Bring the Beach to Your House

By Suronda Nicole
Thursday Review Contributing Writer

Over the weekend I had an urge to go to the beach. Then I began to think, “you know what, I wish I lived at the beach.” That was when I got the genius idea that I should bring the beach to me! So instead of spending all that money of gas to drive to the coast, I decided to decorate my house like a beach house. Outside I’ll plant palm trees, I’ll decorate my patio like a condo balcony, and the inside will have pretty blues and greens like the ocean. So over the entire weekend my family and I began to redecorate!

Our first step was to go shopping, but on a modest budget. We drove to a nearby Beal's Outlet, 30 minutes away, and went straight to the clearance section. We bought everything we saw that was beach themed, like shells, starfish, seahorses, sailboats, etc., all at greatly reduced prices!

Our second step was simple enough: round up coastal foliage. Perusing sale items at the local Wal-Mart, we rounded up bright flowers—blue, purple, orange and other bright colors—along with a few tropical palm trees.

Our third step, which was the most fun, was to begin to decorate! On the patio we put out a few beach chairs, hung out a net with seashells embedded in it, and then put out a few beach themed wind chimes. As a finishing touch, put out a really bright welcome mat. Once we planted the palms and flowers, everything outside was in place

Here are a some options for inside your house or apartment: hang up some beach paintings, paint a few walls green and blue and you’ll be good to go!

Now, when I walk outside, I find peaceful, tropical beauty. It feels just like I’m at the beach, which is especially enjoyable in the spring weather we now have here in my part of the South (sorry, you folks in the snowy Midwest and northeast will have to wait). This is a very fun project and I hope you and your family will enjoy it also!