Stunning living room designs inspired by beach houses

YOUR FAVOURITE BEACH MATS OR RUGS CAN BE USED IN THE LIVING ROOM, TOO

To make our homes echo our personalities, incorporating our favourite things and creature comforts make it cosy and stylist at the same time. If a day on the beach is your fondest memory or something you often look forward to, placing mementos and souvenirs will regularly remind you of it. It could be your favourite mat or beach towel used on the floor or a throw you picked up from a beach shop that brightens up the contemporary living room interior, or just about anything that sparks joy!

BRING UNIQUE ELEMENTS FROM A BEACH INTO YOUR LIVING ROOM

From seashells to corals and interesting rocks—the beach is a natural treasure trove of objects you can use around the home as pieces of décor. If you’re looking to create a beach-house style living room but don’t want to renovate the entire space, try adding simple elements from the seaside as accessories on a coffee table, or framed and hung as art. In this living room, a large piece of driftwood has been sanded down to create a statement centre table. Reminiscent of abandoned logs found on a beach, this ties the room together with a rustic twist.

LIVING ROOM IDEAS WITH POPS OF OCEAN-INSPIRED COLOUR
When we think of the shades found on a beach, we remember sandy tones and azure blues. But we often forget the vibrant colours of marine life found under the sea. If you’re looking to add a splash of colour to a monotone room, bright pops of electric coral will immediately liven up the décor. You could either place a few accessories, a couple of cushions or a throw in this juicy orange colour or reupholster an armchair in a similar shade.

STYLE TIP: Looking to add accents of coral on your walls? If frames of art aren’t doing the trick, try a similar-toned wallpaper on a single wall to create a statement. We’re partial to the gorgeous range of wall coverings by Asian Paints, which include collaborations with fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and luxury décor retailer Good Earth.

METALLIC DETAILING FOR A HINT OF BEACHSIDE GLAMOUR
While beachside living is usually associated with an easy-breezy laidback lifestyle, that doesn’t mean an elegant and formal living room interior can’t follow this aesthetic. If you’re looking to design a living room that’s neat and put together, while still having an air of bohemian charm, use a pastel palette for your furnishings with metallic hints on your wall fittings. Not only will metallic details like gold, brass or copper add a delicate touch of luxury but also lift up the neutral tones of the room.

A LIVING ROOM INSPIRED BY DRIFTWOOD ON A BEACH
Contrary to popular belief, pastel sandy tones and shades of blue aren’t the only colours that make for interesting beachside living room ideas. The seaside is a treasure trove of natural wildlife and textures which can be brought to life in your home. If you prefer a darker, warmer wood finish, turn to driftwood on a beach for inspiration for your furniture pieces.

INSIDER’S EYE: In this driftwood-inspired living room, the solid unpolished coffee table and mantlepiece serve as a stark but regal juxtaposition against the bright white walls.

LIVING ROOM INTERIORS AS BLUE AS THE SEA
If you face tropical or warm weather through most of the year, the soothing aesthetic of a beach-style living room will leave the space feeling like a respite from the heat. With its cool tones, any shade of blue not only replicates the crisp waters and waves of the ocean but also adds an interesting colour to your walls, upholstery or accessories.

INSIDER’S EYE: While all four walls of a room in turquoise might seem a little overpowering,  in this living room it serves as a clear single-toned canvas for layering other furniture pieces.

A SINGLE PIECE OF ART CAN DICTATE THE STYLE OF A ROOM
The pieces we choose in our home should immediately tell a story to anyone who enters it. A simple piece of art hung on a wall immediately holds up a window into a person’s thoughts and preferences. It reveals their colour choices, their overarching personality, and, sometimes, even a bit of history about them. Similarly, if you want to create a certain theme in your room, a work of art is the simplest way to do so. A painting of a seahorse, a box frame of seashells or a picture of your favourite beach will quickly echo the charm of a beach house around the living room.

LET THE ARCHITECTURE SPEAK FOR ITSELF
Any one who has ever lived close to the sea knows that a real beach-side home has minimal décor and a sturdy structure to withstand the elements and weathering action. If your home has interesting architectural elements or designs, a seaside home’s style can help play up these details. With only the basic pieces of furniture and a muted colour palette for its walls and furnishings, a beach-house living room idea can let the home’s architecture speak for itself.

EXPERT EYE: We love how the louvered doors have been highlighted with a matte grey coat of paint. Not only does it add a sense of layering in the living room, but also draws the eye to it.

FIND THE MARINE-WORLD ALTERNATIVE TO YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR
From rich corals to jewel-toned fins, marine life under the surface of the ocean is a brilliant melange of colours. If you have a favourite shade you want to play up in a living room, choose it’s sea-life alternative instead. A clever living room idea for anyone who likes verdant hues of green is choosing a cooler sea foam green instead. With lighter pastel undertones, this colour will create an airier, beach-like mood in your living room in an instant.

LIVING ROOM INTERIORS THAT ARE AS NEUTRAL AS SAND
To play up the image of a sandy beach in your living (sans the messiness of actual sand!) create a colour palette that works with muted earthy tones. While this idea may seem like it could leave a room looking washed out, the key here is to build multiple hues in the same family of colours. While at first glance this elegant living room’s interior looks like it’s in one single colour, if you look closely the sandy floors blend into the beige sofa which rests in front of dusty coral walls. Blending seamlessly together, this is the perfect definition of layering a single colour in a room.