~ This is a featured post. ~
When buying an oceanfront property, the one thing you will almost certainly want to do is decorate it in keeping with the location. For example, it wouldn’t be quite fitting to decorate the interior of your home in Early American when the property is located on Myrtle Beach, for example. Inland, that could very well work, but when choosing an oceanfront property on this website, you will want to reflect the architecture that surrounds you. There are many ways to approach home décor with the ocean so near, but here are some of the best ideas gathered from around the web.
Let the Sun Shine In!
So many homes inland are all
shuttered up and as dark as the day is long. When you have purchased a home or
a condo on the waterfront, the one thing you will want to do is take advantage
of all that sunlight glistening off the crystal blue waters of the ocean. Not
only will you be able to glance out at the waves lapping up against the shore,
but you will be able to reduce your lighting bill significantly by taking
advantage of all that natural light. Most interior decorators suggest blinds
with sheer curtains. During the day you could always keep the sheer panels
closed, but at night, for privacy, you could pull the blinds closed. It’s a
perfect solution when passers-by might inadvertently peer in your windows.
Use That Deck for Extra Living Space
Speaking of that lovely ocean view,
why not use your deck, patio or porch for extra living space? Set it up like a
mini living room so that you can relax in the warm afternoon sun or entertain
guests to WOW them with the view of the ocean. White wicker furniture is ideal
for an open space sitting room and if you enclose it with windows stretching
the top half of the room, it can even be a place to keep your prized plants
that need a lot of natural sunlight. Even the lampshades could be crafted from
wicker and if you have a wicker rocking chair, the picture is complete.
Creative Use of Maritime Colors
Two rooms in which those nautical
blues and sea greens work best would be the kitchen and the bathrooms. Picture
the walls painted in those amazing colors with tiled floors and nautical pulls
on cupboards and drawers. To complete the picture, why not place a ship’s wheel
clock on the wall for effect? They even make nautical light pulls, switch
covers, and you could add a seahorse or two as an added appeal. You do, after
all, live on the ocean so why not make use of nautical décor?
Water Resistant Fabrics
Don’t forget that your home,
although enclosed, will be subject to the humid air of the ocean. For this
reason, interior designers suggest that you leave tapestry and microfiber
furniture behind and only use furniture designed with water-resistant fabric. This is often the kind of cushion covers
you will find on rattan or wicker furniture anyway, so why not carry that
effect into the home from the sitting room you’ve created, and you can do all
your furniture shopping in one place. It does make sense and with the right
materials, you will not be subjected to mold and mildew from all that humidity!
Painted Wide Wood Floors
One of the most common types of
flooring you’d see in those beach cottages of days gone by are wide wood
floors. These are usually painted and if you carry your maritime theme through
the home, you could paint those wood floors a lovely aqua or sea green. Then,
throw rugs would be ideal because they would add a splash of complementary
colors to the room, completing the picture with minimal effort.
Painted Storm Shutters
Don’t forget those storm shutters
outside that might come in handy should a hurricane or tropical system head
your way. You need storm shutters anyway but sometimes it’s literally years
between storms. Why not use decorative, yet functional, shutters so that
they’re part of your decorating scheme but ready to be shuttered as the need
arises.
Vintage Bathing Suits – A Picture Perfect Addition
If you love to frequent the thrift
shops, why not keep your eyes open for vintage swimwear? These can be nicely framed and
placed on walls in lieu of oceanscapes.
Why, after all, would you want a picture
of the ocean when you can look right out your window to see the real thing?
Sometimes you can find bathing caps and other items which can be easily framed
and as many as you can find will just add to the charm.
Colorful Knickknacks and Sand Art
If you’ve created a shelf along the
length of one wall, it would make the perfect location to place an assortment
of colorful knickknacks. However, don’t forget the sand art you can find from
local artisans and what would an oceanfront home be without a ship in the
bottle? Any size will do, but a large one would work best because it can be
seen well and would be the focal point of any room.
Signal Flags in the Kids’ Rooms
There is so much history that we’ve
long forgotten and what better way to teach the kids about traditions long
since set by the wayside? Signal flags were first introduced by the British in the
1800s and each sign was a symbol of a letter or number. Think of them like
visual Morse code, which is another tradition almost forgotten in these days of
mobile phones and laptops.
So there you have some rather
interesting ideas for decorating your oceanfront home and if you are feeling a
bit creative, you can probably come up with dozens
of more ideas of your own. This is just a start, but now that you are
seated in your lovely new home looking out at the water, this is where you’ll
find the best inspiration so take your time and enjoy!