Coastal Living Creativity
Written by NancyLee Honey
The Lowcountry is known for some of its quintessential coastal- style homes. Want to turn your home into the epitome of coastal living? Here are a few tips.
Unique touches
Coastal touches open our minds to new ideas and the glories of Mother Nature. Everyone finds their own special way of transitioning from darker, heavier furniture to the lightness of wicker and brighter hues.
A robin’s egg blue or Kelly green, shared with neutral hints of spring, offer a care-free way to spend our days. The renowned Greenbrier decorator/designer Dorothy Draper was once told she could not combine blues and greens. She promptly retorted, “Why not, God did!”
Colors we choose are unique to us, as are the personal touches which reflect our history and roots. Blend favorite shades of blues, greens, corals with those cherished pieces from grandparents and parents to transform and define your dwelling.
Make a splash
Want to make a splash? Open your home to the glories of nature. Breezy, happy colors combined with natural, garden touches can be enjoyed year-round, on or off the coast.
Understated elegance, incorporating bright colors and stunning accents, creates a relaxed atmosphere both at home during work days and on cherished weekends. A few changes with new colors, scattered plants, cottons and linens can add multiple years of delight and comfort.
Journey with nature
Incorporate plants and flowers on a lovely natural ottoman and suddenly the magic of nature becomes an integral addition into daily lives.
Plants swinging from woven hanging baskets, or flowers settled colorfully on a natural driftwood table, enliven a room. Scatter beautiful shells around pillars holding potted, healthy Philodendron or snappy Draconian.
Settle a graceful fern as an accent piece on a few favorite books. Adding a skylight whereever possible will let the light shine in, since it is a key element in creating coastal living spaces.
Bringing nature indoors is a strategic factor in mirroring coastal living.
Nature soothes the soul like nothing or no one can. According to a Prevention Magazine article, “Nature is good for the brain. Living in an area with lots of green space is linked to faster thinking, better focus and higher cognitive function in midlife.”
Writer and art critic John Ruskin said it perfectly: “Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.”
Surrounding backdrops
Three crisp cream walls, with the fourth one accented by a splash of sky blue, transforms a room into peace and tranquility.
Bedrooms especially delight in soothing blues. Languish in a cozy La-Z-Boy sporting a blue striped pillow for quiet reading time.
A lovely white four-poster complemented by sheer window panels and a fluffy rug praising other blue hues in the room will easily yield a field of dreams.
Create a lighter atmosphere
No matter the location, the airiness of sky and sea can be incorporated to brighten a home.
Grasp and delight in untold benefits by creating a lighter, flowing atmosphere in your home. Decorating innovations provide a fresh approach for Coastal living.
Robert Wyland captured the essence: “The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.”
