I would adore living in a house by the sea and decorate with a touch of the Brothers Grimm....

When he arrived at the sea the water was purple and dark blue and gray

and a pinch of Arthur Rackham

I know I keep randomly chiming in here and there but I keep thinking about this and I feel like, if I ever had a shore house, which is highly unlikely because my favorite time to be at the shore is in winter when it is empty...and then you can either rent cheap or see if someone accidentally left their door unlocked.

I would decorate it like any house that I felt needed sturdy and durable materials and completely ignore the fact that I was doing a shore house except for highlighting any view it had, and picking up some shells and driftwood to put on the windowsills.

Marcolo,

Did you have any favorites? Blank canvas, wwyd?

My one concern about the turquoise is that it may not be the best fit for your "unfitted" look. It's quite imposing. It does rather declare your palette for you, no? Jersey girl says Turq plays well with others. What about moslty greay and white with Turquoise as a ... wait for it ... pop?

Though I think I like it paired with several colors rather than just one. Neighboring hues like apple greens and slightly chartreuse-y yellow, plus white and a pop of black or red (horrible dictu!) periwinkle in small amounts.
I did have any idea, it's a little hackneyed but something we always wanted to do. You know those horrible world maps where people put pushpins in like so many scalps? My family always liked that idea, but they are so ugly and there is no place it would be right in this house. For the beachhouse, I was thinking of just buying old maps of places we have been to as a family and hanging them on the wall. The (mostly blue) colors and orange and yellow and green details could be my color theme??? I would put them in dark wood (old) frames to match the dark oak doors I hope to salvage.

OOh, a cool ceiling! I like that. If you think renting is a no go with painted floors, out go the renters. I have always wanted painted floors, but DH was a no go. I plan on putting in really junky floors so he wont mind painting them.

Joshua, Yes, I have been on that for hours!! thanks

Annie, : ) Yes the pelican is wonderful. As for dark wood, I really don't see that. I am totally into white and cream and light. IN fact, it was only when Bronwyn's Mom pointed out the contrast of dark and light in a room i liked, that I realized that an all light room can be blah. So I do want some dark woods, matte, old, to contrast with light walls, but no panelling for me!

Daki, too funny. But you know ... that kitchen!!! Totally me.

Pal, I have bemoaned my ancestors here before. I am ok with the gene pool but they did bad with the material goods stuff! Of course, confirming my suspicion only makes me lust after the old money imprimatur of a ratty valuable rug all the more! Why didn't I at least weigh this when evaluating suitors!?

Lucky, thank you. Yes, I was really expecting for people to tell me to break out the color wheel. But I am not hearing that.

We are meeting with architects next month. I think I will let this percolate until I see some ideas from them. Thanks all!

Chris11895,

Yes, I should think more about green. Dash and Albert? Huge fan. Well nigh disposable pricing. IN fact I just ordered a wild one for the itty bitty stonehouse (negril stripe I think). I was thinking sisal (my fave) but I think the place needs some punch. Will try both.

Pal,
Hmm, I've always copped out by letting setting and architecture drive me. Interesting to contemplate what I'd do if durability and comfort and light were the drivers .... And, pshaw, chime away.

Eh, genteel poverty, or genteel middle classery isn't all it's cracked up to be. My ancestors were primarily lace curtain Irish.

My image of a beach house doesn't include sea shells, but probably because the beaches I frequented only had small ones. My brain image has pine floors naturally aged with white painted or lime washed tounge and grove ceilings. Unfitted kitchen with a skirted sink, and painted panel walls in light colors such as sand, blues, greens, yellow and very soft. Kind of like the lighter ones on a paint strip or lime washed or just naturally aged and in spruce. The paneling is sort of like a wider beadboard look. Casement windows with curtains fluttering on the sides that aren't full length.

Mismatched pine furniture or painted white and lighter fabrics and lots of rag rugs ala Swedish style. Of course I grew up in Sweden.

This post was edited by lyfia on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 22:06

I second the Coastal Living recommendation.

Here are some beach houses from Hooked on Houses, just for some eye candy!

