The year was 1994 and, like a lot of folk who lived near the sea, I'd decided the beach look was the way to go in interior design. As a result, a faux-distressed wooden sign was hung on my front door, proclaiming, 'Gone to the beach'.
Step inside and the big colour story was cobalt blue, accented with pastel yellow and crisp white. There was a cobalt blue feature wall, a blue and white striped sofa, blue and yellow coat hooks (in the shape of fish) and a blue bookcase shaped like an upright rowing boat and filled with fake nautical instruments and blue glass shells. Seaside kitsch was definitely in.
But the most kitsch of all was the bathroom. First, there was the miniature bathing box that held rolls of toilet paper. Second, was the shower curtain, adorned with starfish. Finally, there was the toilet seat itself, made from resin and impregnated with shells.
Fast forward to 2009 and, mercifully, the seaside look has evolved. A stylish modern beach house will have a generosity of spirit, a softness, comfort and eclecticism born of a contemporary fusion of old and new.
Australian interior designer Garth Barnett transformed his beach house (pictured), on Sydney's northern beaches, into the epitome of coastal chic. 'The key was not to overdo it,' Barnett says. 'The bathrooms and kitchen were modern and sleek, with perhaps the only nod to the seaside location being a bowl of shells or a driftwood-framed mirror.'
Barnett recommends a neutral colour scheme, inspired by the natural environment, which is why limestone flooring was used throughout his home. A less expensive alternative is bleached timber boards.
