The decor of a Hamptons house celebrates a life lived on the beach.
The Hamptons, that beachside area on the eastern end of Long Island near New York City, is a place that offers its occupants a retreat from city life. Tired feet kick thongs and sandals into the corner upon arrival and enjoy the comforting feeling of hard wood and interesting throw rugs that are so popular in this type of home. Decorative items found at antique markets, or which have been handed down through the generations, adorn the home's rooms. Additionally, these homes tend to feature a common color scheme and accessories that support the casual lifestyle of the beach.
Instructions
1. Choose blues, greens and yellows as your decorating colors and select furniture and accessories that match this type of color scheme. These colors are the colors typically found in beach houses in the Hamptons. These nautical colors are very popular in the Hamptons, in part because they "hide" the sand that follows your shoes in from a day at the shore.
2. Paint the walls with a light-colored paint. Hamptons beach houses typically feature paint colors like off-white, light blues, greens and yellows. You can create additional visual interest by adding something to the paint to make it looked like distressed wood; if you have distressed wood already, consider painting over it.
3. Gravitate toward rugs, curtains, upholstery and over-the-couch quilts that feature patterns often found at beach houses. These include nautical stripes, gingham, toile and florals.
4. Look for furniture and accessories that allow you to mix and match the old with the new. Beach house style tends to be perfected not in one decorating session, but rather over the course of time. Use items like an English antique painted linen press for storing sheets or table linens, or an antique painted French wrought-iron daybed. By mixing and matching these elements, you retain the casual look of the beach house.
5. Seek out natural fibers for your upholstery, curtains and rugs. Common fabrics include cotton, linen and canvas. Beach houses in the Hamptons tend to feature "sand-friendly" fabrics, meaning you can remove sand from these fabrics easily.
6. Use decorative accessories like throw pillows, quilts, art prints and other accessories that feature one or two common colors to pull the whole room together. For example, if you've opted to mix and match patterns on your upholstery and floor coverings, a common color will help make these items look like they go together even if they don't.
7. Decorate end tables, your fireplace mantle, bookshelves and coffee tables with the shells like the clam, crab and scallop shells you've collected on the beach. Use these items to make Hamptons beach-inspired candles, shadow boxes and table lamps.
8. Decorate a window seat with some of the throw pillows you've placed on the couch. Cover the window with cotton curtains that you can easily open and let the beach view into the room.
9. Invite the outdoors inside by making a floral arrangement from flowers that are prevalent in the Hamptons, like hydrangeas.
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