eyes, you feel the sun shining down and the light breeze blowing around you. And when you're at home, your only connection to the outdoors is your windows.  To give that beach feeling, you need to not just feel the breeze, but see it
too. That's why a set of light curtains, made out of fine fabric, is ideal
for your beach decorating. Thick, heavy curtains won't work because they'll block the wind and sun, which defeats the purpose of a beach room. Light, airy curtains, on the other hand, will blow gently in the wind and set the perfect tone. If you don't have any windows in the room, it's not the end of the world. Remember, you're trying to bring in some light and some breeze. Sunlight can be mimicked with the right lamps and lighting. Pick something bright that will accentuate the colors you've chosen, and if the lamp has a beach decor theme to it, then that's an added bonus. As for the breeze, you can plug in a fan, and even put some wind chimes in front of the fan for an added effect. Windows play a huge part in beach theme decorations. They bring in the sunshine and breeze, appealing to all your senses (hearing, seeing, and feeling). But if you don't have windows, you can still get a similar effect through lighting and ventilation.  Walls: Here's where your color theme comes into play. For a beach theme, go
with a light blue paint color with a white trim. You could also go with a white paint on both your wall and trim together, but just be sure to make it pure white. Any off-white variations will not do the trick as well as pure white will. If you're daring to be different, you can go with a light gold or tan color on the walls (again, with white trim). It's not recommended you veer too far off those core colors. If you do, just be sure to keep it light. Remember, light colors give off space and openness, and that's what makes you feel like you're at the beach.  Furniture: Like I said, beach theme decorations are direct and to the point.
The choices of furniture to use are fairly limited, and that's because they
almost always work in the proper setting. Wicker furniture is your style of choice when decorating a room with a beach theme. It's incredibly light, fairly sturdy, and you can use cushions that contain beach oriented accents. If you plan on placing furniture in your beach room that really needs to be strong and sturdy (such as a bed, coffee table, or dresser with heavy items), then go with white wooden furniture. If your pieces aren't white, don't fret. Simply paint them white and you can get a worn, weathered look that will give your room a distinct character. If the room will never be used for sleeping, and if space permits, I recommend a self-standing hammock. Imagine a nice hammock right by your window, with the sun and wind gently coming through as you nap on a lazy afternoon. It's the perfect relaxation room, and a darn good beach theme decoration to boot.  Beach Theme Decorative AccentsNow that you have the nucleus of the beach room in place, you can have a lot more fun and freedom by choosing from among the many beach theme decorative accents and ideas out there. Here are just some of the accessories you can include in your beach theme decorations: Plants: Some of you will want to have a plant in the room, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. A mini palm tree or similar item would help you get the look you're after and definitely help you feel like your outdoors.  Where I caution you is to please keep it subtle. If you overdo it
on plants, your room will appear more tropical than beachy, and there's a
big difference between the two. Overdoing it on plants is much easier to do in a beach theme room than a regular room, so please keep the number of plants to just one, if that. Seashells: This is the one beach theme decoration that should be a “must have” on your list. Seashells come from the beach, and there's no more direct way to bring the beach home than to literally bring it home. Place a nice-sized jar on one of your furniture pieces and fill it with seashells. We've got one in our bathroom and every time we look at it, we feel like lathering on suntan lotion and heading outside. The Floor: Hardwood floors work best for a beach theme (well, aside from real sand, but that wouldn't be smart), but since the room is already there, don't go remodeling it just for this. Carpet, hardwood, tile… it's all good. Make your floor look beachy with a thoughtfully chosen rug. You could even place a beach blanket down on the floor and put furniture on it, and that would look nice.  Pillows and Cushions: Liberal use of pillows on chairs and beds is allowed
and often encouraged for a beach theme room. Get pillows with a beach design, or if not, then pillows that are a solid, light color that matches other colors in the room. Cushions to adorn your wicker furniture are also a smart choice, and will make it a lot less painful to sit on. Art: Beach theme art is incredibly diverse and wide open, so make yourself feel uninhibited and choose the pieces you like best. There really aren't any restrictions here, so just pick the ones you like and make sure it has something to do with the outdoors and/or beach. Pictures: Go ahead and frame your beach pictures over the room. No restrictions here either other than selecting picture frames that ideally will pick up the color in your walls or trim. This helps unify the room and gives a sense of balance. The same rules apply for any framed art or framed signs used in the room.  Figurines: A couple of well placed figurines of sea creatures will make a
cute addition to any beach theme room. Examples include starfish, fish of
any kind, or even the mythical mermaid. Just a couple will do fine, but if
you'd like to include more, then it's recommended you devote a separate
corner of the room to your figurines and place them in a hutch or casing.
Water: Electronic water features make a great addition to beach theme decorations. They're not only pleasant to look at, but also appealing for the peaceful sounds they give off. This is a great idea for people who want to open their windows but live near a major street where the sounds of traffic are overly noisy. If you really want to get fancy, hook up your MP3 player to a speaker and play subtle sounds of the ocean, with seagulls flying in the background. The perfect mood for the beach! Other Beach Decor: Brainstorm everything related to the beach, and find cute decorative accents that bring them to life. Buckets, pails, sand, seashells, lawn chairs, blankets, surfboards, snorkeling gear, bikinis, suntan lotion, sunglasses, sun visors, fruity drinks, and anything and everything else beach related. Be creative and find something that appeals to you. Beach theme decorations are loads of fun, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy, inexpensive, and fast it is to turn any room into the beach. Have fun with it and don't forget to wear your sunscreen! Return from Beach Theme Decorations to Home Decorating Ideas Return from Beach Theme Decorations to Decor Medley Home |
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