Do you love the beach and wish that you really, really had a beach house, but all you have is your awesome city-fied apartment?
The solution is easy...Why not make your apartment feel like a beach house?
Decorating your apartment with a beach house theme is simple and before you know it you will be relaxing on your couch and you'll swear you could hear the seagulls.
Lucky for you, I have a number of ideas. Here's how:
Colors
Head over to the local paint store and pick up some nice, light blue hues for the walls. In many of the beach houses that I have ever seen, the walls are some type of blue or some type of green offset with white or off-white colored furniture. To truly give the beach house feel, the colors must be pretty close to this color scheme.
Flowing Curtains
You'll also want to stay away from covering the windows with dark curtains. Rather, you should use light, flowing material that really lets the light in. It would be perfect if this material had some type of beach-y themed print on it as well. This could be seashells, waves, seagulls, or anything that gives off the beach feel. Make sure though, that the print is not a distracting color and blends in with the curtain itself.
Accessories
Pottery and Vases
The first step to beach like accessories is to use white pottery, vases, and lamps throughout. Maybe select a large china cabinet or bookcase, paint it white and show off your collection of pottery in this.
Driftwood
Decorate with some driftwood art. You can find a ton of this stuff at trade shows, flea markets, and thrift shops. You could even make your own out of real driftwood, just make sure it isn't too rotten.
Shells
The number one necessity needed in making your apartment into a beach house this summer is shells. You must decorate with shells. Big shells, little shells, whatever kind of shells. They will make or break your beach house style apartment. For a cool center piece, place a mixture of shells and sand in a glass bowl. Simple, cheap, and looks really beach-y!
Vintage Map or Globe
No beach house is complete without a vintage map of a coastal area framed on a wall. Heck, you could even throw a globe in the corner. Either one would work.
Getting Really Fishy
Mounted fish add that dish flavor to a beach house style apartment. You don't even have to catch them...get them at an antique store. Better yet...mix in one of those singing fishes. "Take Me to The River..."
Nets , Chests, and Oars
If you really, really want to get beach-y, add a treasure chest to the living room to store your extra blankets in. Drape an old fishing net atop a corner of each room. And place old oars or other antique nautical equipment affixed to the walls for decoration. You could even use an old boat chest as a coffee table!
So that should get you started on making a vacation home out of your apartment. Seasonally themes may involve a little work, but they are a lot of fun and go a long way in keeping your apartment fresh, hip, and interesting.
Have fun and if you have any additional tips, let us know on Twitter!
