Bring the Beach Home This Summer With 7 Hot Design Tips

ARCADIA, WI--(Marketwired - Jun 20, 2013) - The crash of the waves. The smell of the salt water. The warm sun on your face. If you love the beach and want to bring a coastal-inspired feel to your home, beach-inspired decorating gives you a look and feel that's just right for summer, no matter where you live.

"With the right furniture and accessories, you can create a coastal vibe that's equally at home at the beach or in the city," says Brenda Dillon, VP of Merchandising. "With some creativity and a little beach décor, it's easy to turn your home into a retreat that puts you in a pared-back, summery state of mind."

Ashley Furniture HomeStore offers seven simple ways to bring the beach home this summer:

1. Go nautical. Blue and white is the standard color scheme for any nautical-inspired setting. Use it on bedding, throw pillows, accessories and more to create a beach-house feel (e.g. serene blue wall art or a blue vase stuffed with fresh white flowers).
2. Paint your kitchen cabinets white. White kitchens aren't just white-hot; they're cool and coastal-feeling. Choose cool whites for a modern feel; warmer antique whites for a classic, vintage or rustic feel.
3. Add natural-looking fibers. Sisal, straw, raffia, jute, coir, and seagrasses feel casual and coastal, recalling gardening hats and picnic baskets. As much a natural color as a natural texture, they put us in warm state of mind. Use these natural fibers in rugs, placemats, baskets, with rattan chairs, around utensils or soap bars, or as inspiration for a room's paint color.
4. Use slip covers. Give your dining room chairs a coastal makeover with floor-length white slipcovers. Or choose a new dining room set that already gives you the look. A sisal or seagrass rug (or a rug that gives you the same look) under the table can lay the foundation for a refreshingly cool and casual dining room.
5. Bring the beach home. Use starfish, seashells and sand in a decorative jar or vase, line shells up along a mantel, or use them as an accessory in the bathroom. They add a fresh, beach-house inspired look to any space.
6. Choose vintage casual furniture. Rustic-looking, vintage-inspired wood furniture with white color schemes unites "shabby" with the "chic." Think vintage dressers, comfy, oversized sofas, picnic tables or and large wooden gathering tables with extra chairs.
7. Mix-and-match approach. Mismatched furniture carries a casual and vintage beach-cottage feel, suggesting a collected-over-time look that celebrates the past. Think slip-covered chairs around a table, an upholstered bed surrounded by wood cases, or a large, soft, skirted ottoman replacing a coffee table.

For other smart design and decorating ideas, or to browse the hottest new furniture collections and accessories, visit AshleyFurnitureHomeStore.com.

About Ashley Furniture HomeStore

Ashley Furniture HomeStore, the #1 furniture retailer in the United States, delivers furniture and mattresses to customers at over 450 independently owned and operated locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Japan. Ashley Furniture HomeStore is an exclusive provider of furniture from Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc., the largest furniture manufacturer in the United States. "Like" Ashley Furniture HomeStore on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or see their design-focused boards on Pinterest.