Houston’s handy proximity to the coast can oftentimes affect the tradition. From the award profitable culinary scene, leisure actions, and abundance of beachside “staycation” locations, the ocean is a recurring theme. As with every panorama, enjoyable coastal traits could ultimately start to be mirrored in inside areas. Nonetheless, it’s not unusual to see a well-intended nod to coastal go a bit sideways, getting into the ever-dreaded “nautical” area. How does one know the place to attract the road?
“When designing a Coastal area you will need to strike a stability between making a room with character and preserving it versatile, livable, and refined,” says Paula Dixon, principal of Paula Dixon Design. Not too long ago, Dixon accomplished an immaculately-executed house rework that demonstrates methods to include coastal components with out going, effectively, overboard. She shared 4 key ideas from the undertaking for these trying to obtain comparable outcomes at house.
Tasked with bringing character to a builder-grade spec house, Dixon knew she was in for a artistic problem. Her purchasers, a household with three youngsters, have been prepared to rework their Houston-area house however required design experience as they navigated competing model preferences — basic coastal and fashionable industrial. Dixon selected to marry the 2 design genres for a cohesive house characterised by an approachable, lived-in heat. Creating that heat, nevertheless, was a tall order, given the house’s 20-foot ceilings and formal architectural options.
To counterbalance the spec house framework, Dixon started by reimagining the fireside. A contemporary limestone fire encompass offers pure texture, whereas a Venetian plaster wall creates visible intrigue from flooring to ceiling. Within the eating room, wallpapered ceilings inject surprising whimsy, whereas a sculptural gentle fixture provides motion and stability. All through the house, Dixon’s cautious stability of heat and funky tones, curved and clear strains, and natural textural layers exhibit that seemingly-opposite kinds can’t solely coexist however be an ideal design match.
“The important thing to utilizing a theme with out pushing it too far is to embrace restraint and deal with stability. A theme ought to improve the area and provides it character,” says Dixon. “Making use of these design professional ideas will create a welcoming, subtle, inside layered with the correct quantity of non-public particulars to make the area actually distinctive to the owners.”
4 professional ideas for correctly executing a coastal inside aesthetic:
Inspirational Reasonably Than Literal
Really feel the seashore by way of the colour palettes, textures, and delicate references. Consider sandy seashores and creamy whites that evoke a coastal ambiance without having overt “seashore” references. This strategy is subtle with remnants of the seashore that add calmness and magnificence, with just a few rigorously chosen general paint colours.
Texture and Supplies
Select pure supplies, for instance the limestone fire, that mimic the porous texture of sea coral in a softer colour. Wooden and metals additionally work to evoke emotions of the coast by including in pure components discovered on the seashore akin to driftwood. Consider a wicker basket or ottoman as we used below the console desk.
Combine Materials and Patterns
Linen, boucle, and chenille all result in seashore vibes in an intentional method with out falling right into a set theme.
Beachy Decor
Decor is a delicate strategy to tie in a theme that provides persona. Consider utilizing one seashell on prime of a stack of books. Classic nautical artwork or a brass lighthouse on a bookshelf supply a coastal theme with out feeling nautical.
