Mast and Falls is happy to be working on the redesign of a beautiful beach home on Cape Cod. What’s exciting for us is that design for a client’s summer home requires a slightly different set of considerations than working on a permanent residence. It’s a fun change of pace. By definition, a vacation home is a personal oasis; a place that is solely for pleasure, fun, relation and low maintenance ease. Your second home is where all your cares should slip away. The seaside environment always influences the interior design itself. Incorporating unique aspects of the locale into the design enhances your whole vacation experience. The home’s interior sets the mood and helps transport you even further away from your everyday life.
When working on a home near the ocean, we are definitely influenced by the natural seaside beauty outside the door. We aim to carry the colors, feel, textures and mood of the beach into the home itself. It’s a delicate balance though. Often, people who decorate their beach home tend to go really literal…..seashells everywhere, boat related accessories, and artwork of lighthouses and footprints in the sand. Going that route is easy…and way too obvious. For us, a more sophisticated way of saying “beach house” is mixing up a subtle cocktail of elements that mimic what’s outside the window. We rely on the sun, sand, water, and sky to point us in the right direction. Sure, little touches here and there of seaside motifs are fine….but be wary of overkill and keep it light.
Materials and furnishings for a beach house obviously skew to the natural colors and materials found by the sea. Color-wise, heavy doses of sandy beige or rocky gray, plus aqua, turquoise, deep blues, and watery greens normally enter into the equation. For case goods, we like weathered, natural finished woods which are earthy and organic…. while white or painted furniture strikes a more casual, fun vibe. Doses of wicker and rattan are certainly in order and bring woven texture to the space. Area rugs of sisal, jute or cotton strike the perfect low-key note. Hardwood and tile floors have no trouble with sandy feet and sweep up quickly. Upholstery for seating should be even more forgiving than usual…cotton slipcovers are great for this and indoor-outdoor fabrics are even better since they’re both durable, stain resistant and worry-free.
Suzanne Kasler & Tria Giofan
We love incorporating glass elements wherever we can since it brings to mind water and has the same reflective properties. Glass tiles for kitchen backsplashes or bathrooms bring sparkle and light and energy that traditional ceramics lack. Clear or colored glass accessories and elements like shell and capiz and stone remind you where you are. Stick with things like this and the beach house will be stunning and the ultimate retreat.
Here are some beach house interiors that caught our eye since they incorporate all the elements we care about. They made us smile and wish we were there. And that’s the whole point of having a beach house!
Stelle Architects, Eleanor Donnelly & Greg Tietjen
