What Does Coastal Style Mean To You

What Does “Coastal Style” Mean To You?

As we search the globe for new ideas, artwork, décor, and inspirations, we can’t help but notice how amazingly different some coastal lifestyles really are. But let us begin by saying that creating peaceful and more relaxed spaces at home is so important to one’s mental health and well-being! We are thrilled to bring as much inspiration as we can which will help you to define what that peaceful and relaxed space means to you, what it looks like, and how it makes you feel.

We are here to not only provide great ideas for your home but also to provide a bit of humor and some inspiration about how to live a happy life. We cannot highlight enough the importance of positive attitudes, relaxing environments, great food (and great cocktails of course), awesome friends, and genuinely sincere and positive vibes!

So back to coastal lifestyles! Here’s a peaceful minimalist place the really inspires us all the way from Madagascar!

Photo Credits: Top 7 Unique House Design

Minimalism is the key word here. We love this because it inspires one to start with a clean slate. From there, less truly is more. For people who find lots of individual pieces to be distracting or “noisy”, remove as much as possible and then slowly introduce new and/or existing pieces. Avoid clutter. Take time between each addition to breathe and sit back for a few moments. Take note of how you feel and where you really would like to see things go from there.

If you find that letting go of things is harder to do than you thought, here is some very wise advice from Marie Kondo at konmari.com:

“Only you can know what kind of environment makes you happy – this is the underlying principle of the KonMari Method™. It’s also what sets it apart from other tidying techniques that rely on strict guidelines instead of personal criteria. You’ve probably heard “Discard anything you haven’t used in two years,” or “Every time you buy something new, get rid of something old.” But Marie’s method is different.

In the KonMari Method™, your feelings are the standard for decision making – specifically, knowing what sparks joy. To determine this when tidying, the key is to pick up each object one at a time, and ask yourself quietly, “Does this spark joy?” Pay attention to how your body responds. Joy is personal, so everyone will experience it differently; Marie describes it as “…a little thrill, as if the cells in your body are slowly rising.”

Through the process of selecting only those things that inspire joy, you can identify precisely what you love – and what you need.“

Very wise advise indeed! So take your time and try to do you best. Sometimes a largely empty space with only a few pieces that truly transport you to your tropical happy place are all that is needed to create the relaxing and peaceful space you need.

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Amazingly Different

Since there are so many different coastal settings from the South Pacific to the coasts of New England and beyond, we thought it would be fun and interesting to take a look at just how different they really can be. While we cannot do a complete and in-depth review of all of them in a single day, we do want to write about them as we come across them.

Regarding the tropics, you might be thinking “isn’t a tropical lifestyle just something where people are wearing Hawaiian shirts, hanging out at the beach and drinking fruity rum cocktails with umbrellas in them?” At first glance, yes, it would seem like that. But we are discovering that depending on where you go, there are some really cool and distinct aspects to beach life and tropical living which vary widely from country to country. Each gives off its own truly unique vibe. To many people, a beach is a beach. It’s all palm trees and blue ocean water and there really is no difference between them. But actually there are some big differences worth researching. As climates and landscapes change depending on where we go, certain locations do cause us to stray from the term “tropical”. But we can still retain those images of warm sunny days, clear blue waters and amazing beaches (think the Mediterranean). The term “coastal living” really applies here!

Photo Credits: Grace Hotel, Auberge Resort Collections, Santorini, Greece

Turkey is another place we will check out, the coastal areas of the southwest from Antalya over to Oludeniz to the west are striking examples of sub-tropical climates and scenery which demand our attention (OK, that was kind of dramatic but you get the point. Who can say “No” to this? Not us!!)

Photo Credits: Google Maps

Photo Credits: CARIBTOURS

Cultural Inspirations

But even when you get back to the true tropical climates, there are so many places which differ from each other. We carry teak root pots from Bali and will also have a line of amazing giant vases made out of palm tree trunks. Some of the artwork and handcrafted pieces from there are mind-blowing, they are that nice. It’s Bali! Being a part of Indonesia means there are architectural and design elements that just cannot be ignored when it comes to tropical home décor.

So we are looking at those aspects of the local culture in each place we investigate. And of course we will promote those as they influence things we are interested in such as casual fashion (yes, we are working on our own clothing line!), culinary inspirations for great recipes and of course great cocktails (a definite must!!)

Imagine Your Coastal Style!

For now, take some time to think about what inspires you. If you could travel anywhere in the world to your find your ideal coastal place, where would it be? What does it look like? What does it smell and sound like? Use your senses and build a mental picture of what you would be doing there. Then when it is time to go home, how would you use that mental picture to recapture that place at home? There are so many possibilities, it just takes a bit of time and imagination. You truly can create that amazing and relaxing place at home. You can start to bring in those lifestyle elements that can take you back to that amazing place!

As we discover new and beautiful artistry and cultural décor from these and other tropical locations, we will update this guide to help you imagine new looks for your home which you otherwise might not thought of. As you take on the wonderful task of thinking about a personalized and awesome tropical/coastal lifestyle that you would like to have for yourself, feel free to share your ideas with us! Send us an email. We might just be able to help you find that next really cool piece! And as always, we will keep you posted about what we discover for new ideas and inspirations along the way!

Photo Credit: bayleys.co.nz

Cerulean Bay

We are Tom and Edna Harkay and we simply love everything about the tropics! From the wonderful and warm people, to the iconic scenery and beaches, and everything in between, tropical locations and lifestyles are what we are all about. They are the inspiration behind Cerulean Bay. The color "Cerulean" is our favorite color and it exemplifies the look, the feel and every aspect of fine tropical living and entertaining. It encompasses everything that we promote: the cultures and artistry, home design and décor, landscaping, and of course, the great variety of food and drinks! Welcome to Cerulean Bay!