Affordable Beach House Styling

Continuing on from the Beach House Red Series I began last week, today is the living /dining room reveal at the beach cottage.  Those who have been following along will recall, space is at an absolute premium in this cottage.  The solution....storage becomes art. Fruit and vegetables are ingeniously stored in colour coordinated string bags.  Kitchen bits are hung on a vintage ladder.

A willingness to suck it see, has given these coastal edge cutters the freedom to really pull the eclectic look of this beach cottage together. This girl knows the rules and then she breaks them, creating a magnificent visual feast.

So, it just goes to show, even if the kitchen has to invade the living room, it doesn't have to be culinary chaos.  Rather, go with what you have and make it work for you. So what, if your pots, pans and kitchen utensils don't fit into the cupboard.  Hang them, gallery style, so they all meld in, to beautify the eclectic feel of your home.  It's original and a total eye catcher.

Rustic vintage furniture also adds interest.  As they say in the classics, spend money on a few timeless pieces that you absolutely love. The rest will take care of itself.  This gorgeous cabinet is from Rust, supplier of well worn interiors.  See my stories on that ab fab store here and here.

Bottle storage makes for a cute splash of Beach House Blue.

Fruit and vegetables, live or otherwise, can be stored in any little vessel that will hold them.  These cherry tomatoes and a chili plant add affordable layered texture.

As for the dining room, the key to success here is another timeless piece.  Start with a beautiful table... the best you can afford.  I would not be the  first to have snaffled a great table, road side.  So, when it's council clean up week or however your local municipality handles such stuff, get out there with the best of them and see what you can come up with. 

Now this beautiful table was not acquired that way, but you have to start somewhere.  A glass top has been temporarily installed to reduce kiddo stains.  Deck chairs sourced on ebay, add to the beachy feel.  So reasonable in fact, the freight was more than the cost of the chairs. 

And how about these Australian natives?  I have walked past these a thousand times at the supermarket, but never again.  Retro, vintage and repro layered against a louvre window and Australian natives that last ages compared to exotics, create a classic Aussie beach house look.  Cut these blooms low and shove them in a colourful bowl for great results. 

Whimsical placement of pop art evokes childhood memories, adding to the simple elegance of this room.

A beautifully styled day bed, again sourced from Rust, with loads of cushions shouts out, 'hang out here'.  Gorgeous religious icons and rugs add detail.  And if the seating is limited, throw some bean bags around for the littlies.  They love them for TV or relaxing in front of their screen of choice. 

Lots of inspiration here.

Happy decorating

Best Carolyn

Today I am linked up to

and at Between Naps on the porch for