Decorating – Ways to Get Beachy in Your Sitting Room

So, lets get beachy.  I am no expert, but I think that's a good thing, and no not-in-the-real-world tips noting how easy it is to attain a certain look if we go spend $5000 on a sofa at a boutique…if only it were that easy..my sitting room is all very much on a budget with mostly thrifted finds and antiques (and I don't mean the exclusive ones!) – go see Rhoda for more inspiring thrifty finds.

Here are a few quick ideas on what I've done and how to get that coastal chic feel to your living room – regardless of your current decor you can get the beach cottage look with a few quick sweep changes and you SO don't need bundles of cash or have to live near the coast to get the seaside feel. 

Here are a list of simple, easy, no-brainer things you can do in a short amount of time that won't cost lots of money and won't date too much…

1.  Add some weathered texture to bring to mind that feel of a coastal dwelling  Pull in some old vintage chairs from garage sales and thrift stores – look out for seating in rattan and wicker and benches & stools with peeling paint in faded pale colours and dress with a simple cushion.  Find old unloved directors chair, recover them in linen or canvas and whitewash or distress them.  Look out for worn old side tables and interesting thrifted objects for that distinctive battered-by-the-elements coastal feel.  

2.  Rug it Up – add some coir matting, easily found on a budget and instantly drops that seaside feel. Try jute, seagrass or sisal too for texture, depth and value.

3.  Consider the sofa – try it in a different place and pull it off the wall.  Dress it up for a relaxed, coastal feel, cover it in a throw in a light natural colour and then pile it with some cushions perhaps with a nautical stripe – you don't have to spend a heap of money, look out for cushions and throws at garage sales, thrift stores and discount shops, stick to the same neutral palette and perhaps a sea-blue accent to keep it all pulled together.

4.  Lose the clutter – make this place the room where you want to sit, spend some time making it inviting and uncluttered.  Ditch the piles of magazines, scoop up the kids' toys and put the junk away.

5.  Baskets,suitcases & trunks.  Look out for rattan, cane and anything woven, the bigger the better to emulate those old fisherman's baskets – a great way to add easy storage on a budget.  Scour secondhand shops for unusual shapes and keep an eye out for the chunky ones then whitewash with a simple mix of paint and water and use to keep everything at hand but out of sight.  Add vintage trunks and paint old suitcases white or pale watery colours to evoke seafaring days – they can double as coffee tables and great place to store blankets & toys.

6.  Create a Display.  With your cleared off surfaces start a natural collection for that whole been-to-the-beach/nature table feel – beach homes will often display the findings of their avid beachcomber owners, so emulate this with your own. Bring the outdoors in, balancing textures and colours and tie it all together with a heap of shells and coral.  Add cones, gnarled old sticks and pebbles with the odd starfish as a focal point, to give some natural life to the room.  Stack shells and pebbles in glass vases and set them on the side.  Look out for coastal related items, but pick just one or two, nothing worse than a themed room – try model boats, flags, seafaring prints (find pics on the web, edit them to b/w, print off and frame), knotted rope balls, or huge decorative seashells.

7.  Make the most of the light.  Pull back your drapes, open up your blinds and let the light flood in.  Consider switching your curtains for a lighter touch – muslin, linen and voiles allow the light to filter softly.  Add a twist of rope or tie with a seashell for a nautical touch.   Look out for faded old fabrics for that air of sun-bleached style.

8.  Soften up your room.   Decorate with throws and blankets, an instant way to add warmth and comfort even if it isn't cold.  Pile up thrifted blankets in soft muted seaside colours and fold them over the end of the sofa for softness and texture.  Look out for inexpensive fabric in whites, neutrals and watery aquas.  Hunt out old patchwork quilts for that relaxed look to create a lived in feel.  Add lots of texture with hessian and burlap, turn into cushion covers and get rustic!

9.  Candles, lamps and hurricanes.  Look out for plain lamp bases in classic styles and add lampshades in cool colours.  Buy chunky candles in different heights and team with weathered old hurricane lamps. Turn off that overhead, switch on your lamps and light heaps of candles as the days fades for a soft warm ambiance. 

10.  Layering up frames and mirrors.  Collect old frames and give them a quick wash with a pale neutral colour then layer them up.  Chalkboards and piles of shells are a great combination – look for cheap frames at thrift stores, paint the insert with chalk board paint & stack up shells and driftwood beside them.   Find old vintage mirrors and those with chunky wooden frames and group them together to use the light.