Simple Summer Beach Cottage Home Tour and Decorating Ideas (Part 1)

Looking for some simple ways to bring those summer vibes to your home? Today I’ll take you on a tour of my 1920 beach cottage and share some summer decorating ideas that will not only brighten up your home quickly but are easy to add to your existing decor mix.

Summer 2022 Home Tour

Summer is here in just a couple of weeks…which is hands-down my favorite time of year.

For those of you that are new to my blog, I am a bit of a gardener, so summers are when I finally get to enjoy the benefits of all of that hard work that started clear back in January.

It’s also the time for eating al fresco, kayaking and swimming in our bay and just kicking back outdoors while enjoying some much-needed Vitamin D.

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Before I take you on a tour of our 102-year-old beach cottage, I want to give a shout-out and special thanks to Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. She is an amazing blogger who has organized this Summer 2022 Home Tour, hosting 30 bloggers who have been sharing their homes with you throughout the week.

I can’t thank Marty enough for inviting me to join her annual summer tour this year. It’s quite an honor and I have been introduced to blogs that I am seeing for the first time here on the tour. So much inspiration!

If you’re joining me from Shand’s blog, Quarter’s One, welcome! I’m so happy that you took the time to stop by. I know you enjoyed Shand’s Lost Bay Cottage summer tour just as much as I did. She has the most beautiful little home at the beach and is so inspiring.

Be sure to visit all 30 home tours on the summer tour. You can find every blog link at the end of this post.

Our Summer Beach Cottage Home Tour 

If this is your first visit here, welcome to my home. I’m Kim and you can find out a little more about me HERE. Shiplap and Shells is a lifestyle blog where I share my Pacific Northwest home, gardening, our Puget Sound boating adventures, and so much more.

We moved into our “forever home”, a 1920 beach cottage, ten years ago and literally renovated, refurbished, refreshed, and remodeled every inch of the house.

The picture above is the view as you walk through the front door. There is no formal entryway. (Try not to pay too much attention to the dusty ledge on the front door).

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The Cottage-Style Living Room

This summer season’s decor style is all about simple, relaxed, and casual.

There’s too much fun and relaxing to be done during the summer months so why not make it easy when it comes to decorating? Are you with me?

SHOP VINTAGE OARS

HOW DO I DECORATE FOR SUMMER?

For me, it’s all about bringing the outdoors in and creating a light, relaxing, and airy vibe to each space in my home.

• THE FEEL OF NATURE: bring in both fresh and faux flowers and greenery.
• ADD SUMMER COLORS: use decorative pillows, rugs, and accessories.
• LIGHTEN UP YOUR TEXTURES: change out your wool fabrics and rugs for lighter textures.
• ADD CLASSIC SUMMER ACCENTS: beach shells, glass jars, and fresh herbs are all great additions this season.

SHOP BEACH HOUSE PILLOWS

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LIVING AT THE BEACH

We live on the Puget Sound in Washington State. If you’re not familiar with this body of water, it’s basically a sound of the Pacific Northwest which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and part of the Salish Sea.

Every summer I feel compelled to add some extra “beachy decor” to my cottage since we are literally at the beach. But there is such a thing as going overboard. I try my best not to over-clutter, but when you live in a 1600-square-foot house, it’s not always as easy to reach that objective.

Back to the cottage summer tour. Above, I added a few vintage oars and a sunhat in the corner for more of that beachy feel.

NAVY AND WHITE FOR THIS YEAR’S COTTAGE SUMMER COLORS

In past summers, I’ve done turquoise, yellow, coral, and fuchsia. I’ve done it all. But this year I wanted to just go with a classic navy and white in the living room and let the summer flowers and greenery be the “pop of color” in our living room.

Celebrate Summer Home 2021 Tour with Coastal Cottage Touches.

SHOP BLUE AND WHITE PILLOWS

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This would not be a proper house tour without the 2 favorite boys in my life, Ollie and Jax.

