Tropical Design
If you live in a land-locked city and love the beach, infusing tropical design into your home can allow you to enjoy the beauty of your vacations year-round.
Pamela Hastings, a Florida-based designer and member of the American Society of Interior Designers, has brought the beach into seaside, mountain, and urban spaces. She believes tropical elements can enhance any space, as long as the touches are subtle.
“You don’t want your space to look like a rental condo,” Hastings says. “You don’t need to be too literal.” Just a few carefully chosen accessories, furnishings, or fabrics can bring the tranquility of a beach vacation right into your home.
Here are Hastings ideas for capturing the ocean’s subtle beauty no matter where you live:
Don’t do this: Don’t paint the walls bright, beachy colors, frame cheap prints of beach themes, put tropical images on the upholstery or put tropical all over the place.
Don’t be afraid of shells: They may seem trite, but you can do so much more with beach shells than put them in a glass vase. Choose your favorites and use them in sophisticated ways. Group several together on a shelf. Add mirrors and decorative boxes.
Think color: Don’t think you have to go with light colors. “Darker colors add warmth,” Hastings says. “And darker prints work well with plants.” For cold climates, go for deeper greens, blues, corals, reds, and golds.
Don’t do this: Don’t paint the walls bright, beachy colors, frame cheap prints of beach themes, put tropical images on the upholstery or put tropical all over the place.
Don’t be afraid of shells: They may seem trite, but you can do so much more with beach shells than put them in a glass vase. Choose your favorites and use them in sophisticated ways. Group several together on a shelf. Add mirrors and decorative boxes.
Think color: Don’t think you have to go with light colors. “Darker colors add warmth,” Hastings says. “And darker prints work well with plants.” For cold climates, go for deeper greens, blues, corals, reds, and golds.