Book to Know: 'Rooms to Inspire by the Sea'

Get ideas from a dazzling variety of coastal homes, in styles from soothingly sea kissed to bold and beachy

Wendy Shott

A voracious reader of interior design media, I review home decor books.

A voracious reader of interior design media, I review home decor books.... More »

Comment

Bookmark

Embed

Showcasing beach homes in the United States, Mexico and the Bahamas, Rooms to Inspire by the Sea (Rizzoli, 2012) takes the pulse of what's chic in coastal living now. Created by wife-and-husband team Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter, this new addition to the Rooms to Inspire series looks at a dazzling variety of popular seaside styles. From quaint centuries-old cottages in the Hamptons and Cape Cod to sprawling, contemporary villas in Malibu and Puerto Vallarta, the book has a house for every kind of beach lover.

Whether or not your home is by the sea, Rooms to Inspire by the Sea shows how you can incorporate easy-breezy glamour in your home.

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Play with tropical elements. Using materials associated with tropical hideaways is an expedient way to bring the beach into your home. Here, wave-inspired upholstery, seashell decor and large blue and white globe lanterns playfully invoke elements of the sea in this Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, home. A thatched roof caps off the theme.

Tip: A thatched roof may be hard to come by, so use a jute, raffia or sea-grass rug instead for a similar effect.

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Take inspiration from the colors of the ocean. Nothing soothes the senses like a room decked out in colors of the sea. The enveloping aqua blue of decorator Tom Scheerer's attic bedroom in the Bahamas gives the space an enchanting underwater vibe. He completes the look with furniture in organic materials and a white-draped bed.

Related: Unexpected Combination: Rustic Rooms and Blue

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Keep it simple. Natural materials and neutral colors are the basic building blocks for a home that is as light and airy as a seaside retreat. Candles, shells and a ceiling fan all add to the ambience of this relaxed dining room.

Tip: Take advantage of abundant natural lighting. The mirrors and limestone walls give this room a lovely glow.

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Add a dash of island glamour. For a refined yet relaxed look, take inspiration from the colonial-style homes of the tropics. Pictured here is the Bahamas home of interior decorator India Hicks, decorated in the French Caribbean style. To achieve this look, use elegantly curved dark wood furniture and decorate with quirky island touches such as a shelf of straw hats and a rattan birdcage.

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Create a contemporary sea captain's cottage. There's a lot of fun to be had with a maritime theme, especially if you're partial to antiques. In their charming 18th-century home in the Hamptons, New York, antiques experts Chris Mead and Zoe Hoare decked their cozy cottage with decor befitting an old sea captain's cabin. The couple paid homage to the heritage of their house by stripping it back to its bare components and whitewashing the walls, but they also made concessions to comfort, such as removing part of the living room ceiling to allow light from the existing skylights through.

Tip: In a small room, separate components into blocks. In this living room, the sofa set takes center stage in hues of white and blue. The antiques, meanwhile, are grouped in clusters around the periphery of the room.

by Rizzoli New York »

Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »

Go wild with color. Vacation homes are where you can let loose, so why not let your creative juices run wild? Not surprisingly for a designer known for his exuberant and irreverent designs, Jonathan Adler's Palm Beach, Florida, home is a riot of color and energy. Each section of his apartment focuses on one color. Here, orange sofas anchor a collage of graphics and patterns in citrus colors. Teardrop shapes — a reference to the ocean visible through the windows — tie the space together.