Don’t you just love joining the kids on their Spring Break?

I do – especially when it happens to be a beach vacation. The water, the smell, the salt air, the breeze – all of it puts me in a peaceful state. The best part, everything goes away so I can be totally and fully with my two boys and hubby.

Actually, I’ve had “beach week” on the mind for a few months now, because hubby is renovating a beach front property in Galveston.

At first, he tried to figure out the design himself.

He’s kind of a cutie that way. You know the deal – typical guy, not wanting to ask for directions.

Then he dropped a bombshell. He said he was going to snag “a deal” for all-black countertops.

Black???

In a beach house?!?

Yikes!

I literally shouted out NO WAY!!!

That’s when I decided to step in and give him a few design suggestions. Here’s what I recommended.

Design Tip 1 – Pay close attention to the hard finishes.

Rule of thumb: you always want the finishes you use to help create the feeling that you are trying to capture.

A huge (and super common) mistake people make, is that they try to rely on only the furniture to capture that feeling.

Whenever I work on any design project, I always spend as much, if not more time on the hard finishes to capture the feeling we are going after, and I always recommend my customers do the same.

So, we started with the hard finishes.

For the floors, I suggested something in a lighter color. Why?

Easy. Because it brightens up the space, makes it feel more welcoming and – here’s the best part – it’s very easy to take care of. You won’t notice scratches, marks and sand as easily as you would on a darker finish.

(Ever owned a black car? Then you know exactly what I’m talking about!)

For the countertops, he did not use black (thank goodness), even though it was such a great deal, ha!

The kitchen is everything. Even if you never cook, it’s still the heart of the home.

So we opted for light, bright, white stone countertops.

I would recommend light to medium tone stones to really capture this feeling.

Next came the most difficult part: the paint color.

Ugh!

I swear, sometimes selecting the right paint color can feel harder than finding your soulmate!

Here are the colors I sent him to try out:

Design Tip 2 – Choose seating that is inviting.

Once you’ve got the hard finishes in place, I suggest lots of slipcovered, linen finishes and cozy seating options.

This should help to create a very warm, welcoming and comfortable feeling in your space.

For instance, pieces like these:

Don’t these just scream: “Sit down, put your feet up and relax!”? So comfy and inviting!

Design Tip 3 – Follow your heart.

My last piece of advice is to add in some color with furniture, art and accessories.

Which colors?

Here is where you get the chance to go bold and really let your heart sing.

In other words, use whatever makes you feel happy.

There is no right or wrong. Never try to do what you think will make others happy or what everyone else is doing.

Do what inspires YOU.

Love fushia? Look for fabric and art with fushia tones.

Items available at Village Antiques

Love blues and greens? Look for rugs, pillows and artwork that has those colors and hues.

Items available at Village Antiques

So, how did hubby’s project turn out?

Thankfully, he took my suggestions and everything turned out beautifully.

In fact, his customers cannot stop talking about how peaceful the place looks and feels!

The best part about these design tips is that anyone can use them. Whether you actually have a beach house or you just want to bring some of that warm, relaxing beach vibe into a room in your home, doing so is as simple as what I suggested above.

What do you think? Love these peaceful finishes?

Have something similar you’ve tried and want to share? I’d LOVE to see it!

Drop a note or picture in the comments below.

And remember – sharing is caring, so please consider sharing this post with at least 2 friends today and let’s get a conversation going!

In friendship,

Amitha

P.S. Come visit us at Village Antiques! We’ve got some amazing, one-of-a-kind pieces that you won’t find anywhere else. Don’t miss out!