Just beachy

Living by the ocean — or feeling like you live by the ocean — never seems to go out of style.

Beach-themed décor has consistently been available at home-furnishings stores, and was singled out as an on-trend style during the First Look presentation during the Las Vegas Market at World Market Center Las Vegas earlier this year.

Light-colored furniture and bright, coastal accents evoke memories of sunny days spent on sandy beaches, said Julie Smith Vincenti of Nine Muses Media, a trend watcher who presented the First Look seminar at the winter event.

“Whether the consumer lives along the coast or simply yearns for a home that reflects all that is wonderful about coastal living, coastal design is gaining popularity everywhere. The style it represents is a carefree lifestyle with touches of sophisticated elegance,” said Fran Scheller, director of case goods for Broyhill Furniture.

“The best part of this style is that it has very traditional roots. This allows the look to be timeless and classic while maintaining a casual feel,” said Max Dyer, vice president of marketing for Kincaid Furniture Co. “It also makes good use of natural/authentic materials so there is nothing contrived or fake about the style.”

One popular style of furniture that evokes a coastal-casual feeling is British Colonial, which blends elements of classic British style with island living.

According to HGTV, the style was born out of tradition and necessity. When the British began exploring and settling in the Caribbean in the 1600s and 1700s, they brought items from home, but found they had to modify them to fit into their new surroundings. They used woods found in the area, primarily mahogany, which has a dark, rich color, and paired it with light, flowing fabrics to reflect the sunshine and help keep their homes cool.

A good example of this is Kincaid’s new Moonlight Bay collection.

“Moonlight Bay takes some of the best motifs from classic British Colonial styling and presents them in a casual look,” Dyer said.

Island and tropical motifs also are prominent in the collection, such as the sunburst panels on the Cayman media chest or palm fronds on the Plantation bed. Dyer said these motifs “would have been part of the environment that those original artisans looked to for inspiration.”

Additionally, the collection is done in plantation-grown mahogany that is matched with fabrics and patterns common to the original British colonies.

Although you might expect to see woven wicker furniture in a coastal setting, Scheller and Dyer said you can still achieve the same type of look and feeling with other furniture styles.

“It can be Queen Ann pieces repurposed with bright colors and used in unexpected places. Furniture with casual, low sheen finishes or painted in whites and blacks can transport any home into a chic beach bungalow state of mind,” Scheller said.

Broyhill’s new Seabrooke collection reimagines the British Colonial style in a creamy white finish and incorporates elements such as shutters. Additionally, the collection is scaled for smaller bedrooms and vacation homes.

HGTV Home’s Water’s Edge collection also has a creamy white finish so it can be mixed and matched with other furniture styles and finishes. According to Renee Loper, vice president of marketing for HGTV Home Furniture, mixing furniture finishes creates a “put-together-from-world-travels look” that fits in perfectly with the historic origins of the style.

Accent pieces from the collection are available in water-inspired hues: Indigo, a deep, rich blue; Riverway, a teal color; and Watery blue, a pastel shade.

The lighter finishes allow the furniture to blend easily with colors such as coral, soft blues and natural greens that are traditional, casual and tropical, Dyer said.

Or you could go more nautical with red, navy and gold, Loper said.

Scheller said a good color to use in these type of settings is turquoise, Pantone’s color of the year in 2010, which has continued to gain popularity .

“The color can be seen in kitchens, family living spaces and especially bedrooms where the consumer wants an escape from the everyday stress,” she said.

For upholstery, Dyer said natural linens and cottons help pull the look together, while the texture adds interest to the scene.

To complete the look, Scheller said furnishings should be used with plants, accent pillows with tropical themes, shells, wood pieces and casual family photos.