Beach Chic, by Cindy Clay Srader

Beach Chic – A design style comprised of a combination of clean lines and organic finishes that work together to create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere. The color scheme is inspired by the beach and the natural environment of sun, sea and sand!

Now Where Did I Put That?

By Cindy Clay Srader
If your beach house is like most, you never have enough storage. Here are some “found” spaces that can really help with those problems but also will add to the overall architectural look of your home. The area between your interior walls is approximately 4 inches. This space can be used in a number of ways one being extra

Are you a Collector?

By Cindy Clay Srader
Do you always see just one more thing you “need” to add to your collection? Well, join my club. When I fall in love with something, I have a hard time stopping and I really hate to hide my treasures. Here on Bolivar we can find treasures to collect every day. I would love to see some pictures of yours. “Art is in the eye of the beholder!” A familiar

Thinking out of the box!

By Cindy Clay Srader
I guess you could call me a kitchenaholic. I have remodeled many and redone several of my own and enjoyed every minute of it! Learning to blend the different areas of the kitchens that are necessary but make them different to each person is challenging and something I love to do! To me having enough space is everything, efficient use of that

Bright and Light Color

By Cindy Clay Srader
Color, color everywhere! Living in Crystal Beach, the overall look of the landscape has changed dramatically since IKE. The new homes going up are not only beautiful but have a wonderful array of colors. When I drive down Hwy 87, it almost feels like we are living in Bermuda or the Bahamas. I love the look and feel of these homes. Today’s room

Elegance by the Waves!

CS_2014-1028-0By Cindy Clay Srader
A Little of This and a Little of That
Here is another eclectic room that is more in the shabby chic style! Many of us building a beach home as a second home may not have the resources to shop for new furniture. Over the years I have shown you several ways to make use of found items and junque shop buys. This dining area is

Elegance by the Waves

CS_2014-1014-0By Cindy Clay Srader
Tropical Elegance
This very eclectic room could be almost anywhere. Using bright white makes this room about the furniture and accessories! Painting the rafters and the floors white unifies the room, lending a feeling of a light filled seaside cottage. The white daybed with a blue and white cover

Dormers when you need that little extra!

CS_2014-1007-0By Cindy Clay Srader
As you can tell by now, I tend to be drawn to rooms that have several shades of blue. Many of the homes being built in Bolivar have high peaked roofs with dormers. Some of these areas can be left unfinished and later turned into extra living space. Think, Bonus room! This room uses those many shades of blue on the walls, artwork and

Rub a Dub Dub, Who needs a tub?

CS_0930Elegant Beach Bath, By Cindy Clay Srader
From the colors on the wall to the glass knobs, this bath says which way is the water? Turquoise on the wall makes everyone think of the beach and the beautiful skies we have here! I am a big fan of wainscoting in bathrooms. The heights they used in this bathroom allows you to use a bright color that becomes an accent. These beautiful glass knobs

Go Ahead and Be Blue

CS_2014-0923-0By Cindy Clay Srader
Blues, Blues, and More Blues
One of my favorite things in decorating for the beach is the personality of the owner can really shine through! This dining room reflects the colors and style of beach living. The table and chairs are not matchy, matchy! To me this is a very good thing! Use your imagination! Note in this room, the table

Rain, Rain Go Away

CS_2014-0909-0By Cindy Clay Srader
How many times have you wanted to sit on your covered deck but the blowing rain kept you inside. Maybe the West sun was so strong, that side of your deck was unbearable in the afternoon. Or maybe your neighbors are just too close. This idea of putting louvered shutters on the end of your deck would solve all of those problems. This solution

Nap Time…

CS_2014-0802-0By Cindy Clay Srader
Today I am only having a DYI idea! I saw this on the internet, fell In Love with it, and think it would be great under any beach house. When you install this you may want to do it on cross beams for sturdiness. This bed shows that the rope is put in a more swinging format, but could easily be mounted using rope from each corner. I love the idea of using

Dinner is Served!

By Cindy Clay Srader
There is nothing I enjoy more than entertaining. Because of health restraints I have not done much but I need to start forcing myself. I enjoy it too much to not make that effort. This week I am only doing my article on Beach inspired table settings. Notice that there are many items on this table that can be “do it yourself”. Spray paint a few branches to

Shabby Chic at Its Finest!

By Cindy Clay Srader
If you are like me you like to go junking and find those pieces that you can remake for your home. This picture shows how you can put so many different pieces together and make it work. If you have a busy, large family, this room will not give you any anxiety when a child or grandchild spills! I love this old wooden kitchen table that has many coats of

Woof Woof!

