How To Create A Summer Escape At Home

Whether you call it a beach house, summer cottage or weekend pied-a-terre – who says you can’t create your own coastal look at home.
  • Beach house style living gives you the luxury of living more casually but with great sophistication and style.
  • White tends to be the most used color in interior design. Is white a true color or rather the lack of it?  Regardless, it’s extremely malleable, easily transitional and highly reflective creating a bright and cheery atmosphere even on the gloomiest days.
  • Using white walls, ceilings, floors, moldings as the dominant color in a home might seem a like a recipe for disaster to some, but the reality is it enlarges small spaces at the same time acting as the ideal backdrop for making every day practical items pop like works of art.  The space feels lighter and airier.
  • Treat your ceiling to some volume if at all possible with exposed beams and truss work, and add some 8” tongue and grooved paneling to your ceilings and/or
  • Everyone loves the dark deep rich tones of wood floors over the past few years, but to achieve that lighter and brighter “beachy” environment consider going blonde.   Sand your floorboards and refinish them in a myriad of ways by using natural linseed oils, white wax oils, lyes or white soaps to get the latest look.  A lighter looking floor allows the wood’s character to show through, which tends to create a more rustic feel.  Top it off with a natural area rug for added texture and comfort.
  • Incorporating a host of organic materials such as bamboos, rattans and natural woods creates a sense of both casual and natural living – perfect for achieving that summer-like cottage environment.
  • Maximize your outdoor views whether it’s your pool, patio, deck or lake, with bi-fold or sliding doors – that tuck neatly away – to extend the interior out to the exterior.
  • Grab inspiration from your home’s natural environment – so when it comes time to select your color palette – let your outdoor property help guide your color inspiration.
  • Use slipcovers on seating – and provide yourself with multiple sets in alternating fabrics and colors for the changing seasons.  Do the same with your accessories – shifting from spring/summer and fall/winter without ever having to leave your vacation home.
I encourage you leave questions or comments below this post, and fill out the form on the right hand side of this page to receive your free copy of my special report: “15 Money Saving Strategies When Planning Your Home Renovation” Article by Lori Gilder, Architectural Interior Designer, Los Angeles, Ca. © 2010 Lori Gilder. Interior Makeovers Inc.