I love spending time at my beach house; I grew up on the North Fork of Long Island and spent every summer at my family's beach house on the Long Island Sound. When I was a child, the beach house was 2 bedrooms, a living and kitchen combo, and a screened in porch. We spent summers with no TV or phone, barefoot, in bathing suits until dark, then in PJs. We swam, played games, had bonfires, told ghost stories and spent long days surrounded by family. As I grew up we added onto the house, there were more bedrooms and bathrooms, the house was winterized, new windows, a new kitchen and gone was the screened in porch for more living space. I think the TV was added the year of the moon walk, a phone a few years before, but the beach house was always a special place for family and fun.
When I stage a beach house, I like to evoke the spirit of the summers I remember from my childhood. Colors reflect the easy summer feeling; beach sand beiges, blues for the sky and water, greens for grass, will all work well for beach houses. Add in some bursts of yellow for the summer sun and the mood is set. I like breezy curtains made from bleached muslin, slipcovers on couches, blue and yellow throw pillows for color and to rest your head for a lazy afternoon nap. Beach houses need lots of beds in simple bedrooms, places to curl up and read or relax with friends, a big table to eat with friends and family, and a game table for games and puzzles.
Decks are for a BBQs and cocktails, to sunbathe in the afternoon and to watch the sunset on a summer evening. I like to stage the deck for a casual summer party. A few candles and solar lights can create a romantic mood on a summer evening. A garden of hydrangeas and lilies and some pots of annuals are a must for any beach house.
Never highlight a TV, a computer, or any electronics. Yes in the modern world, we need them, but the focal point of any beach house is the view. Highlight the view, stage the furniture accordingly. Put up a mirror opposite a window looking over the water, and then the view is seen in the mirror as well. Add local art and flowers as accessories. Put a basket of beach towels by the door to the deck and a couple of beach chairs nearby to remind everyone the main attraction is the beach.
A beach house should be welcoming, relaxed, calm and family friendly. A buyer or renter should walk into a beach house, feel a sense of peace, want to entertain, to read a book, play a game, or take a walk on the beach. I don't want anyone to walk in and want to head for the computer or TV, I want them to gaze out on the view and fall in love. If a beach house I stage creates that feeling, I have done my job.
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