When you think about the beach what feelings come to mind? For me it's breezy, relaxing, airy and carefree. How would you like to associate the same with your home? It would be useful to let these feelings guide you when designing a coastal interior.
If you are asked to name one colour that screams coastal, what would you pick? For me, it's Turquoise. Turquoise has been a very popular shade in home decor since many years. And if I may say so, like the mighty Denim Jean in fashion, Turquoise seems to stay trendy in home decor forever. "Aqua" is often interchangeably used with "Turquoise", at least in practice. If you google Turquoise or Aqua right now, you would get a collection of very similar shades.
I think of Turquoise as the colour of the Maldivian corral beaches... A sunny, crisp, delightful shade between blue and green. I prefer a slight bias towards green, as that makes it even more outstanding and simply glorious. This is why I chose Pantone 15-5519 Turquoise as the hero colour of ZAHAARA Sanctuary Turquoise cushion covers.
Lets say you decide to make a beach inspired lounge room. To replicate the feeling of airiness, I would plan early and use only a few carefully selected items. Using a lot of White can also create airiness. Choose your colour palette and try and stay within it. It's amazing to see the different colour palettes used for coastal/beach themed interiors.
Some designers use sand/beige on white... Rustic, earthy tones from where the splashing waves kiss the beach.
Image as seen on http://www.mostbeautifulthings.net/
Some make it an orchestra of everything serene and soothing about the beach. See how the Turquoise/Aqua cushions and throw rug pop against the pure white back drop of white walls, white sheer blinds and white bench. Let's notice the grey vertical strips on the wall reaching all the way to the ceiling. The hint of grey adds depth to the otherwise light overall look. Just like the rocks in the sea or the hints of grey in the heavy sky above the ocean. It makes the otherwise light and "open book" of an atmosphere mysterious and intriguing at the same time.
Image as seen on http://www.myaustinelite.com/
ZAHAARA Sanctuary Turquoise geometric cushion cover sets are inspired by the ocean. The IKAT chevron pattern on Kai cushion cover is like the fluctuating colours of the ocean waves. Nara Turquoise geometric lattice cushion cover is like the dancing patterns made in the shallow Turquoise sea by sun light. Grey geometric lattice Amayah cushion covers are a bow to that emotional, heavy yet mesmerizing cloudy sky framing the sea on a gloomy day.
Some use navy blue and white; like the deep ocean. Lets notice how the bold navy blue stripes of that floor rug adds to this strong and robust statement.
Image as seen on www.homebunch.com
Some include pops of Orange with the Turquoise... Like the sunset by the sea. This is a playful wholesome message as it involves contrasting colours from right across the colour wheel.
Image as seen on www.recoworks.com/
ZAHAARA Sanctuary sunset themed geometric cushion covers Adalie and Aisha are often coupled with the turquoise Nara and Kai geometric cushion covers to create this look.
Some partner yellow with turquoise/aqua. Just like the morning sun rays sweeping across the ocean.
Image as seen on Coastal Living. By Richard Leo Johnson.
ZAHAARA Sanctuary yellow lattice geometric cushion cover, Abagail is paired with Turquoise geometric cushion covers to get this look of morning sun by the sea.
You can also see Turquoise and Coral colour combination as a favourite in coastal home decor.
There are also items that have come from the beach surroundings to beach themed interiors...
- Turquoise or clear glass bottles - reminds me of a message in a bottle!
- Sail boats, sail ships - be it an image on a cushion cover, wall hanging or a miniature ornament.
- Anchors, ship steering wheel - as images or carved in wood and coloured in turquoise/white possibly with a good sanding to get the weathered look
- Sea shells, rounded pebbles, sand
- Light houses, thick rope
My home is nowhere near the beach. But I like to create the beach look in one area of my home. Personally, I like to add pops of Turquoise/Aqua, a lot of White and a hint of Grey. And I like to hint at the idea of beach rather than displaying many obvious beach related items in my decor such as sail boats, anchors etc... Just so that the message is open for interpretation.
For example, in my lounge room, I would add a cluster of glass bottles, turquoise and grey wall hangings and scatter cushions, a fluffy white rug (feel like stepping on the frothy ocean waves), silky, light white curtains and some grey rounded pebbles in a white or Turquoise bowl/platter. Pops of Turquoise and Grey on a White backdrop and just a hint at the beach message rather than giving out the whole story.
