Happy summer, Gentle Readers! It’s officially here, despite the can’t-make-up-its-mind weather. We have sun in our hearts. For those lucky enough to have a house near water, you may be thinking about redecorating right about now. (Oh wait, that’s me ;) I’m ALWAYS thinking about redecorating!)
You may even be thinking about decorating beyond traditional “costal decor” that relies heavily on a palette of navy (or light blue) and white. Nothing wrong with blue and white; you just can’t claim that it’s original.
So if you’re ready to get a little more creative with your beach house…
DO: Consider a color palette beyond blue and white :)
Or at least add one more color to the palette: light green, yellow…even red if you’re patriotic. I happen to love red, white and blue together.
I recently proposed a lavender and green palette for a client’s Nantucket house. (If you ever sneak a peek at your teenager’s or young adult’s phone, you can see my TikTok about that project.)
The key to making any color palette beachy is keeping the colors light and using a lot of white. You can limit color to the furnishings if you like; white walls are great.
In addition to a light color palette, a key to creating a beachy vibe is using lightweight fabrics such as linen and cotton for your upholstery and window treatments. (I probably didn’t even have to say that; it’s intuitive.) No velvet or chenille, no wool, no boucle – even if it’s white.
DO: Use pattern!
Have you noticed that most aspirational pictures of beach houses use SOLID white and SOLID navy? Sure, maybe there’s an occasional blue and white striped pillow, but there’s certainly very little plaid or floral. Please think about that. In your new colors ;)
DO: Limit the number of seagrass rugs.
Seagrass rugs are popular in beach houses for a reason. They’re durable, the natural material is found near beaches (SEAgrass), and the color is neutral. Plus they’re just awesome. I love seagrass anywhere, and I’m certainly not going to snatch it out of your beach house.
Might I suggest, though, that you use a seagrass rug as a layering piece? Place a large seagrass rug under all of the furniture in your sitting area and then put a smaller, flat rug in the center. You get some color in there and add interest.
So use seagrass it in your entry, or maybe in your sitting area, but for a less predictable beachy look, don’t use it in every room.
Speaking of grasses… If you have a room with a seagrass rug, no natural woven Roman shades, please. It’s like putting too many different animal motifs in one room: too much of a good thing. (Not to disagree with Mae West, but…)
Other ways to make your beach house less beachy:
DON’T: Overdo beach-themed decor. Be strategic. I will never deny you kitsch in small doses; I myself have a painting or two of oyster shells. But to make your house look more original and less predictably beachy, here are my thoughts.
Words are fine on pillows, less awesome on walls.
So pillows, yes:
But words on wall, no. (For more on this subject, please see my “Words as Art” blog post.) Can we please agree never to use these signs again?
I’ll give you a pass on signs with the specific name or coordinates of the island or town. I don’t know why, but I think those are cute.
DON’T: Overdo the beach-themed art.
Delving further into things you hang on your walls, integrate beachy art (or vaguely beachy, as I’m considering the blue and white pieces below to be) with other artwork.
And/or use original art,
Please do not do this:
and please do not even think about a pre-fab, themed gallery wall unless you want your house to look like a second-rate hotel.
DO: Be strategic with decorative items.
Seashells have their place, and that place is in a bowl, preferably a glass bowl. I’ll also allow shells grouped on a mantel or tabletop. (Strength in numbers.)
I’m less enthusiastic about seashells being used like this:
Beach-themed food-related items are fine. Trays, tumblers, dishes…they’re not on view all the time. And in the case of cocktail napkins, they’re disposable.
Finally, ditch the sea glass. It’s a controversial position, I know, but I hate sea glass. (It’s two words; I had to look it up.
It’s trash that’s been weathered by nature. What’s the appeal?
For those of you who LOVE sea glass — I hear you cursing my name! — there is a Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival at the St. Michaels Maritime Museum every April. If you see me there, I’ll be in the “oyster art” section. You’re just in time for the 2026 festival in Lewes, DE, though; it’s on June 8-9.
If you MUST collect sea glass, put all of the pieces into a bowl and call it a day.
As always, these are recommendations, Gentle Readers! Do with them what you will, and I hope your summer is off to an amazing start.
Annie Elliott Design is a Washington, D.C based firm, but we also love working in NYC. We especially love beach houses :) . We’re now scheduling projects for the summer. Please contact us to discuss.