BRINGING THE BEACH INSIDE FOR SUMMER

No one loves the beach more than me or my family. We love everything about those sandy white shores and as soon as we leave the ocean, we are already making plans for the next time we can return.

That is exactly why I love to give our home a beach-type theme near the end of every summer. We can get a taste of the beach without even leaving the house.

HOLD ON TO SUMMER A LITTLE WHILE LONGER

There are many classic decorating tips available for what I’ve called our “let’s hold on to summer a while longer” look.

Over the years I’ve used this type of “seasonal” decorating in different ways. From time-to-time I try to give the latest look a new “tweek.” I think I might have managed to do that with my beach theme this season.

Life is always changing around us. Nothing ever stays exactly the same. But it is all good.

This article is full of beach theme ideas. However, it is also about a more casual, modern and trendy type of beach-cottage-look. This look is a bit different from more “classic” beach themes from the past. The more classic themes will be featured in another article later this season. Right now, I love this more casual look.

SUNSHINE AND BRIGHT COLORS

I guess the words that describe this look best are “lots of sunshine and bright beach colors.” That combination seems to be the most cheerful beach theme.

This look seems to make my house feel happy. It gives the illusion of prolonging a wonderful summer.

With home decor, as with everything else in life, variety is always more interesting. So, I change my “beach-theme” decor a little here and a little there each year. It is not hard to come up with new ideas for this theme. There are a million and one ways to emphasize the beach look inside your home.

A GREAT COLOR SCHEME

On this particular year, as the end of summer approaches, I want to incorporate some new color schemes using coral.

I want a more trendy “pop-of-color” with a very interesting entrance. Of course, I want people to feel the wonder of the beach immediately as they walkint o the house. So, I simply lay out the natural earth-toned colors first. Then I incorporate pops of coral here and there.

THE WELCOME

It all starts at the front door. I want to welcome people into our beach-themed, summer home in the most peaceful and relaxing way.

On the outside I will hang an old wooden cross made from heavy vines. I’ve used this cross a lot in my interior decorations of the past. Each time I’ve used it for making the background for different themes. This wooden cross seems to display things like a bride. It has “something old with something new.” The look is very weathered and the appearance is like something you might see for sale at the seashore.

I hung a little sign upon the cross. It says “by the sea.” Seashells and ocean colored beads hang from the sign. Once you read the words posted on the front door, your imagination takes over.

What do you think of when you hear those words “by the sea?”

My first thought is the comforting realization that most likely God loves visiting the seaside as much as we do. Don’t you know He had fun creating the ocean?

Have you ever dreamed of walking on the waves with Jesus?

Can you not visualize Him bringing peace and joy to the sea-side tables of the sandy shores? Can’t you feel the peace He brings along the way to wherever He resides along the coast?

Living in a beach setting is another way to imitate the upside-down, inside out way of life Jesus lived on this earth. Of course the beach only serves as the backdrop. It is really all about what you do and how you live together inside that backdrop that matters. This same principle can also be applied inside our homes.

I wanted that peace and joy to overflow into my home at the end of summer this year. Thus, this little sign of welcome is placed on our front door.

The little pops of blue really add to the effect of the backdrop. The tan shells are the same color as the sand on the seashore. The blue beads are the same color of the ocean and the sky. I love the emotions these natural colors inspire.

We are off to a good start. It all begins right outside the front door, even before a person actually enters the house.

ANCHORS

I kept the inside of the door very simple. The simple doorway still incorporates the bright-blue skies and the beach feeling from the blue wooden boat anchor on the inside of the doorway. This serves as a nice variation for a welcome wreath.

I love decorating with anchors. They serve as a great reminder.

Whenever I look at my beach cottage anchor, it reminds me of the anchor in my own life. An anchor is the most important piece of safety equipment to have on your boat. Sometimes, in the boat of life, we drift into dangerous territories. Consequently, we get too tired to keep paddling toward the shore. In order to be able to rest and sleep soundly we must have a good anchor. We need an anchor that keeps the boat from crashing. This anchor protects us from the wind, currents and waves.

So, entering a home at the site of an anchor adds an element of peace for the person walking through the door.

Anchors bring peace.

That anchor of life for me is Jesus.

Every time I look at all the anchors I use in our beach cottage décor, I am reminded of Hebrews 6:19-20: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

The anchor looks great. It stands out against the solid white door. This anchor placed on the white door helps me to remember that Jesus is the “door.” As I view the anchor I meditate on the fact that no one can be saved without entering through Him.

