Top Coastal Decorating Books for 2016

I treasure the quiet of January, and love the extra time for reflection for what the coming year might bring.  What decorating trends are on the horizon for 2016? What colors is Pantone highlighting? What worked in our store last year? What did not work? What new coastal home products are we sourcing for this spring? Or for summer? 

Step One - Dive into a new stack of Decorating Inspiration!

Here are my top recommendations for beginning the journey to discover beach house decorating that will work for your home.  Everything from adding a few new touches of the coast, to completely redoing a room to create that perfect style that complements your lifestyle.

Beach House Happy by Antonia Van Der Meer

Opening this book by Antonia Van Der Meer is like greeting a long lost friend, and you are instantly transported to life beside the sea. Time for lazy beach walking, shell gathering, day dreaming and no shoes  - just my speed!

The book is chock full of gorgeous dreamy beach home pictures from around the world (many have been featured in Coastal Living Magazine) encouraging you to linger among the pages, Maybe even plan your next vacation escape? 

 I love her passage in the Slow Living Chapter:

"I discovered a uniform belief that a house by the shore should be a refuge, a place to remove ourselves from the stresses of daily life. This is where we go to relax and , as much as possible these days, to unplug. " 

 I could not agree more! 

Style and Simplicity - An A to Z Guide to Living a More Beautiful Life

I confess.... I want to be Ted Kennedy Watson when I grow up.  His store on 1st Avenue is my go-to every time we get a chance to wander around downtown Seattle.  Ted is a renowned lifestyle retailer and blogger, and if I ever open another brick and mortar store (that is a HUGE if) I will go visit his Kennedy-Watson store for inspiration!

Here are a few pics I snapped on one of our trips through his store...  Love the nautical charts displayed in a vintage clam basket!

He just instinctively knows how to put a look together, and in his beautifully photographed lifestyle book, he show the rest of us how to do it!  Every letter, A to Z,  leads to ideas that anyone can use to enhance their home with items they already have.Everything from how to display a burgeoning special collection to adding special touches for a dinner party -

Love the letter "X"!  "My Dad always signed cards to my mom with XOX"....

I grabbed my signed copy at Ted's store in Seattle, but you can also buy a copy from my friends at Liberty Bay Books. Click here for details.

Sand Castles - Interiors Inspired by the Coast

I loved this book so much that we actually curated a whole new "Beachcomber"  look this past fall to emulate the ideas that Tim Neve expounds in his wonderfully photographed coastal Australia decorating book.

 He is so right on trend with his advice about coastal decorating, "There's a true difference between tropical and nautical, bohemian style and beach style" - This is the same philosophy that we have created at our store,  and his book does a fabulous job of laying out ideas to embrace the different looks for each genre of beach house decorating as it is divided up into four distinctive Foundations of Styles: Beachcomber, Seafarer, Islander, Bohemian and Endless Summer.

(Check our Coastal Style Categories for inspiration too!)

It's a wonderful book to dive into - if only for the simple pleasure of enjoying the tour around the coastal areas of Australia.  Every time I peek inside,I discover something new!

Eating Up the West Coast - Sunset Magazine
The best road trips, restaurants, and recipes from California to Washington

Not necessarily decorating, but a wonderful book that is part travel, part restaurant review and part cook book gathered from the travels of author Brigit Binns.  Such a fun experience to follow along with Brigit, on her journeys up and down our coast - inspires me every time to try a new side road or a new restaurant.

Currently, we are cooking our way through the recipes in the Washington Section.  We've recreated the Cedar-Planked Wild Salmon with Beurre Blanc (yum!) and I even devoured the Baked Oysters made from the recipe from the "Oyster Bar" on Chuckanut Drive.  They were so good that I made them from my mom and dad at Christmas too!

 For complete recipe and instructions - check my blog post from September - Vermouth Baked Oysters

Would love to hear from you - do you have a new favorite beach home decorating book to recommend? We are always looking for new travel and cook books too!

6 Ideas for Book Decorating at Your Beach House

1. Use a clear glass vase or even a vintage mason jar full of collected seashells for bookends - easy to do!  Makes your bookshelf instantly beachy, and so easy to change with the seasons and as you collect new beach treasures.  Think sea glass, shells, driftwood.... 

 My office bookshelf....

2. Use books to create an interesting impromptu side table! Would be such a great idea to use different books to reflect a season, or a favorite artist or coastal theme.  I might add a fabulous tray on the top of my stack of books though, as I have been know to spill sometimes...

3. Make an impact by grouping books in coastal colors together. Or grouping themes together - like a group of classics in the same color shade.  Especially interesting if they are well-loved! 

4. Keep your coastal bookshelf interesting with space for artwork, vintage objects and real shells.  Specimen shells are very cool, but honestly I am not a big fan of real coral, unless it is truly vintage.  There are so many option out there for really good faux coral...  Don't worry so much about matchy-matchy decor, just show off what you love, and what makes you happy!

5. Create a stack of books to make a design impact, giving your coastal room a completed elegant look.  Mix with coral, shells or other found seaside objects.  Get creative, but don't overdo it!

6. And my favorite idea of all - an entire wall of bookshelves to show off your 

summer reads, favorite art and collected treasures.  

Painting the inside of the shelf really gives it an extra pop!  

So easy to change; paint the inside a different color, change the accessories, stack the books a different direction, change out the family photos or even add seasonal accessories. Possibilities are endless to create something that  is truly an unique reflection of your home, and coastal lifestyle!

All of these ideas and more can be found on my Pinterest Board "Book.Dreaming". Stop by and see what else might inspire you to look at your collection of books just a little bit differently! If you are curious about where I look for inspiration, take a look at my Decorating Book Page at Liberty Bay Books for all of my favorites.  Caron's Book Reads 

My bookshelf is overflowing with sea glass books and these new favorites! 

Books are just essential to me... do you have any to recommend? Happy Weekend!