Decorating in a Hawaiian theme is lovely for a beach cottage or any home in which you want to bring a bit of the islands. You can focus on going Hawaiian on the porch, deck, patio and garden areas, or you can give your whole home a makeover with Hawaiian decor. Give the look a personal touch by placing art and family photographs in rustic wooden frames painted bright tropical colors. Does this Spark an idea?
Palette
The most well known palette for Hawaiian decor is bright tropical jungle shades such as forest green, ocean blue, golden mango, persimmon orange and hot pink. Patterns are popular in this style as well, such as bamboo print on wallpaper or adding a painted border of tropical flowers around a door frame or the window sill. However, you can also do a more muted natural palette that reflects the Japanese Hawaiian style, with light earth tones accented with creams, blacks and bursts of bright red. The Hawaiian beach house look features more bright whites set against deep marine blue and green.
Furnishings and Accessories
The Hawaiian beach cottage look favors the well-worn and natural over slick or synthetic. Rattan or wicker furniture can look more upscale with crisp white cushions, or more casual with faded floral pillows. Woods with light stains create the breezy beach look more than dark or lacquered furniture. Likewise, open floor plans allow the flow of traffic, light and fresh air. If you want a more kitschy Hawaiian look, create a surf shack vibe by mounting a surfboard over the door or framing vintage surf movie and beach party posters. Other people prefer the Polynesian tiki style tradition, with totems, masks, netting and floral arrangements consisting of stalks of bamboo.
Patio and Garden
A Hawaiian theme must somehow extend to the outdoors, even if it only means having large French doors or a skylight that allows natural light to spill inside. Most Hawaiian homes offer some time of sheltered seating around the house, be it in the form of a sun room, patio, deck, porch or patio. If your home lacks this option, you can create impromptu garden seating with a gazebo or even a light cotton canopy suspended over clothesline. A simple umbrella table gets more Hawaiian flavor when the chairs have tropical print cushions and the umbrella is strung with party lights or miniature lanterns. Intersperse shells, sand dollars, starfish and coral in the garden to bring the sea to your home.
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