Decorating

Coastal home decor is a huge industry in the interior design field. These homes are often second homes, or retirement retreats, and therefore can have a little bit more style and flair than a home in the city that is more functional and practical. This opens up the possibilities for decorating, and the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to the style of your coastal home. Whether you want the walls to have a smooth polished look or a rough textured design by the top student of a faux finish course, determining your coastal style is a fun prospect that can find its inspiration all around your home.

The area around your coastal home is full of inspiring ideas that you can bring into the decor of your home. For instance, seashells are usually abundant in these areas, and it can be a fun activity for the kids to go on a seashell collecting mission. These shells can then be used to decorate lamps, boxes and picture frames around your home, or you can create a beautiful center piece by filling a glass vase with shells and sand, and perhaps a votive candle in the middle. Or the most beautiful of the shells could serve as decorative aquarium supplies for your fish tank. These ideas are simply and very cost effective, and can be done on your own as a weekend project. The only necessary materials are what you find around your home, a little time and a hot glue gun.

Your own boat may be a great source of decorating inspiration, and you may choose to decorate with a nautical theme. Perhaps you have an old shoal draft keel that could be transformed into an interesting bench down by the water's edge. Or you could simply take a photo of your boat, and mount it framed on the wall. Perhaps the frame you use is the one you made with seashells! There are many ways to bring the outside in when you are decorating your coastal home or cottage.

Perhaps your style is more contemporary, and you want to stay away from making your home look like the inside of a yacht. In this case, there are many ways to go about decorating your home in a timeless and classy way. Perhaps you can bring the reflective beauty of the water's surface into your home by hanging some mirrors on the walls, and installing a modern glass vanity in the bathroom. These reflective surfaces may not be the easiest to clean (especially if you have little ones leaving their sticky fingerprints all over the place), yet the look of these additions are sure to open up the space and enhance the natural sunlight in your home.

Whether you are building your coastal home as a retreat, or you plan on living here full-time, everyone from homemakers to executive headhunters can certainly find inspiration for the decor in the natural surroundings of your coastal home. There are many internet resources as well as magazines and television shows that often focus on coastal decorating, and this series of articles can be added to the list of places to look for help in this exciting area.