Building Materials for a Coastal Interior Renovation Part 1

Renovating a room in the middle of a landlocked state?  No problem.  The building materials that are on the market today combined with a dollop of imagination can turn your landlocked abode into a coastal cottage befitting the sand, dunes, and sea of any coastal town.

Very traditional and yet very effective is an old standby... bead board.  Add it to walls.  Add it to ceilings.  Paint it in coastal white and pale surf blue or pale sea glass green.  Not only does it give your room a fabulous coastal look but it will cover up a myriad of problems on walls and ceilings.

ABOVE: Crisp white beadboard below and neutral tan above.  Wainscotting with beadboard can be any height, this example is fairly standard at about half the room height. Classy.

ABOVE This example shows beadboard at full room height and painted in a luxurous coastal blue to contrast the white furnishings and trim. Gorgeous!

ABOVE This room uses beadboard with a tall and wide molding and about three quarters of the height of the room.  This creates an area to show off pictures and the shelf creates a great space to display coastal treasures.

ABOVE  Add painted bead board to a ceiling and finish it off with white beams.

ABOVE  When adding beams to a bead board ceiling there are some really good faux wood beams available that are lightweight and easy to install.  Can you tell this is a faux beam?

ABOVE:  If you like a more beach cottage look installing white stained shingles will definitely help you accomplish that look.  Install on one wall or more.  This can help you get an enclosed porch feel.  We all love coastal porches!   BELOW:  For a vibrant coastal look stain your shingles in a bright color!  The dark blue shingles would be fabulous for nautical decor!

Part 2 of this series will cover additional building materials for renovating a room or an entire house.  If you would like to incorporate any of these ideas there are plenty of "how-to" articles and videos on the internet to help guide you.  We would love to see the results of any projects related to this article so please email us if you have photos.