Creating a Relaxed Beach-Inspired Living Room

The Living Room is one of our favorite spaces to style and also one of the most complicated – there are just so many elements to coordinate. Especially here in the Sea Loft, the space is quite small and open, you see the living area as soon as you walk in the door and literally from every other room in the house. We had to absolutely nail our beach vibes for this space so that the overall home felt cohesive. Luckily, we were able to tie in many natural elements to create a relaxed atmosphere while keeping many of the other elements light and neutral. 

Some of our main design considerations when outfitting this space included:

• Seating for the Beach Visitors
• Coffee Table & Accent Tables
• Television 
• Art & Lighting

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Seating for the beach visitors

The Couch

As the largest piece in the room, the couch was the most logical place to start when designing this space. Since it really is the focal point of the room and a bulkier item for our relaxed, beachy decor we wanted to keep it as light as possible to keep the space feeling airy. Many people are frightened by a white couch (including Dad), but a white couch is really nothing to be afraid of. The big secret… slip covers! As long as your white couch is a slipcovered white couch, any accidental spills, sand, or smudge can easily be washed (and sometimes bleached) out, for minimal marks, we recommend just using a wetted cloth. If you’re still hesitant, you can always order an extra blanket in the couch fabric or find a cute throw to put over the cushions when in use to protect the color. We love a good white couch because it’s neutral and you can add so much interest with pillows and throws – you can change them out with each season to have a completely different space with minimal investment!

Accent Chairs

Although our couch is quite sizable and can hold many people, it’s always important to have additional seating for guests across from the main couch to encourage the flow of conversation. Since we do have minimal floor space we opted for two foldable Directors Chairs made from bamboo and a white canvas fabric. These chairs are perfect as we can have them out for guests as needed, or fold them and lean them under the stairs and they look fabulous either way, fitting with the beachy feel of the overall space. 

beach-y Table Tops

Coffee Table

We left no opportunity for extra storage untouched so naturally our coffee table does double duty. This wicker trunk brings warmth into the space while also giving us a place to store blankets and towels when not in use. We keep the styling on top minimal (or sometimes non-existent) as it’s important for us to be able to access the contents when needed. If we do put something on the coffee table it is kept in a tray for easy removal. We’ve conveniently had this one for years stored in the garage, but we love love this one for beach vibes – just put a cute white tray on top!

Side & Accent Tables

Our entry table is very minimal and provides a sweet, natural touch and a place to set keys down in the abalone shell as soon as you walk in the door. Our favorite side table resides between the couch and the kitchen peninsula and doubles as a bar cart. We love this rattan bar cart (or here’s a fun similar cart) for its amazing functionality and style. We’re able to house greenery, magazines and most importantly, the TV remotes all in one place. When entertaining this baby is on wheels and turns flawlessly into the bar cart of any tiki bar’s dreams!

The Television

The television is a necessary evil when styling any living room. It’s something that most people have to have in their space (who doesn’t love a good Netflix binge here and there?), but it comes across as an eyesore when not in use. Luckily, we had the perfect place to hide the TV. Our under-the-stairs nook became home to the Television. We mounted the TV on the wall and hid the cords in the wall for minimal visual impact. The best part is that our TV is on a retractable arm, so it can be brought out when watching a show and pushed back to the wall when not in use. This way, everyone can see the TV no matter where they are on the couch, but the TV is non-obstrusive to the rest of the room when not. 

Under the TV we used one of our favorite bookshelves on it’s side and used it for a styling moment (with functionality and lots of storage, of course). We took bits and pieces from travels, beaches and books and used storage baskets to line the bottom and hide the unsightly things! Baskets like this or this fit perfectly and can conceal so many things!

Art & Lighting inspired by the beach

Lighting really is a form of art and can make or break a space. To tie the whole beachy design together we hung a bamboo chandelier from the ceiling in the entry for light and coastal ambiance. This chandelier brings height to the space and is a main focal point in both the living room and the loft above.

Being a small living space, it was really important that all design decisions were made with our overall Modern Coastal vision in mind. From the lightness of the couch, to the natural rattan elements we brought in to warm up and relax the space. We focused intently on making the space bright and inviting, with a relaxed “on holiday” vibe. 

For additional “on holiday” design inspo, please visit our other posts: Creating the Perfect Beach House, The Design of a Modern Coastal Bedroom, Styling a Kitchen with Coastal Design Flair, How to Style a Beach Spa Bathroom & Elements of Styling a Modern Coastal Interior

Photography by: Rafael Bautista & Ali Beck Photography