White-slipcovered furnishings, painted wood
floors, and a collection of coral give this
home a casual, uncontrived coastal vibe.
Vintage pieces and organic elements fit
right in at homes located on the coast.
Natural Instincts
How to add coastal charm to your home decor
PHOTOS THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE BY KINDRA CLINEFF, COURTESY OF STEWART,TABORI & CHANG
by Beth Luberecki
58 July/August 2012
T
he sun, sand, and surf—those are
a few of the reasons why many of
us chose to settle down in Southwest
Florida. And with so much beauty surrounding us, from lush, tropical vegetation
to turquoise-tinged waters, it’s only, well, natural to
want to reflect that environment in our home
decor. But the trick is doing so in a way that says
coastal chic, not beach-shack kitsch.
“You don’t want to feel like you’re walking into
a Red Lobster,” says Anitra Mecadon, an interior
designer and host of the DIY Network show Mega
Dens. “That’s where some people go wrong; they
take things over the top and get too literal with it.
But you don’t have to go crazy and put sand dollars and starfish and netting and oars everywhere.”
To get started, simply look out your window.
Then bring some of the colors you see into your
decor, whether through paint on the walls or fabrics for furnishings. “The sandy color at the beach
could show up on upholstery or could be on the
floor with sandy-colored stone or tile,” says
Victoria Lavoie, owner of Punta Gorda–based
Victoria Lavoie Interiors. “Or use greens from
palm trees or other foliage.”
When it comes to wall colors, there are two ways
to go. One is to choose a hue that you might find
outside your front (or back) door. “Grays, light sand
colors, and pale greenish blues are awesome colors for beach environments,” says Mecadon.
The other option is to keep things simple indoors
to make your home’s natural setting the star of the
www.toti.com 59
To reflect your home's natural setting, bring in some
of the colors you see outside your window and play
with texture when choosing fabrics and furnishings.
“You don’t want to feel like you’re walking into a Red Lobster. That’s where some
people go wrong; they take things over the top and get too literal with it."
show. “A lot of times what I’ll do is a really neutral, almost off- would probably grab some gingham dishtowels, a plaid fabwhite or white paint color with pops of color to reflect the nat- ric, and an old sweater and make pillows out of those. Or you
ural elements, like the magentas, greens, and reds of the land- could get old sails that aren’t being used anymore and cover
scape down here in Southwest Florida,” says Melissa G. Allen, a chair or make pillows from them.”
When it comes to curtains and drapes, stay away from
principal interior designer at Naples-based MGA Interior
Design. “That allows the focal point of the room to be the veg- anything dark and heavy. “For windows, you would want
etation and landscaping, rather than the color on the walls. And something light, more like a cotton sheer or a linen,” says
if you have a view of the ocean, you can do the same with white Vanessa M. Pena, a designer at Karen L. Benson & Associates
Interior Design in Fort Myers.
walls and a seascape color scheme.”
“Using mosquito netting or sheers or really flowy
Wallpaper can also help to bring a little bit of the outdraperies allows you to have the softdoors in. “A textured wallcovering like
ness you need but doesn’t block the
grasscloth is a good way to add some
view,” says Allen. “Shutters are also
coastal style in a more abstract way,”
really crisp and low maintenance. They
says Brian Patrick Flynn, a contributor
allow you to have privacy in needed
to HGTV.com and creator of the Web
areas but also allow a lot of natural light
site DecorDemon.com. “It still gives
to come through.”
you that feeling without slapping you
For floors, popular options in coastal
over the head and giving you an
environments like ours include tile and
umbrella and beach blanket.”
wood. “I gravitate toward lighter woods,
The Fort Lauderdale native always
warm honeys mixed with bleached-out
plays with texture when designing intewood,” says Mecadon. “I would do
riors for homes located at the coast. “I
some combination of that. And you can
like to use a lot of linen for throw pilfind porcelain tiles now that look like
lows, draperies, and upholstery,” says
beach wood.”
Flynn. “A linen slipcover on an armRugs made from jute or other natural
chair or sofa just screams kick your
fibers further call to mind things like
shoes off, read a magazine, enjoy the
windswept dunes and boats tied up at
sun, and catch the breeze. Which is
A neutral wall color allows homeowners
weathered docks.“Sisal rugs are good,” says
going coastal without screaming, ‘Hey, to bring in pops of color that reflect
Woods. “I’m one for painting wood floors,
look at me, I’m a big fish on the wall.’”
their outdoor environment.
for lightening them up with a really soft
And you don’t have to pay for a luxurious linen or costly canvas fabric to get that same look. “I gray and then putting a sisal rug on them. It gives a really nice feel.”
But so can something a little more saturated. “If you have
like to use vintage furniture and then slipcover it in painter’s
cloth, just like something you would buy at the hardware a very light interior and slightly darker floors, that can look
store,” says designer Terry John Woods, author of Terry John very dramatic and interesting,” says Lavoie.
When furnishing your place, don’t just head to your nearWoods’ Summer House (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $45). “You
would want to use around a ten-ounce weight; wash it in real- est retailer and pick out a whole matching set of pieces. “I use
ly hot water and dry it in a really hot dryer to shrink the fab- a lot of contemporary furnishings mixed with vintage and
ric. It works really well with strong sunlight, and you can buy antique-looking furniture, mixing in different wood tones and
a nine-by-twelve piece for under $20 and get the same look types of materials—sea grass, rattan, teak, stone, iron—just to
give the space an uncontrived look,” says Allen. “That way, it
as European linen.”
