There are few things sweeter than a vacation home, whether in the mountains or on the coast. Or maybe you are lucky enough to have a forever home by the ocean. In either case you’ve no doubt witnessed interior design that succumbs to the beachy clichés of carved wooden fisherman and fake fish, “Salt Life” and other beachy-cute signs, oars as decor and an overreliance on nautical details.
Luckily, interior designer Ingrid Weir has some very modern, on-trend solutions for when you want to bring coastal style into your home — even if your home is inland — without your space looking like a Long John Silver’s.
Weir is the daughter of renowned Australian filmmaker Peter Weir (who shot parts of “The Mosquito Coast” in Georgia cities Rome and Cartersville) and the author of a soon-to-be-released design book “New Coastal: Inspiration for a Life by the Sea” (June 11, $45). She offered the AJC a sneak peek at some of the coastal design wisdom contained in the book. Spotlighting seaside homes in her native Australia, in California, Maine and New York, Weir focuses on interiors whose sensibility aligns with her own style of “warm modernism with an organic edge.”
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Weir describes the New Coastal look as “an overall looseness, a lack of perfection. A feeling of freedom.”
“New Coastal” details the many ways you can combine the biophilic, bohemian and minimalist trends with a seafaring look and offers tips for how to embrace sun, sea and sky without resorting to coastal clichés. Because bringing a beachy look to your home — whether it is by the sea or just meant to evoke the style and sensibility of the beach — is a way to enjoy those vacation vibes all year round.
1. Don’t go overboard on white. An all-white room can be overkill, said Weir. “By the coast it can become too bright, even glary,” she said. “The modern way is to mix shades of white with ecru, limestone tones, etc. and make sure there are lots of different natural textures, such as linen, rattan and jute.”
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
2. Avoid soulless, generic decor. Don’t source your beachy decor at big box retail. “A mass-produced bleached seashell mobile is very different [than] a carved shell made by an old woman who has lived by the ocean her whole life,” said Weir. She also recommends foraging for seashells and driftwood that can become part of your decor and remind you of happy days passed by the sea.
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
3. Invite the ocean inside. “One of the most effective tricks is to bring in a visual representation of the sea,” said Weir. “In one design setup, I painted some palm trees on a wall. I based it on a thrift store painting.” Other designers recommend curating a gallery wall with a sea theme: If you like images of fishing boats, try creating a vignette with 4-5 of some of your favorites.
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
4. Go with a pared-back palette. Weir likes to stick to a limited color palette of three colors in her beach-inspired interior design. “This brings cohesion and calm. Mid to low contrast between the tones gives that sun-bleached, seaside mood,” she said.
5. Use stripes for contrast. “They give a certain energy to the room. They layer well with florals and other prints,” said Weir. Awnings, tablecloths, curtains and rugs are all places to incorporate stripes.
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
6. Embrace natural materials. Using materials such as raffia, rattan, jute and seagrass allows you to embrace the outdoors without resorting to rope banisters or other seafaring chestnuts. Weir thinks that seagrass rugs are especially appealing and add what Weir calls “a wonderful informality.”
7. Try performance fabrics. If you are designing a vacation space where there will be lots of visitors, children and dogs, many decorators recommend using outdoor fabrics on couches, chairs and barstools inside your home. That should allow your decor to stand up to heavy use, spills and doggie dirt. Sunbrella makes sturdy outdoor fabrics but more and more fabric makers, such as Schumacher, Kravet and Scalamandre, are creating outdoor lines.
8. Skip the harsh lighting. Nothing says relaxation like flattering, moody indirect lighting. Weir recommends lamps instead of overhead lighting to strike the right chill note.
Credit: INGRID WEIR
Credit: INGRID WEIR
9. Use minimalist window treatments. The vacation vibe is relaxed and furnishings should be similarly laid back and allow views of the outdoors to take center stage. Weir likes white linen gauze curtains to create casual flair. “They add a softness to a room, a romance,” said Weir. “They make the space feel dreamier.”
10. Hammocks inside and out. Whether you tie one up on a veranda or bring a hammock inside for a boho-chic look, nothing says “time off” like a hammock.
11. Cozy is key. Weir said select furniture that makes you feel great, is comfortable and in every way helps you get into a relaxed, peaceful state of mind.
Felicia Feaster is a longtime lifestyle and design editor who spent 11 years covering gardening, interior design, trends and wellness for HGTV.com. Felicia is a contributor to MarthaStewart.com and has been interviewed as a design expert by The New York Times, Forbes and the Associated Press.