By Cindy Clay Srader
Everyone has something they love and is a true part of their everyday life. What better place to showcase that than in your beach home. This room, as an animal lover, is one of my favorites for the beach. I would love to see even one of my dogs on our surfboard. I will leave that to my grandkids and nephew and their friends. This picture, which is an

For The Beach Or the City

CS_2014-0805-0By Cindy Clay Srader
This room says beach in so many ways. Painting the back of the white hutch lime green highlights the beautiful white coral and shells. This is a perfect way to showcase your treasures. The large tropical botanical prints on either side of the hutch creates the beach atmosphere. When looking for colors for your beach house you can be brave with brighter

For The Beach Or the City

CS_2014-0729-0By Cindy Clay Srader
I love the Elegance of this Living area. The neutral wall color is just dark enough to make the white woodwork pop. Note the beautiful fabric on the arm chairs. The colors in this fabric bring the color palette to this room. The blue was brought over to the fringe on the couch, the pillows on the couch and the beautiful case on the coffee table. The white open

Did you say S’mores…

CS_2014-0722-0DESIGN IDEA, By Cindy Clay Srader
I love the idea of open beams and the light look of this room. It is part of a New England beach house and is only used in the summer. One way we could have this look in our beach houses would be to actually install the beams and wood paneling after the home is insulated! I am sure that if a builder could make a cathedral ceiling using

Things you really need to know if you have a home on the beach

CS_2014-0715-0By Cindy Clay Srader
DESIGN IDEAS: Color, color everywhere! Just don’t forget your kitchen. Most of us have always used colored accessories in our kitchens with either White or Stained cabinets! The joy of living at the beach is we can do what we want and our homes can still be elegant and fun. When deciding on painted cabinets, think about your favorite

Things you really need to know if you have a home on the beach…

CS_2014-0708-0DESIGN IDEAS, By Cindy Clay Srader
This bathroom would liven up any beach house. I love the play of bright turquoise tile in the shower and how they edged the mirror with the same edging tile that was used in the shower. One of my favorite things is using mosaic tile on shower floors that match the walls. In this room everything is white so the bright color really stands out! The touch of lime

Things you really need to know if you have a home on the beach

CS_2014-0701-0By Cindy Clay Srader
Many of us were fortunate enough to be able to rebuild soon after Ike. It is hard to believe it has been about five and a half years since our slate was wiped clean and for some of us it is re-do time! Some of these tips will help new home builders also, as well so please talk to your builders about them. Things you may find out the hard way:

Different take on twin beds!

By Cindy Clay Srader
Some beach houses have very small guest bedrooms. There are a few options with these rooms as far as what type of bed you may want to use. Most people either put bunk beds or a double bed in the room. In this picture try to imagine the space in front of you as the doorway. By positioning twin beds opposite heads from each other

Now Where Did I Put That!

By Cindy Clay Srader
If your beach house is like most, you never have enough storage. Here are some “found” spaces that can really help with those problems but also will add to the overall architectural look of your home. The area between your interior walls is approximately 4 inches. This space can be used in a number of ways, one being extra

Making old new again!

By Cindy Clay Srader
When moving to the beach and making it our home, frequently we have favorite pieces that we may not think will fit in with your beach décor. Some pieces look wonderful painted white and lend themselves to enhancing your other furniture. Think of how beautiful this piece would look against a bright colored or even a beautiful blue wall. The white

It’s all about the layers!

When decorating a room, your vision should always start with the bottom layer. In this room that layer is actually a beautiful wood floor. The next layer is a natural rug, maybe raffia and then topped with an animal print. The good thing about this animal print rug is that it is angled and it actually tricks the eye to make the room appear larger. This rug on top of the main rug ties the furniture into a grouping. Since

Who says beach glass needs to be kept in a jar?

By Cindy Clay Srader
When I saw these counters I feel in love. These countertops are manufactured in the same way that quartz countertops are, but in this instance sea glass is used. There are so many different colors that the options are infinite! The countertops are poured with the glass in it and then polished smooth. I am all for anything that makes

Ahoy Matey…

This room is a dream for any little boy! If you like nautical, this is about as nautical as you can get. This same look could be made with white platform beds like the ones sold at Pottery Barn. The bed is basically a platform with drawers. The sails at the end of the beds can be made with dowels bought from any home goods store. Making a triangle from canvas and attaching to the dowels make a

Would you like a booth?

By Cindy Clay Srader
I talked about using a bump out window to help make a benched dining area. You can still have the same feature without having the window. In this room they upholstered the back and the seat in the same fabric. I have actually seen a headboard that looks just like this at Pier 1. In a beach house, storage is always at a premium. Using this

Here comes Easter!

By Cindy Clay Srader
I love Wallies! They have so many designs and you can literally use them in each room. I even used some Fish Wallies on the back of some white kitchen chairs I had before IKE. The great thing about them is that they are not permanent. The come off easily, the two that I featured here would look great in any beach home. The parrot is

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