Introduce prints and patterns with pillows and other looks like the house was handed down from generation to
accents. And don’t think that little fish or seashells are your generation rather than all looking new.”
If done in the right way, quirky combinations wind up lookonly options. “Really large cabana stripes or really clean
ing right at home. “I’m one for mixing anything with anything,
plaids would be good,” says Allen.
“For some reason, washed-out patterns that look aged like an old blanket box with a modern abstract painting above
tend to feel more beachy to me than something bold and it,” says Woods. “It all goes if you keep the proportion, scale,
graphic and in your face,” says Mecadon. “I’d bring together and tones of the colors correct. That’s really the key.”
Some materials, like wicker and rattan, have long been
maybe an old faded flower fabric mixed with a great burlap
mixed with a great knit. If I were to make my own pillows, I associated with the beach. But Flynn tends toward another
60 July/August 2012
PHOTO THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE BOTTOM COURTESY OF MGA INTERIOR DESIGN, PROJECT COMPLETED FOR ROMANZA, LLC; PHOTO OPPOSITE TOP BY RANDALL PERRY PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF MGA INTERIOR DESIGN
–Anitra Mecadon, interior designer and host of the DIY Network show Mega Dens
www.toti.com 61
Seashells and starfish aren't your only
choices when it comes to choosing
accessories for a home near the water.
option. “I like woven sea grasses more than rattan and wicker,” he says. “They scream organic and earthy and outdoors
without going the regular route of wicker. I also really like
pure white painted wood furniture. A coffee table in a really
hefty wood with a pure white painted finish just really looks
open and airy. I even like for sofa legs to be white.”
Accessories should add to the ambience you’ve created, not
serve simply as dust-collecting clutter. Now’s the time when
you can introduce some of those traditional beach motifs—like
shells and coral—but in new and interesting ways.
“I love seashells, but for me they would have to be really
large ones,” says Lavoie. “Today, what’s really meaningful is
to have fewer pieces but larger ones so that they’re more sub-
piece that reflects that it’s an ocean but it’s not so obvious.”
Some striking photographs would also make a statement.
“Zero in on the wheel of a ship or the hull of a ship or some
ropes tied up,” says Mecadon. “You could take a literal image
of a ship, and by cropping it the right way, you could have a
really cool piece of art hanging on the wall for pennies.
Sometimes it’s better to not look at things as a whole but to
look at them as individual parts.”
When you live at the coast, reflecting the natural environment in your home decor can help give your residence a
relaxed attitude that invites people to kick back, sip a fruity
cocktail, and soak in the beautiful views. “By bringing natural elements in, you’re automatically creating a sense of calm
“I use a lot of contemporary furnishings mixed with vintage and antique-looking
furniture, mixing in different wood tones and types of materials–sea grass, rattan,
teak, stone, iron–just to give the space an uncontrived look.”
62 July/August 2012
and a peaceful, casual vibe,” says Mecadon.
“It’s almost like having a bright summery day 365 days
year,” says Flynn. “It will change your outlook; you’ll be more
inclined to relax. And it’s a style that’s classic, not trendy. As
long as you don’t go cliché and go overboard, it’s always
going to be in vogue.”
But if tropical foliage and watery hues aren’t your thing,
don’t feel pressured to turn your home into a beach cottage
or island getaway. “If you like European design and you want
your home to be ultra-modern or to be dark, go for it if you’re
going to feel comfortable in that space,” says Pena. “You
might walk outside and have the beach but walk inside and it
feels like a palace. It’s all about feeling comfortable and going
with your feelings. If you love it, your home decor doesn’t
have to be exactly what your outside looks like.” n
Beth Luberecki is aVenice, Florida–based freelance writer and an
editor for TOTI Media.
PHOTO BY KINDRA CLINEFF, COURTESY OF STEWART,TABORI & CHANG
stantial and more interesting. And they don’t have to be real
shells. There are beautiful seashells made out of other materials that look spectacular if well done.”
If you want to display your own found objects, do so in a
unique manner. “I will buy old aquariums and fill them with
seashells that I find walking on the beach,” says Woods. “And
the mantels at my home in Maine are lined with rocks that I
found on the beach. When I have guests over, I mix a few
votives in with them and it’s just a nice setting.”
Incorporate accessories with different textures and sheens
to create interest and achieve that accumulated-over-time
look. “I use a lot of mirrors and glass to bring sparkle to the
indoors, and at the same time to help bring in light and reflect
it throughout the home,” says Lavoie. “It helps to keep the
space light yet not sterile.”
For artwork, you could go with a seascape or nautical scene.
Or you could opt for something less expected and make a bigger splash. “I love contemporary art,” says Pena. “I’d love a
PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTORIA LAVOIE INTERIORS
–Melissa G. Allen, principal interior designer at Naples-based MGA Interior Design
You know you've succeeded if your home
makes you feel like kicking back with an
icy cold cocktail or a good book.
www.toti.com 63