How to Decorate in Beach Cottage Style

Beach cottage style brings to mind relaxing days spent walking along the water's edge, smelling the salty air, feeling the sand beneath your soles and hearing the waves crashing nearby. Fortunately, you don't need to live on the beach to have a beach cottage theme in your home.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. White and shades of blue that echo the sea and sky are popular colors for beach cottage decor. Whichever colors you choose, use soft, muted hues rather than bright, shocking shades.

2. Seashells are a fantastic way to evoke the sea and can be used liberally in beach cottage design. Collect them at the waters edge or buy them at craft shops. The can be placed in a basket or jar, artfully arranged on a shelf among vases and figurines, and hot glued to picture frames or mirrors. You may also choose to use images of seashells in wallpaper, pictures and fabric used for throw pillows or to upholster chairs.

3. Sailboats and clipper ships are another popular motif that can be used to create the feeling of being at the shore. Model boats, ships in bottles, ship paintings and bedsheets, comforters or other fabrics printed with ships can be used to decorate your home.

4. Lighthouses, fish, lobsters, seagulls and starfish are other beach themes that can be used for this type of decor.

5. Display decorative candles with seashells embedded in the wax.

[StarrySkye]

on 1/5/2009 Great tips!!

[ermabombeck]

on 1/5/2009 These are all great ideas to achieve this look. The powder room I mentioned earlier, in addition to being in blue and white, has a beachy cottage feel. We put beadboard halfway up and accented with a picture of the beach/sailboat. Its a timeless look--great job.

[kkemp]

on 12/29/2008 Great ideas!