ow to get the most out of your tropical leaves: Tropical leaves will, if properly cared for, last significantly longer than most floral bouquets. If you're harvesting from your own garden (lucky you!), cut in the morning before the heat of the day dries out the leaves. It's also recommended that you purchase your leaves in the morning to protect them from heat on the way home. And as with flowers, if you'll be traveling any distance, place them in a plastic bag filled with enough water to cover the bottom of the stems. When choosing tropical leaves from a florist, make sure they are 100 percent intact and that no brown areas have been removed; removed areas a sign of unhealthy foliage that will quickly deteriorate. For a long-lasting bouquet: Wash the leaves well to make sure they are insect free. Sanitize the vase with hot water and bleach to reduce bacteria growth. Add a packet of flower food to the water. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle and trim them every few days. Change the water every two or three days. Keep the arrangement away from direct sun, drafts and small children, who might grab a leaf and pull the whole thing over.
If you want to get down deep in the trenches of the Caribbean, bright walls, bold curtains and floral prints on a sofa with a woven base will take you there. You'll find this decor in plenty of resorts throughout the islands. Tip: Blues, yellows and greens work harmoniously. These watery, soothing colors look great balanced with the white floor lamps and white molding.
Tip: Bursts of color against white fabric can be a simple way to introduce color in small doses, without the full committment of painted walls. I use orange a lot in my designs, but it can be a challenging color for many to embrace. But small doses of orange work well paired with green, taupe and brown in this all-white room.
Style Secret: Crisp, Clean Fabrics In coastal interiors, fabrics are simple, unassuming and put-your-feet-up comfy. Think linen slipcovers, cotton rugs, and muslin curtain panels or floaty sheers that billow in the breeze. You can't go wrong with pure white, but washed-out pastels or tailored stripes fit with the look as well. Something different: The market is loaded with shell- and nautical-print fabrics — many of them tasteful and chic — so go ahead and give in to temptation. But don't layer them to the point of kitsch. Keep these patterns minimal: a pair of throw pillows, perhaps, or a single side chair. (The same goes for wallpaper, incidentally.)
Style Secret: Abundant Light Light may be the single most important, yet most overlooked, element of coastal style. Think about it: When is the last time you entered a beach house that felt dim and cramped (and if you did, how fast did you want to scoot out of there?). That's one reason white is the hallmark color of coastal interiors: It spreads and amplifies light rather than soaking it up. Coastal interiors blur the line between indoors and out or remove it altogether. Plentiful windows, glass doors and skylights allow sunshine to flood in, so if your home is skimpy on these elements, consider adding them. If that's not an option, at the very least fake it with lamps and sconces. Window treatments should be spare and simple enough not to muffle the glow — and if you're lucky enough to have a home near the water, the last thing you want is to obscure that view. Something different: While coastal interiors aren't known for shine and shimmer, a few carefully chosen accents can help to diffuse light even further. Consider a mirror mounted opposite a window or a glass-topped table in a sunny breakfast nook. Just be sure not to bring in so many high-gloss notes that you lose the ...
Style Secret: Minimal Accents Cull your accessories wisely and you won't need a ton of them to make an impact. That's especially important in a style that eschews frills and flotsam — as with furnishings, transitional accents share a lack of ornamentation and have a certain purity of form. Artwork should be simply framed; lighting should have strong, clean lines. Be prepared: The less-is-more approach requires firm and judicious editing. If you just can't bear to stow your prized majolica or dismantle your gallery wall, ask a style-savvy friend to handle it while you hide in another room. Look closer: A few well-chosen pieces are all it takes to bring this room to life. Understated frames and wide mats showcase the pair of black and white sketches, and the dramatic chandelier highlights the sculptural bowl. Don't overlook the attention to scale — all of the accents are substantial enough not to get lost in this quiet space.
tyle Secret: Ornate Detailing Elaborately carved woodwork, scrolled metal pieces and embellished furniture carry old world elegance and grace. Incorporate finials, corbels, medallions and other finishing touches to pull the room together. New world nuance: Overlapping too many intricate motifs can add up to visual dissonance. Limit the really strong elements — perhaps a sculptural wrought-iron chandelier, carved armoire and scrolling armchair — and keep the rest subtler.
