Decorating & Design
How To Bring A Vacation Vibe Home
Published on July 14, 2020
This year, shelved travel plans have us longing for our next big trip, whenever that may happen. We’ve rounded up some inspiring interiors that spell relaxation and embody the languor of easy living. Steal some style tips from these spots to give your home a vacation vibe, and prove you don’t need a plane ticket to feel a million miles away.
Rustic Chandeliers
There are many kinds of light fixtures that recall beachy hotels, such as capiz shell and raffia. A large-scale wood bead chandelier looks like summer no matter what the calendar says.
Chintz
Nothing brings a rose-garden feel into a room quicker than this beloved fabric. Whether it’s vintage or new, chintz ages gracefully, recreating a quaint, English cottage vibe that looks perennially fresh.
Palm Prints
Want an instant vacation? Wallpaper a room in a breezy tropical staple that’s transportive. The Beverly Hills Hotel made Martinique wallpaper famous, but this tonal version has a quiet, zen appeal that shows how versatile palm patterns can be.
Grasscloth
Designer Sarah Baeumler knows quite a bit about vacation properties, after renovating the Bahamian boutique hotel Caerula Mar Club, owned with husband Brian Baeumler for HGTV Canada’s Island of Bryan. She’s clearly used that tropical DNA when designing the 2020 Princess Margaret Showhome in King City, Ontario. A neutral palette and natural materials, such as linen, grasscloth and woven accents, are timeless, seaside-inspired elements that are almost as soothing as a week away.
Breezy Window Treatments
Picture yourself on terrycloth-covered lounge chair inside a beach cabana, shielded by billowing white drapes. Odds are you aren’t there now, but you can definitely borrow a similar look with floor-to-ceiling white drapes that give this formal living room a relaxed, airy groove.
Indoor Trees
If you have a space, a thriving fiddle-leaf, big palm or flourishing ficus can be a hit of nature with tropical overtones as well as adding a shot of green to a neutral palette.
A Generous Daybed
If one of your fave holiday activities is reading, create a welcoming spot for just that purpose. In this cottage great room, a spacious daybed loaded with pillows says “put your feet up, that bestseller is calling your name.”
Sportsware
Waterskis, skis and sleds are playful ways to amp up decor (witness the popularity of the casually-placed surfboard). In designer Sam Sacks’ cottage dining room, vintage skis complement the warm wooden accents.
Stripes
You love this classic nautical motif on your beach towels and Breton tops, so let them spill over into linens. And not everything has to match: layer in other patterns, such as a banded rug and block-print pillows.
Mix & Match Chairs
No need to stand on ceremony in this breezy farmhouse. Everyone can have a seat at the table, they just don’t all need to look the same. An assortment of mismatched chairs brings a collected-over-time feel.
Humble Painted Furniture
A fresh coat of paint can give flea market or vintage finds new life. Pairing it with dreamy indigo pillows conveys a summery appeal.
Wood Panelling
The beauty of natural wood envelopes this nature-inspired cottage bedroom. With its swirling whorls and wood grain, wood boards impart subtle texture, and each one is as unique as the trees outside the window.
Outdoor Entertaining Spaces
Capitalize on the warm weather with a great room that blends indoor and outdoor living. “It’s important to really tease out what you use the space for,” says Los Angeles-based designer Anne Carr. “Will you be entertaining and need seating for close guests or will it be more of a place where you will lounge by the pool?” Pro tip: don’t be afraid to use light colors for your furniture — outdoor fabrics are durable and stain resistant.
Vintage Toy Sailboats
A nautical theme will always make you feel like you are at the lake or beach house, even when a home is landlocked. Here, the tone is set by a handsome model sailboat, and supported by twin hurricane lanterns, framed maps, and a collection of shells and coral.
Woven Accents
The power of texture plays a major role in how a space feels. A seagrass or sisal rug makes you want to kick off your shoes, while the chunky basket-weave pendant shades add a tropical touch. Folding camp-style chairs with canvas seats are a fun, unfussy alternative to more formal fare in the dining room.
Concrete
Vacation spaces are about simplifying. In this Mexican kitchen, raw concrete counters, open shelving and Cantera stone flooring are supremely easy care. Natural materials such as copper light fixtures, wood bowls and baskets add warmth.
Boho Patio Decor
Not everyone has a lovely view of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, like actor David Cubitt, but you can borrow elements from his balcony once the temperatures rise. To strike a hacienda mood, just add Acapulco chairs, casual woven poufs, reclaimed wood palettes as a coffee table and some lush potted plants.
Shell Motifs
Vancouver blogger Kate Horsman lives in a downtown condo, not a beach house, but her dining room does a credible Malibu impersonation. A convincingly beachy capiz shell chandelier sets the tone over a rustic, sun-bleached wood table. Lucite chairs, a silvery branch sculpture and white walls keeps things breezy.
White
A white palette instantly turns down the visual thermostat. Lush, oversize raffia makes a bed into a destination. To drive the “off-duty pool cabana” theme home, display a few palm fronds on the bedside tables.
Natural Patterns
Some patterns are innately relaxing because they borrow from nature (anything that strengthens our connection to the outdoors makes us feel better). This Larchmont, New York, sunroom has it in spades, from the ocelot-print rug to the rose-print upholstered sofa. Ticking, a longtime cottage favorite, dresses the armchairs.
Found Objects
Instead of loading up a mantel with tchotchkes, a simple clutch of twigs looks freshly gathered from a walk in the woods. Consider displaying nature-inspired collections on a mantel that’s painted fresh white (or in this case, stuccoed).
Exposed Beams
No need to cover up: exposed rafters, framing and even plumbing (see the bathroom behind) creates humble charm in a pool-house guest bedroom. Horizontal boards serve as an ersatz headboard, while naif, nautical art is propped up charmingly on a wall support.
Board & Batten
A classic wall treatment, board and batten is that can be repeated anywhere, not simply boathouses, as seen here. Ready-to-paint, lightweight panels are a budget-friendly alternative which are easy to install. Painted floors are another charming touch to create a relaxed effect which looks better with wear.
Vintage Fixtures
A wall-mounted sink and porcelain tap faucet are timeless. Instead of towel bars, try hooks to hang towels to emphasize a beachy, laid-back effect.
Watery Palette
Want to evoke a lakeside retreat? Try calming shades of blue, like in this cottage kitchen. The stone flooring mimics the rocky stone outcroppings outside: another style steal when it comes to evoking a Muskoka getaway.
Beadboard
In new homes, consider applying a beadboard wall treatment to add distinction and depth to plain drywall. A stack of awning stripe towels injects a hit of holiday-friendly color and pattern.
Window Seats
Vacations homes typically offer places to lounge, read, do puzzles or play a round of cards. This built-in window seat makes good use of odd space and offers a great views.
Vacation Photos
A gallery wall of snapshots taken on vacation can be a simple way to conjure the freedom and exuberance of a holiday. Tie the photos all together but using matching frames and mats for a curated, cohesive look.
Communal Seating
Bring a picnic feel to everyday dining with a bench in the dining room. In this Quebec country house, the owner opted for reclaimed-cedar barn doors to keep the vibe rustic.
Rumpled Linens
Who wants to iron on vacation? Nobody! So choose wisely and opt for linens that look gloriously wrinkled. Even the drapes are casually puddled, just waiting to be ruffled by a summer breeze.
Slipcovers
White canvas slipcovers are a beach house staple. Why? Because they are easy to remove and can be bleached with impunity (a necessity for the perfect storm that is wet bathing suits, sand, and muddy paws). But the best part is that they get softer with each wash, just like your favorite jeans.