In a Martha’s Vineyard beach house, the hue of Nikko hydrangeas becomes a bold accent color. The dining room of this spacious, open plan house shows how two approaches to home decor can be combined. First there is the type of all over wood-plank paneling often associated with the interiors of boats. Then there is the intense blue painted furniture with its cottage-on-steroids … [Read more...]
Gradient Color Painted Dressers
Painted dressers, with a smooth blending of shades from light to dark, are attractive and creative. Now and then I run across something so creative that I can't wait to use the idea at my house or --even better -- my youngest daughter's house. These gradient painted dressers qualify. When I first saw the vintage dresser Korrie from Red Hen Home painted in gradient colors … [Read more...]
Cotton Summer Rugs
Lightweight and brightly colored cotton summer rugs are a seasonal alternative to Oriental carpets. Take a look at beach house decor and you’ll likely find a variety of striped cotton summer rugs. Unfussy and cool on bare feet, they’re often the first rug of choice for cottages and seaside homes. This beach-theme Nantucket bedroom by designer John Willey sports a typical … [Read more...]
Jonathan Adler’s Mod Beach House
Tour the modern Shelter Island, NY beach house of designers Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan Some years ago, (certainly within the last decade) I clipped these photos of an A-frame beach house on Shelter Island (Hamptons, New York) belonging to Simon Doonan (L) and Jonathan Adler (R). As a New Yorker, it’s hard not to know of Doonan, legendary Creative Director at Barney’s and … [Read more...]