Creating Beach House Design at Home

Beach design often gets characterized by bright blues and driftwood signs, but this does not accurately reflect the reality of creating a chic and modern beach themed home. As one of our interior designers at Ukio states, “It’s important to maintain the notion of elegance [when creating beach design]. This is done through minimalistic geometry and colors. By sticking to light neutral tones and less variation in elements we can achieve a sophisticated design that is balanced and not presumptuous”.

Beach is one of Ukio’s main rotating apartment themes, so we know a thing or two about designing a relaxing and airy, yet tasteful beach themed living space. Here’s some of our tips from our interior designers in creating the perfect beach themed apartment.

Choose a color palette with plenty of beachy neutrals

Think of what colors you see at the beach when creating the perfect beach theme color palette. There’s blue hues from the water, greens of seaweed drifting ashore, pops of color from coral, and lots of sandy neutrals from rocks, shells, rope, and other natural pieces that make up the shore.

The base of every elegant beach house should be white. This helps to create a chic coastal space where you can imagine the Mediterranean or Caribbean sunlight coming through the windows and casting shadows on the wall. Then from there come the added neutrals, the beiges, grays, and off whites, to add some dimension to the blank canvas background. Pops of color to symbolize the coral and sea life come next.

Play around with rough textures

Mimic the beautiful rugged coastlines of water meeting rock by adding some rough and contrasting textures to the mix. From smooth stone pottery, to raw wooden decor, to wicker chairs and baskets, to bubbly cast concrete, these textured materials give any beach house some added dimension and depth. Because beach interior design relies heavily on a more neutral color palette, textures help to liven up the space and give variation from the background.

Don’t be afraid of abstract patterns

The beach is anything but static, with the crashing of the waves and the blowing of the wind. Adding abstract patterns to a beach themed space represents the nonconformity of the landscape. Play around with sponged or unsmooth paint as an accent wall or swirling shell patterns in art pieces or hanging decor. Patterns bring excitement to a space and can channel both the relaxing and exciting elements of coastal design.

Incorporate natural coastal elements

If you’re trying to recreate the beach, why not include some elements normally found on the coast? Driftwood, dried choral, fishing nets, rope, and seashells are great subtle elements that can help add a beachy feel to any interiors. Instead of over the top nautical references, natural coastal elements are more elegant and can easily be incorporated into furniture, decor, or light fixtures when doing modern and refined beach design.

Introduce rustic touches

Similar to those oceanfront cabins, rustic wooden touches go perfectly with any modern beach interiors. Having a raw light wood dining table or wooden chairs with woven fibers are the perfect large furniture pieces for a beach themed apartment. Driftwood side tables are another idea if you want to go for the authentic rustic beach piece. Also some chic wall paneling that can be painted white or left with the natural color also adds a slight nautical element without going overboard with the reference.

Bring in breezy textiles

It’s not a chic beach trip without some sort of natural fiber fabric or textile, so incorporate these linen and cotton elements through the use of throw blankets, pillows, hanging wall art, and woven fabric light fixtures. Textiles also provide the perfect opportunity to incorporate pops of color to your beach interiors, such as sea blues, stripes, and subtle greens. These textiles also make your beach home friendly to all seasons and can bring a bit of coziness to a theme that tends to be more spacious and open.

Keep everything fresh and airy

A rule that stays consistent to any beach themed interior is that the overall feel must be kept relaxed, natural, and airy. The decor should be slightly more on the minimalist side, but not completely empty. Beach design is fresh and clean, so the interiors should be kept as such without clutter. Natural elements should shine through to bring a hint of the coastal shores inside to reap the full relaxing and calming benefits of the beach. The more your beach theme home is connected with the outdoors, the more natural and realistic the interior design will feel.

Find your next chic beach home with Ukio

The crashing of the waves, the cool sea breeze, the warmth of the sun on your face, all of these elements can be captured in your home through the use of beach design. Modern coastal design encapsulates the relaxing and refreshing feelings of a retreat to the beach while still maintaining a chic and elegant appearance.

At Ukio, we design each of our apartments with a natural theme, with beach being one of them. Our designers have mastered the art of creating modern beach interiors that take their inspiration from real coastlines from around the world. If you’re moving abroad and want to feel a sense of relaxing beach design at home, check out our website to find your dream beach apartment in Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Berlin, and Paris.