How Do You Decorate A House On Cape Cod?
With beach things, of course! Think light turquoise ocean, sandy beige beaches, blue hydrangeas, bleached seashells, warm yellow sunshine and cool sea-glass. I didn’t have to look far when designing for this couples relaxing retreat from city living. They requested the house to be comfortable, fun, calming, simple and stylish for themselves and their constant flow of guests.
The beach house guest room
This pint-sized guest room, painted “Raindrop”, has plenty of space for weekend guests to drop their bags and head to the beach. The quilt has squares of all the beach colors.
One window for an ocean breeze with a vinyl roller shade for privacy was simple enough for function but certainly has no style.
Elements of a seashell window treatment
This bowl of shells the homeowners collected from the beach caught my attention. Initially, I did a double take since I thought they were a bowl of Cape Cod potato chips!
A soft blue and green stripe fabric from RM Coco is ideal. The design is a flat valance with layers. The treatment would be customized for the house by adding the shells along the bottom. A unique personal touch would incorporate a piece of coral found on a recent trip to Italy. A Hunter Douglas EverWood® Alternative Wood blind for privacy and light control.
Stripe fabric from RM Coco and a contrasting blue for an accent detail are ready for a unique window treatment.
The shells are paper-thin, almost transparent. There is a tiny hole in each of them, just big enough to fit a needle through. Note-I did blog about these when they arrived in my workroom in February but I saved the completed creation for beach season.
The Seashell Window Treatment
The Seashell Valance
Skilled seamstresses attached the shells along the bottom of the window treatment with very fine fishing line, aka invisible thread.
The Cape Cod seashells dangle off the bottom of the valance. The Italian coral takes its place in the center.
The homeowner refinished his childhood dresser. White porcelain seashell knobs made it the perfect addition to the guest room.
Seashell details are throughout the room.
Complete and ready for guests.
Combining shells and coral found on the beach make this window treatment a creative expression of the homeowner. It reflects how they want their guests to feel.
Don’t just live in your house. Contact me to begin creating a nurturing home for you, your family and your guests.
- August 11, 2011
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Marie Mouradian
