Wake Up to Beach Style: A Coastal-Inspired Bedroom

After a restorative vacation, many of us wonder how to hold onto a relaxed feeling as we settle back into our daily routine. If you’ve vacationed near the coastline yet live farther inland, the contrast can be more than a little jarring. Salty ocean air and wave after wave of every blue imaginable promote calm in a way that many other settings just can’t match.

Infusing the bedroom with coastal style goes a long way toward recapturing that vacation feeling, and it doesn’t have to involve a single nautical pattern. Instead of relying on themed accents, focus on updates that play to the senses to bring serenity and beachy vibes to the most personal space in your home.

Lay or Layer Natural Fiber Rugs

Shore areas provide so many textures for your feet – soft sand perfect for toe wiggling, rocky sand that beats the best exfoliator, and even the compact variety that holds your footprints until the next wave. Reminiscent of ship decks and boardwalks, hardwood floors still need a touch more texture to reach true beach style. Decide which textures you prefer and lay rugs that give your feet the same sensation. If you like rocky beaches, try jute woven into patterns you can feel. Soft sand lovers might invest in a fluffy, light-hued area rug. For the perfect mix, layer rugs or opt for multiple styles so that your feet can transition from rougher to super soft surfaces as you would when walking barefoot on the beach.

Refresh with Shades of Blue

Calming and restorative, blue also has been shown to boost the imagination, making it an impactful color in the effort to recreate vacation atmosphere. From the mist-heavy morning sky to the heavily glossed hull of a sailboat, there are endless shades to be found at the coast. Bring them into the bedroom via wall paint, upholstery, or bedding, then add a few room accents in other hues so that your eye can move from blue to blue.

Add Some Shimmer

Whether you favor gold or silver metal tones, incorporate some reflective surfaces beyond mirrors. Unlike the flat face of a mirror, the ocean reflects light in multiple directions, creating a shimmery surface that catches the eye in different ways. A multi-faceted dresser knob, curtain rod finial, or vase will reflect light in a way that is more reminiscent of the dynamic ocean surface. Gold tones contrast blue elements, giving a nod to sand and water, while silver draws out the grayer tones in cool shades.

Hang Artwork that Evokes the Right Feelings

The selection of bedroom artwork is a highly personal process, with perhaps more freedom than choosing works for the living room and other family or entertaining spaces. A coastal scene may be too obvious a choice for beach style, and if the scene bears little resemblance to your favorite relaxation spot, it won’t accomplish the desired effect. Instead, you might opt for a striated contemporary piece that reminds you of lapping waves or a painting whose vibrant colors would be equally fitting as surfboard stripes. Search for a piece whose design elements evoke the right feelings in you. You’ll know when you find it. And don’t worry about matching artwork to bedding and decor, as there are no rules for artwork selection. If it’s within your budget and evokes the right feelings, bring it home.

Replace a Standard Alarm Clock with a Sunrise Simulation Version

Despite all the changes in your bedroom, waking up is never easy for those of us who aren’t morning people. For many years I was doubtful that a sunrise simulation clock would help me get out of bed, but it truly does. Rather than being awoken by a blaring alarm, I find that the slowly increasing glow of a sunrise clock does the trick more gently, especially accompanied by a more pleasant wake sound. The best vacations allow us to get out of bed when we wish, or when the sun tells us it’s time.

Without even one nautical print, it’s possible to create a serene, beachy mood in the bedroom. Focus on elements that remind you of a coastal vacation – from the way you wake to the texture under your feet as you climb back into a cozy bed.