Message in a Bottlehref>.
Nanny Diaries (scroll to beach house)href>
Something's Gotta Givehref>
Variations of Grey Gardenshref>
Revenge (smaller beach house)href>

I can help you out with the dog vomit contribution to Oriental rugs. Switch your dog over to Trifexis. ; )

Have you seen old, driftwood colored, Swedish wooden floors that are scrubbed with soap and water? That would be my cue for the floor, and its maintenance. Against that, painted, bleached, stained, faded--it all works.

I keep forgetting who I am talking to.

If I was building and not talking about remodeling or interior design as the scope I would build one of two kinds of houses depending upon geographical location and privacy/views/proximity to next door and to the ocean itself

1) Shingle Style if the house needed some privacy, because traditional fenestration lends itself to windows that can be easily covered and uncovered and the potential asymmetry and idiosyncracy of putting windows where you want them is compatible with this style.

2)Organic modernist of the sort that are being bulldozed Long Island to build something bigger and more impressive. Spare, Modern, lots of glass but rusticated. Maybe big garage doors you could throw open and be inside-outside.

Pal, I kept reading that first sentence and was worried what it meant. I think it means you now recall that this may be a new build, so "tutto e possible"?

I think Shingle Style sounds more expensive that Organic Modernist. I just saw a design magazine do a video about a designer's beachhouse, and i think it may have been organic modernist. ... off to look it up.

Kitch, our poor golden has Lyme disease and the meds seem to work well for aging one's rugs, too! : )

Lyfia, goodness I could feel the breeze!

Chirs --- oooh, more homework!

This post was edited by mtnrdredux on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 23:41

I know that this isn't truly a beach house book, but... I got the newest thom filica book. He renovated and decorated a lake house he purchased. I do love his style. It's always interesting, but seems livable.

Now, don't get me wrong, this book seems to be a giant advertisement for his rugs, fabrics, restoration hardware, etc. But, it's well put together and a nice easy read (if you're into his style). Some things are downright not my interest- "the eagle vanity". I took many things from it as I did his last book. He also didn't want that beachhouse look as it isn't his, but wanted to maintain the focus on the outside (like all the original doors and the windows have black muttins, which drives interest outside- things like that). I especially loved the front room with the giant couch.

If you like his style, you might look into it. Though I love coastal homes (even have a subscription to the mag.) I'm not sure as I might get sick of beach glass, driftwood and those types of things all the time.

Here is a link that might be useful: filicia book.

If you have a lot of windows by the beach, then you'll have white furniture. Regardless of whether or not you buy white furniture.

Something to keep in mind.

Sorry, wasn't suggesting you do dark paneling---

...though that also reminded me of that fabulous A frame we stayed on the ocean in Bermuda...it too was very dark walls with large wood beams which made that picture window full of ocean turquoise ever more stunning when viewed from the loft...

---only still (and perhaps belatedly) responding to your initial post about there being only 3 palettes for beach houses... I'm dreaming vicariously of your beach house and if it were mine, I would want the colors to be far and away from the predictable palettes.

I grew up with painted floors...meh. They were old (about 150 years at the time) and I'd gotten more than one large sliver in my bare feet from them and all the ick that was between the floor boards that was impossible to clean. So while they can be attractive esp for a beach house setting, my past taints my image of them now. If DH is really resistant, you might consider painted floor cloths...

Lyfia,
Didn't see your post before I posted. Great minds . . .

mtm, I like the idea of your third choice. It would be beautiful and different from your main home. I was surprised when I searched tourquoise fabric how much there is of it. Much mixed with greens and whites.

Yes, and your "possible" is extra "tutto". Or vice versa, not sure.

This post was edited by palimpsest on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 9:49

Let me first say that I haven't read all the responses, but in our beach house, I didn't follow any of your three scenarios. I'm not sure what you'd call mine... primarily it's "what we found at the consignment shops" in terms of furnishings. But when we rebuilt the house a couple of years ago I had plenty of time to think about how I wanted to decorate. I decided I wanted a quiet feeling on the second floor (bedrooms) and more color on the first floor. I wanted a somewhat retro feel because we were rebuilding a Cape that was originally built in the 1940s and I wanted it to still feel like an older house. Most of all, I wanted it to be kind of FUN. Nothing feels too serious there. I used colors that I would never use "in real life." We have a lot of wacky tchotkes (which I swore I'd avoid, but well, that didn't work out so well). There is no navy. There are no ship models. DH does have one map because he is a map guy, so I had to allow it.

