Coastal Design Inspiration…
Just A Blog Away
By Marcia Bradford, Condo Owner Exclusive
Bloggers Share Passion & Design Ideas For Life By The Sea
They share a love of the sea and ideas for decorating, entertaining, accessorizing and enjoying life at the shore. They reside on the East Coast, West Coast, Gulf Coast…anywhere there is a shoreline. They find beauty in all things related to the sea.
In the past, they might have written letters to friends and families, sent photos of their vacations, helped others update their seaside cottages. Thanks to the Internet, these creative people can now share their ideas, dreams and personal creations with the entire world through their blogs.
Here’s a look at just a few of the bloggers who are monitoring and setting the trends for today’s coastal design.
Seaside Style…Chic By The Sea
At www.seasidestyle.blogspot.com by Linda Dobens, you’ll find details about her life and love of the sea; decorating advice, photos of coastal décor, art, clothing and accessories she loves; samples of her creations, including jewelry and shadow boxes she created from the fishing lures her father left her; and more.
Her Inspiration
From a life spent on the water, Dobens developed a deep affection for all things sea-related. She grew up on Long Island Sound, enjoyed pleasure boating and sport fishing, traveled the Atlantic coast aboard a small yacht and moved near the shore of South Carolina in 1992. When her four children grew up, she became a certified interior decorator. Now she shares ideas for seaside décor and markets her unique Etsy shop Sea Chic jewelry on her blog.
“I began blogging in early 2010 and sort of laughed it off in the beginning,” Dobens said. “But I’ve developed a lot of close friendships along the way. We bloggers often form our own tight-knit communities. It’s all about sharing thoughts and ideas, putting your spin on what others have done, and sharing your own creative concepts.”
Everything Coastal
At www.everythingcoastal.com, you’ll learn what Caron White enjoys about life on the coast. Beachcombing, travel, entertaining friends, sharing stories, spreading toes in the sand, and watching sunsets and storms are all important to this author who shares ideas from her book, “Caron’s Beach House,” as well as other design books she likes. She offers up her recipes for lemon garlic shrimp, crabby mac ‘n cheese and beach party cocktails, and also lets readers in on the best places to shop for beach-y items.
Her Inspiration
Currently residing near Half Moon Bay on the California coast, White’s whole life has been spent around the water and living on the beach.
“A coastal, seaside lifestyle has always been my passion,” she said. “More than anything, I love to share it.” In addition to her blog, White is the creator of a new original coastal home lifestyle retail website, www.CaronsBeachHouse.com. Her online store includes unique coastal home decorating and gift ideas for beach home accents and coastal gifts, including seashore pillows, area rugs for the shore, beach dinnerware and fine glassware, coastal lamps, seashell art, and wreaths.
Coastal Charm
At www.linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com, Linda Sikes shares pictures and stories of her family life in Orange Beach, Ala., ideas for decorating seaside homes, photos of treasures she has uncovered at yard sales and flea markets, and a showcase of items she has “re-purposed” into beautiful works of art and useful furniture. “I like to take old things and make new things out of them,” she said.
Her Inspiration
A resident of Mobile, Ala., Sikes has long enjoyed her family’s condo in Orange Beach, where her husband works as a real estate agent. She has previously decorated many condo units and now owns a business, Coastal Charm Interiors, located within Cotton City Antiques and 5 Gold Monkeys, both in Mobile.
“I’d been reading blogs for a while, and three years ago thought I’d start one myself,” she said. “Since November, when I opened my business, I’ve had lots of people come by—from as far away as Atlanta and Memphis—because they’d seen my blog. I’ve become great friends with a woman in Lake Martin due to the blog—we shop, thrift and lunch together whenever we can.”
Completely Coastal
At www.completely-coastal.com, blogger “Maya,” who lives in coastal Rhode Island, offers an online catalog of stores, books, websites, products and links to other blogs, all intended to provide inspiration for decorating and crafting. Occasionally, Maya includes tales of her own coastal experiences, complete with lovely sand drawings, homemade decorations inspired by the sea, and coastal-inspired items she uses in her home. She offers lots of ideas and instructions for DIY items like sea-glass necklaces, photo-to-canvas prints and ornaments made from shells.
Her Inspiration
A native of Switzerland who now lives along the coast of Rhode Island, Maya loves the coastal lifestyle, the sea, and all things that depict its beauty and essence. She uses her blog to celebrate the sea with others.
House Of Katherine + Leigh
At www.thehouseofkatherineleigh.com/blog, you’ll be inspired by the colors of the ocean, the textures of the beach and the whimsy of Mother Nature.
Bloggers Cameron Leigh Coxworth and Mary Katherine Shirah, who reside in Georgia and are both graduates of the Furnishings and Interiors Program at the University of Georgia, share their architectural sketches, preferred furnishings and the latest interior design trends, as well as individual items they have created, such as refinished furniture.
Their Inspiration
“We have just started our interior design business, and the blog is helping us get our name out there,” said Coxworth. “It’s all about social media today, and we like to use it to show people how to break the mold when it comes to interior décor.”
From patriotic candleholders to the use of nail head trim to sizzling kitchen colors, the House of Katherine + Leigh has up-to-the-minute ideas that will work in condos as well as beach cottages and modern homes.