So, without even stepping past the front door of the main living area, those with eyes to see get a message about our home. This pretty blue wooden anchor gives everything a little “nautical” flavor. It fits perfectly with all the other beach cottage items.

To decorate the foyer, I took a casual little shopping trip. My search was aimed at new ways. to begin to pull some brighter beach-like colors into our decor. I especially wanted to add some coral to the mix.

I got excited when my eyes landed on this canvas print. It said “Easy Living.” That was the message I wanted to achieve during this season. I wanted everything to feel easy, relaxed and casual. The painting was very inexpensive. Yet, it had all the right mix of beach colors I wanted to use.

It also displayed a pretty sailboat. Some model sailboats I had packed away would go well with that vision of “sailing.”

SAILBOATS MAKE GREAT BEACH DECORATIONS

I just had to purchase that canvas! “Easy living” was exactly what I had in mind for the end of summer. I really liked those words hanging just inside the front door.

When I brought the canvas home and hung it on the inside entrance wall, it quickly became the source for the color palette I used throughout the whole house.

The colors in that painting were exactly right to add the little spark of cheerfulness I was seeking.

The sunset orange, blues, greens and yellows of the painting made me remember some brightly colored bottles I had scattered around the house. I gathered them all together into one grouping to add to the top of the chest underneath the painting. Everything came together in the foyer. I loved the colorful effect these bottles gave to the main part of the house.

Two starfish from last year’s beach decor seemed to go perfectly with these coral, blue and yellow bottles. They completed the look for that wall.

Now the first ten steps into the foyer were covered.

A COLORFUL AND REFRESHING LOOK

I was liking this progress.

The room was beginning to put out great vibes. I could almost hear the old jute box from Panama City beach blasting out the music of “The Mighty Quinn.” My imagination formed the sounds of waves rolling into the shore as happy people danced to the music in the sand.

Last summer I had created a more “classic” beach-house look. I used a large sail boat on the portable bar against the wall leading to the kitchen. This portable-bar area was the first spot where your eyes rested as you walked inside the front door.

I still liked the sailboat idea. It seemed to fit in with the entrance painting of a sailboat. However, it would add a few more natural colors which would help to tone down the bright colors just a tiny bit.

I pulled the sailboat out of storage and set it in place. It worked, so I kept it out and used it again.

Since I was mixing boats into the decor, I found another one from storage. I put this one all the way across the living room. It set underneath a floor lamp. I added a little blue daisy into the setting for a bit more color.

Mixing a few basic colors of classic tones with these trendy things seemed to add interest. The foyer was coming together just fine.

Of course the boats reminded me of other things too. They remind me of how many of the disciples of Jesus were fishermen. I thought of how Jesus taught us to be “fishers of men.”

John 21:3-8 comes to mind: “Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you? They answered Him “No” And He said to them, “Cast your net to the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, He put his outer garment on (for he was stipped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

SOFA TABLE TOUCHES

The next place I needed to change was the couch table behind the sofa. I knew it needed something but I wasn’t sure what that would be. So, I put that decision off for a while and let the rest of the room evolve first.

I found some pillows with a white background and a touch of coral and gray. The pillows seemed to help with the intention to add some new and exciting touches of coral into the room. I arranged them on the sofa.

I painted an old dining room chair antique white and used it in the corner beside the window. Then I added a contrasting sky blue pillow with a gray seashell design that coordinated with the gray in the sofa cushions.

LOVING THE FAMILY BEACH PHOTOGRAPHS

I used the photo of my father-in-law at the beach on an end table. It is nice to bring this favorite photo out in the summer, because so many of our memories of him are of fun times at the beach. We miss him so much. The photo is placed in front of the sailor’s lantern I usually use every summer.

There is also a photo of me at the beach with my Dad. It brings smiles to my face. I’m thankful we got to share those coastal trips together. It is fun to add these memories into our home this season. I scatter other family beach-trip photos here and there. They are placed in little nooks and crooks, all through the house. We have so many to chose from.

Most everything added to this decor is something I usually use every summer, but the new painting in the foyer and the new pillows add something new and fresh.

COFFEE TABLE TOUCHES

Our coffee table is large and black. Things show up well on top of it. This space is easy to use when I’m attempting to show off our little treasures. For this season I wanted something beach-like to sit on this table’s surface. Several books about summer vacations seem to fit the mood of the house. Now they are neatly stacked on the table for all to view.