One of my primary goals was to make it feel different from my main house, which has darker woods, deeper wall colors, etc. The beach house is much more light and airy. Most of the wood furniture is either painted or pine. Some old, some new.

Here are some pics.

Sunroom with mishmash of furniture. This is one of the most comfortable sofas EVER! (Bayside from Crate and Barrel)

One part of awkward, L-shaped living room.

Another part of same room.

Never did I think I'd ever have a pink living room, but I went for it and I love the pink!

Peek into the den/TV room, which was originally a dining room but who needs a dining room in a beach house?

The "dining room" aka kitchen and porch.

Um, more pink.

Have fun!!

For me, a beach house should be furnished according to a few watchwords--- durability, comfort, ease of maintenance. I would basically build everything in--- beds, drawers in closets, and bedroom halls, etc. All upholstery slip covered for laundering.

If you like the look of maps, why not just use them as your backdrop and proceed organically from there? But for furniture I would go for built ins wherever possible, or more modern shapes that are as functional as possible. And I am in the minority, clearly, but I love shells--- and think a beach house with no shells at all is just as contrived as one with shell napkin rings, picture frames and drawer pulls, iykwim.

I guess my advice would be to buy only what you have to and let the "decor" evolve. The Turquoise and orange of rand McNally maps (my fave) are great colors to start with, and surprisingly, a robins egg blue and tomato red look great with them, too. Our youngest and I shared an study at home and the biggest thing on the wall still is a large map of the world. He and i spent two years traveling and it was always fun to come home and find our coordinates on the map :-)

You may also want to give your kids waterproof cameras and use their images of your surroundings--- the sea, sand, village, new friends----on the walls. Poster sized photos are fabulous--- all grainy and expressionist.

If you are not trying to respect the history or architecture of a house is it really necessary to decorate it with all vintage, distressed, weathered and old stuff? Surely the best way to give a home that lived in, collected over time look is by living in it, and collecting over time?

Deedee, I love that Rackham illustration. Nice to find another fan.
SueB, your house is perfect, for every reason in this thread.

Annie, I suspect your Bermuda house was paneled in native Bermuda cedar...? Bermuda and Virginia are full of the same families (if your name is Tucker, you are likely one of them!) and both are heavily influenced by English Colonial style.

My favorite aspect of Bermuda's architecture is the white stepped roof you see on all the pastel houses. It is made of limestone, and whitewashed with lime. The design collects and channels rainwater into a limestone-lined cistern, and the lime purifies the water. This is critical, because Bermuda has no source of fresh water except for rain.

And that's today's cocktail party trivia.

In addition to my own traditional leanings, I'm attracted to the cool modern houses you see in places like Montauk - they seem just right for simple beach living, and are probably easier to take care of.

Oh, I do hope your doggy feels better. SueB, great-- what you did with color distribution!

My in-laws have a beach house in eastern Long Island. It's a beautiful very old saltbox shingle house. My MIL has owned 20+ homes and loves to decorate. She did not use any of the "7 basics" for this house, but kept it very simple. Very few rugs on the wide plank floors. Not too much furniture. Comfortable couches. Nothing high-maintenance.

She has repainted several times over the years. My favorite was when the living room was a pale rose pink, with white and various shades of green in the furniture. The dining room was pale butter yellow, with a dark antique table and white wicker side chairs. On the 2nd and 3rd floors she used a lot of pale green-- kind of a celadon or aqua. I know she used mostly BM Historical colors.

I am sure you will find the way to translate your own (beautiful) taste into "beach" mode without getting into a cliched scheme. What a fun project you have ahead. Can't wait to follow it.

I saw this online and thought I would share.

Look at "Hamptons Classic" in the December 2012 Elle D�cor.

