Seaside Memories: Ideas for Decorating Your Beach Home

Beach-Inspired Colors

• When choosing wall colors for your beach home, opt for soft shades that draw their inspiration from the sand and surf. Light shades of blue are ideal for a beach house as are pale green, yellow and shell pink. Neutral colors such as sand, beige and tan also work well. You can use a crisp white shade for trim and detail work throughout the house to give it a bright, airy feel. If you want to add pops of dramatic color, deeper shades of blue such as indigo, cobalt and navy are ideal for seaside decorating. If you prefer a funky look, a combination of teal green and brown provides a more modern, beach-inspired color scheme.

Paneling

• If you want to give your beach home a classic cottage feel, adding paneling to the walls is an attractive option. Both bead board and clapboard work well on beach house walls, particularly when painted a bright white shade. You can apply the paneling so it covers an entire wall, or place it half way up the wall and pair it with a blue or green wall color. You can install bead board vertically and horizontally, or install it on the ceiling for added texture and dimension.

Casual Fabrics

• For furniture, window treatments and carpeting, casual fabrics that hold up well to wear and tear are your best options. Cover your sofa, armchairs and other upholstered furniture with cotton slipcovers so you can easily wash away any sand or debris that winds up inside your home. A stripped pattern provides a nautical look that works well for a beach house. A simple wood floor is usually the best option for flooring in a beach home, but you can scatter throw rugs made of durable, natural fibers like sea grass, jute, sisal or coir throughout the house. These rugs usually come in neutral shades like sand, tan and beige that work well with the blues, greens and yellows that you might have in the rest of your house. They also have a textured appearance, which gives them a casual, laid-back look. Use simple treatments for the windows so plenty of air and light come through. Sheers are an ideal option because they give a beach home a wide-open feel.

Nautical and Beach Accessories

• The right accessories are a must to pull your beach house's look together. You can find a variety of nautical-inspired items at home good stores, such as a boat-shaped bookcase or lighthouse models. You can also hunt around antique shops for authentic items such as an old ship's wheel, anchor or sextant to display in your home. Round out your home's décor with natural elements that bring the beach indoors. Display your favorite shells from the shore in a decorative bowl or clear glass jar. Starfish, pebbles and sea glass also make ideal decorations. If you can't find suitable shells and glass on the beach, pick some up at the craft store. Sea glass is an ideal decorative element for a beach house, and you can even use it to tile a tabletop, mirror or picture frames for your home.