Style Secret: Serenity If there's one word that sums up Japanese style, it's Zen — a Japanese sect focused on meditation. Interiors that reflect this influence whisper of contemplation, balance, peace. Lines are simple, vistas unobstructed, light abundant and the overall feel calm. East meets West: Even if the bones of your space aren't strictly Japanese, you can approximate the look by paring down. Strip your space to the essentials: Pack away clutter, undress walls, get rid of superfluous furnishings. Arrange what's left in a way that maintains an open, flowing sensibility.
Style Secret: Water Features Japanese style emphasizes strong connections with nature, and water — from bubbling fountains to rushing streams — helps to create a tranquil atmosphere. Whether they're in an interior room or an exterior living space, water features also bring a subtly dramatic note that can't help but capture attention. East meets West: A fountain isn't the only way to bring flowing water indoors. Try a freestanding or built-in water wall, a trough that recirculates water or an indoor-outdoor rain shower. Or get creative and choose artwork that depicts streaming water or waves — it's the next best thing to the actual wet stuff
Style Secret: Exotic Woods Ipe, wenge, teak and other tropical woods go with this style like quartersawn oak in a Craftsman bungalow. Because tropical style is all about not trying too hard, you can mix and match as many species and tones as you like. Dark woods and exquisitely detailed pieces can take the look in a British Colonial or Balinese direction, while lighter, rustic finishes and furnishings feel more Caribbean and Central American. Easy does it: The beauty of many tropical woods lies in their natural pattern — burled, striped, streaked or mottled — so simple applications allow them to shine. The kitchen cabinetry shown here is made from koa, a Hawaiian wood with natural variations that give it a stunning visual rhythm.
Amoroso Design Style Secret: Tropical Plants Take away those lush green plants and brilliant blooms, and the tropics would feel more like the tundra. Use potted versions to breathe vigor and vibrancy into your home — you can stick with pure green foliage to limit the palette or mass together a tumble of blooms such as bougainvillea and hibiscus. Just don't cram in so many that the space starts to feel like the Amazon. Easy does it: If you have a brown thumb, good news: There are plenty of tropical plants that will resist your best efforts to kill them. Try philodendron, croton, ponytail palms or the fun-to-say ZZ (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) plant. Big and showy, they offer maximum payoff for minimum effort — no fussy pruning and puttering to stand between you and your afternoon siesta.
Applegate Tran Interiors Style Secret: Strong Prints Ditch the prim florals, girlish gingham and tailored ticking stripes in favor of splashy, exuberant patterns. Think large-scale motifs with strong, graphic lines: palm fronds, plumeria, banana leaves. Or go for classic patterns that hint at far-flung tropical locales, such as ikat and batik. Easy does it: A little goes a long way, so take care to strike a balance between bold and brassy. Colors can be lively, but they don't have to shout. In this living space, the washed-out coral hue makes a perfect foil for the print on the pillows — it's cheerful, yet it doesn't mar the room's breezy, relaxed air. And don't mix too many big prints in one room, or they'll fight for attention and disturb the peace.
Style Secret: Netting Nothing evokes the romance of the tropics like a bed swathed in billowy white mosquito netting. Although it originated as a practical shield against stealthy pests, its dreamy, soft look sets a tropical mood even if you live in a place that's low on flying critters. Easy does it: If you don't have a carved teak four-poster that calls out for a netting veil, never fear. Fashion a simple canopy from sheer fabric attached to the ceiling with hooks or brackets (such as this one), which works even if you have no headboard or footboard. You could also purchase one of the ready-made hanging bug nets on the market.
Vanessa De Vargas Standout hardware, as seen on this vanity, will take a piece of furniture from mundane to fabulous with a twist of the screwdriver. Check out Anthropologie for easy-to-find fun pieces or E.R. Butler for family heirlooms to be.
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