Since you've been talking turquoise, I have to show you these pretty candle holders I bought. I originally saw them in the Olive and Cocoa catalog for $98, but I found them at this site for only $48. I called the Roost Co. and they said the second site was a customer of theirs so they're the same product. I love the Roost products, but they only sell wholesale and no one vendor seems to carry their entire line which is a drag. In another post I'll show you something else I could at a beach cottage.

Here is a link that might be useful: tealight holders

I don't know what you'd call these, baskets or hampers or what, but I love the look. I can also see the rug in a boy's room. This website does not have the items, but they could be ordered.

Here is a link that might be useful: more Roost Co.

In terms of colours, I'm with number 3 too. Without all the stripes, maps and framed shells ideally. Well, I do love maps.

Check out the link to the "Stinson Beach House." Aside from the nearly turquoise surf board out front, they used more navy (sorry) than turquoise, but turquoise would work well imo. I really like this place, inside and out. I think the use of colours is great, I love the lack of overstuffed furniture, and the limited use of beach house cliches. It may be a tad too modern, but 'rusticate' it a bit as Pal mentioned with your big old dining table and other furniture and I think could work, and be lovely as well of course.

I love the turquoise ceiling idea.

Here is a link that might be useful: Interesting beach house

jterrilynn, pretty palette...would go nicely with the sand pipers....

Here's an interesting twist...the turquoise with a fuschia accent....

I absolutely loved Sarah Richardson's Summer Home. I have never lived at the ocean, but I have on one of the northern great lakes. Maybe that's why Sarah's house spoke to me. It really encompasses what I, as a midwesterner, think of as a "beach" house. No sea shells to be found. Just a lot of water-worn rocks and sun- and wind-worn woods. The style could be easily transferable to the NE coast, I think.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lake House

I dislike the predictable colorways usually associated with a beach cottage look, so why be predictable, mdux? I'm not seeing it as your 'sthick'.

You said you have a neutral pallette in your primary home, but that leaves a lot to my visual imagination. Could be all grays, all beige/tans, ivories/whites.........

If it were *my* North Carolina beachfront home(MY dream!)subtlety, with no garish bright blues, is my visual. My choice would be a pale true gray, warm beige or tan, and a very pale, misty blue-green. Accents~pillows, lamps, etc.~ would be ivory/off-white shades. I feel these colors would give complete relaxation to your home away from home.

Turquoise and white in a beach home is one of my favorite color schemes. We rent a home in Hawaii which has this color combination, and I can't imagine this space with beiges and grays. I would think it would be quite drab with just neutrals and no color to match the rich colors of the Pacific and the frangipani, birds of paradise, boungavilla and other tropical flowers that surround the property. The designer incorporated neutral pieces and texture (jute rugs, white slip-covered sofas, rattan furniture) with turquoise, coral and yellow. For some inspiration:

When my grandparents built a cottage on one of Michigans great lakes she stipulated that the floor boards be spaced apart a bit so she could just sweep the sand down through the cracks.

I just went to a home furnishings store that my friend has been raving about for years. All the time we were there, we kept saying, if we had a beach house, this would be so perfect...!

Here is a link that might be useful: Laurie's in Tomball, TX

Wow! pipdog....what a luscious place....spectacular views!

But to me, there is a difference between a tropical locale like Hawaii or the Caribbean and a new england one...same ocean, but the ocean is not the same at all....and no hibiscus or bougainvillea....

I didn't have a chance to read all of the posts but wanted to post a few palette's from some of the pics posted:

My favorite:

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Source: letschipit.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

{{gwi:1893892}}

Source: letschipit.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

{{gwi:1893893}}

Source: letschipit.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

{{gwi:1893894}}

Source: letschipit.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

Another random palette that I had:

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Source: letschipit.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

Too expected?

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Source: chiccoastalliving.blogspot.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

Too literal New England Coastal?

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Source: hollymathisinteriors.com via Tiffani on Pinterest

Wow, great job pulling it all together Foxes Pad! Some great options have been presented on this thread. GW folks are so helpful!

Thank you all.... busy day .... will respond in more detail as soon as i can!

Just a few more pretty pictures.