I continued the focus on colored bottles by adding some blue glass and clear glass bottles. By filling them up with shells, I gave them a beach look. Then I set them on top of a small silver tray. I enhanced all of this by placing a little accent of white lace on top. Then I added a pretty blue starfish to the side of the arrangement. All of this gave a pretty splash of beach color to the middle of the room.

It seemed I couldn’t go wrong by adding the old familiar starfish ash tray. I pull it out almost every summer. The coffee table is now looking just the way I had envisioned it.

Soon I caught myself thinking about shopping for a bathing suit. Also, I was wondering where I left my sunglasses and my big white floppy hat.

The book on summer vacations also lay there just inspiring me each time I walked through the room. I put my feet up for a little while and dreamed of summer adventures. Sometimes it is important to have a quiet place just to sit and dream. The living room sofa is one of my favorite places to do this.

I didn’t feel a bit guilty about taking this little time-out. That is the wonderful thing about summer. You needn’t ever be in a hurry. There is always time for dreaming. Well…..sort of; at least when you are in the comfort of your own home.

I found some warm cozy pillows to put on one side of the other white sofa. This added some softness against some of the bold sharp colors. The calico cat just gave a more casual, “I’m home” sort of feel to it all. Everything so far was feeling very cozy.

CORAL COLORS

So….back to the task at hand. What was missing?

I still felt the need for coral colors.

This problem was solved the next time I browsed through one of our local shops displaying great but inexpensive summer decor. I found some small decorative wooden beach chairs whichwere just the right shade of coral. They were just the right amount of “cheerful and novel.” Before I knew it I was buying four of them and bringing them home with me. These chairs sparked memories of so many restful Sabbaths spent at the beach. An old wooden chair on the shore is a good place to have many interesting conversations with God. It is more about the listening than the talking though.

Once home with the little chairs, I sat two of them on the couch table I had re-purposed and painted antique white. They added just the splash of color I desired.

I liked the first set of little coral beach chairs so much that I put the other two chairs (with their little yellow flip-flops hanging over them from a little hemp rope) just across the room on each side of the mantle above the fireplace.

The novelty of the chairs with a touch of coral color tied the look together. I added another starfish just above the fireplace screen, then I stood back to see the whole finished effect.

Overall it was just what I was after. I had a room full of natural light, with mostly white furniture, and little pops of color here and there.

LOTS OF SHELLS AND STAR FISH

Still focusing on boats, I added a nautical-looking lantern between the little coral chairs on the sofa table. It set grandly on top of the white round steering wheel of a boat. The lantern served to remind me that Christ is the light of the world.

The same hemp rope on the nautical lantern wrapped around some of the jars on the coffee table. It added to the nautical feel of the room.

I used the same cheerful trendy-beach theme through all the rest of the main living areas of the house.

Then I placed scattered bowls of starfish in the dining room. I used the same wooden bowl full of candles and sea shells that I always use in my kitchen. It was welcomed back again this year. Only this time I used a plastic platter of blue and white squares underneath the blue candles in a bowl full of seashells instead of my usual large black square tray.

I scattered little ships everywhere. At the last minute I went a bit wild by adding a banner in the kitchen window. You need something a little novel to make a statement sometimes. I thought the banner was fun and nautical too.

I had re-purposed two old bar stools by painting them a deep bright blue color. They went well with my summer beach look. Also, they gave me extra bar stools to sit around my counter-height table in the middle of the room.

Next, I enhanced the whole look by putting some nautical looking pillows in each bar stool and setting them on each side of the buffet table near the window.

With hardly any trouble at all our home had taken on a whole new beach cottage look. Not only that – there seemed to be meaning and significance to most of this lovely collection of furnishings.

This decorating was done on a year when we DID make it to the beach.

You know that usual sad feeling of how hard it is to leave the beach behind when it is time to come home? Having our home decorated like a beach made that a lot easier. Returning to our little bit of the beach inside our home only made our great memories last longer!.

Having more beach photos to add to my ever-growing framed memories for our beach cottage is icing on the cake after having so much fun at the beach.

I love having a home that flows with the seasons God created for us to enjoy. This type of decorating keeps the memory making going on all year. We will enjoy this beach look all the way up until the end of September.

Here is to wishing you smooth sailing through your summer decorating schemes.

Ships ahoy!

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