Cooler temperatures don’t have to mean warming up your decor! Whether you’re looking to create the ultimate west coast beach house, or you need to spruce up your Hamptons cottage, these DIY projects and inexpensive finds will create a year-round coastal oasis without breaking the bank.
Fabric Fake-outs
If you’re looking for a new rug for your living room, family room, or outdoor area, buy a plain cotton rug and add nautical stripes at home for a fraction of the cost. You will need a simple rug, painters tape, and fabric or spray paint. This video from Coastal Living below gives you a step-by-step guide to creating your own adorable rug.
Coastal Rug from Our Boat House
Homemade pillows are another simple fabric fake-out for your coastal home. You can create designer-looking burlap pillows for under $20. You will need a pillow form (use an old pillow or purchase an inexpensive form from a craft store or Ikea), burlap fabric, freezer paper, X-acto knife, iron and fabric paint. Maryann from Domestically-Speaking has perfected the art of burlap pillow making.
Check Domestically-Speaking’s step-by-step instructions here.
For a bold nautical look, create your own blue and white (or yellow and white) striped drapes. Thick stripes can add a bold statement to your living room, and they bring a room filled with neutral furniture and soft hues to life with a floor-to-ceiling statement. The Yellow Cape Cod blog has a detailed explanation of how to create this look for next to nothing!
Nautical Curtains from The Yellow Cape Cod
Furniture Finds For Less
Expensive furniture with a coastal feel is not your only option to creating your dream beach house. Instead of paying a fortune for name-brand furniture, create this look yourself. Go to garage sales, look on Craigslist and visit some flea markets to find classic furniture pieces. From dressers and coffee tables to mirrors and stools, the beach chic look can be yours with a little bit of paint and sanding. Follow these steps to create the distressed, worn-in beach look for less.
DIY Details
You can create a beach house feel with simple accents like mason jars filled with shells that can be purchased at hardware or craft stores. These cute jars will cost you less than $5, and you can mix and match different shapes, sizes and colors to fill empty spaces on a bookshelf, or add a nautical touch to your bathroom decor. If you aren’t in the crafting mood, you can also purchase them ready made from stores like Simply Unique Stuff on Etsy for $12.50, complete with a starfish accent.
Mason Jars from Simply Unique Stuff
Another great inexpensive DIY detail project is creating a nautical glass bottle topped with coral or seashells. Visit a local flea market or look online for a collection of vintage glass bottles. Then, collect or buy a variety of coral, starfish, or large seashells. Fill the bottom of the jar with sand, or leave it empty and hot glue the accent pieces of coral and shells to the top of the jar. These adorable beach house accents make great gifts and can be used as detail pieces in any room in your home. For the non-crafty readers, Etsy has great custom choices of these nautical bottles, like these finds from By the Seashore Decor.
Vintage Bottles from By the Seashore Decor
To add a fresh detail to your beach cottage, take a simple glass vase and wrap it in rope. Adhere the rope with hot glue and fill the vase with fresh hydrangea. Simple detail with rope and nautical colors will liven any room in the house.
Nautical Rope Vase from Julie Blanner
Creating the perfect coastal space doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. Roll up your sleeves, pull out your old glue gun and get crafting on these easy DIY projects and inexpensive finds. You’ll have your dream beach house in no time!
Leave your suggestions for DIY coastal decor in the comments!