A little too formal (easily addressed), but such gorgeous colour combos:

You will have a different palette for a Puerto Vallarta beach house (Mexican brights and a lot of white), a Miami Beach house (corals and teals and sand), an Oregon beach house (warm neutrals and woodsy stuff and greys).

Dear all,

I always try to reply to everyone who helps me on a post, but I am totally out of time. We are leaving for vacation tomorrow and we are trying to celebrate christmas in the morning before we go. Packing, wrapping, packing, wrapping.... arggh.

Anyway, a shout out to Pal for the great mag spread, to SUeB for sharing your perfect summer home (I remember I loved those LR chairs from another post!), to Foxespad for all the great moodboards, Annie for the photos, et al et al et al.

The weekend after we get back we meet w the architects, so I will be back bugging you all. Meantime, Happy Holidaysand sayonara and nong nong!

"When my grandparents built a cottage on one of Michigans great lakes she stipulated that the floor boards be spaced apart a bit so she could just sweep the sand down through the cracks."

This is the absolute best idea anyone has ever had since the invention of indoor plumbing!

I know you'll keep your eyes open on vacation, mtnredux, and you'll see and experience things that will somehow be translatable to the northeast shore. You are a fantastic editor, so whatever you do with this project will be liveable and esthetically pleasing. Maybe lengthening the collecting /editing process will lead you into a new look or color palette.

Bon voyage!

Along with the sand through the cracks thing, which is great, you may also want floor drains at certain entrances.

My new house has a single entry point. (Other means of egress but really only one way IN).

And, it's one step up from the side walk, right on the side walk.

There is no vestibule and the floor is wood, and opposite to what most people have done to these houses(open them up more to enlarge the kitchen), I am buttoning the house up more to create a true vestibule/entry with door to kitchen, door to new den, and door to LR.

We may also get bikes which may need to be brought into the house. So I am actually making the vestibule area tile, and possibly the den tile, with the vestibule essentially a shower pan floor with a drain in it for the snow, rain, salt etc., tracked in, and cleaning purposes.

Would make sense at a beach, too.

I went through a pile of Coastal Living magazines one weekend with a friend who was planning a house in Falmouth, and the palettes Foxes Pad (great job!) put together seemed to be the most common ones. Pale blue, off whites, sand, maybe some pale sage green to get wild and a "pop" of navy. I like your turquoise and white idea because it is different! I wouldn't make my family pose in onesies, but the Swedish- Gustavian idea you've got going would be lovely.

Spacing the floorboards is fine if you don't have any little creeters that will move in from below...I'd want screening underneath that is fine enough to let the sand pass through but too fine for the beasties.

Thanks everyone so much for this discussion. I found it after searching for tourquoise and white because it's a color palette that will be part of my small lake cottage.

I've been slowly collecting furniture, bedding, drapes etc from garage sales, thrift stores, relatives homes so it certainly won't be a staged look.

Thanks for the discussion!

Susan

Mtnredux,

How was your vacation?
How are your house plans coming?

Susan

For some additional photos/ideas, here is the one of the nicest places I have every been lucky enough to visit.

The homes and colors are what I would call Carribean colonial.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harbour Island rentals

Susie,
Thanks for asking. It was a fabulous trip. Very memorable in many ways. Riding elephants, petting tigers, the people, the architecture. Each of us had a digital camera and we have 5,000 photos to sort through and edit! ( I always make photobooks when we travel). Already planning our next trip(s). Actually I have planned our next five trips; it's a bit of a hobby of mine.

As for the beachhouse ... total frustration. Turns out the driveway is not on the property; it has crossed through abutters for 100 years. The estate we are buying form has been unsuccessful in getting it resolved and may need to go to court. We can't close until it is settled since you cannot sell landlocked property.

We are keeping an eye out for an alternative but we want something very specific and not easy to find. And we aren't willing to settle. As I told the agent, we don't need a third house, for goodness sakes, so we won't buy it unless we find it compelling!

Julie,
Thanks for the link. Which one? Or all?

oh definitely all!

You were talking about rugs, and I saw these vintage ones for sale today:

https://www.onekingslane.com/sales/19992