THE SUMMER DETAILS

I will admit I have a bit of everything in this view. The vintage cabinet you see here is one of my favorite pieces in my house.

It does get a bit cluttered because it’s the only real space I have in the house to display anything. So I tend to take full advantage of it.

FLOWERS & HERBS

For those of you that are new to Shiplap and Shells, what you might not realize is that I grow a cut flower garden every summer so I can have fresh flowers ANYTIME I want during the season.

Here are a few of the cut flowers I grow every year… and the list goes on.

• dahlias
• snapdragons
• sweet peas
• zinnias
• cosmos
• strawflowers

But it’s June as I’m writing this and my flowers here in the Seattle area are not blooming yet. Check back in a month, you won’t be disappointed!

So for now, I’m sharing some bright and beautiful bright gladiolas and heavenly fragrant-smelling lavender from Trader Joe’s.

June is always that pesky transitional month between showing off those stunning spring bulbs and the summer annuals from the garden. So I use faux flowers a lot during this month.

MORE SUMMER DECOR

I’ve added a few coastal pieces in my living room and changed up the candles so the fragrances are citrusy and lavender, perfect for the summer. I LOVE the smell of candles and use them all through the year. CLICK HERE to shop my favorite Antique Candle Co. candles.

GREENERY AND SEASONAL FRUIT

Confession time. Everything you see on this coffee table is faux.

I may be a pretty decent outdoor gardener but I don’t do well with houseplants. I think it’s because I never can find the perfect place for them where they’ll be happy and healthy. Oh…and I forget to water them. I think that’s probably the main reason.

There is one live ivy in my kitchen. That’s it.

But there are so many great choices for faux plants right now so that’s the path I have chosen going forward.

The green apples are faux as well, but that’s because I can’t bear to watch fresh fruit wither away while I’m using it for decor.

SHOP THE LOOK

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OTHER DECOR USED FOR THE SUMMER

We changed our area rug out for a more summery feel. I love having a more neutral-colored option during this time of year.

The olive tree in the corner is also faux. You’re not surprised, are you?

Glass jars were set on top of the black cabinet where we keep our ironstone pieces to add another pop of color to the room.

SHOP NEUTRAL AREA RUGS

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THE VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN

Here’s a fun fact.

There used to be a wall separating the kitchen and living room.

The corbels and vintage columns were added to the opening last year and I am loving the interest they provide. I have a true love for anything vintage.

Now that we have removed the wall, the entire space feels so much bigger with this open concept we’ve created.

Here’s another view from the kitchen. The stairs go up to my office-studio and a guest room.

Can you see the front door to the right of the bakery sign? That is where you started the tour.

As I said, we don’t have a formal entryway but there is enough space between the kitchen and living room where we were able to place cabinets on either side for more storage. I am always looking for strategic ways to store things due to the lack of closet space.

The gray vintage glass cabinet is used for all our quilts and vintage blankets. I guess you could say that our linen closet is basically in our living room. But you have to do what you have to do.

Summer Kitchen Tour Next Week

Here’s a sneak peek of my cottage kitchen all ready for summer.

Make sure you come back next week for part 2 of our beach cottage summer tour featuring our kitchen, along with some other spaces in the house.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the summer home tour of my beach cottage. I loved having you along and hope to see you again soon.

Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.

Next up on the tour are my friends Anne and Ann Marie from Simply 2 Moms. Whether you’re looking for simple ideas on home decor, healthy cooking, raising kids, organizing your home, or photography, they’ve got you covered! And today they have some simple ideas for styling your fireplace for summer.

Be sure to check out the other blogger’s home tours below.

Until next time,

Happy Decorating!

Summer 2022 Home Tour – 30 Bloggers

Monday – June 6th LineupA Stroll Thru Life – Our Southern Home – Grace In My Space

Hymns & Verses – Southern Hospitality – Chalking Up Success

Tuesday – June 7th Lineup

Calypso in the Country – StoneGable – 11 Magnolia Lane

White Arrows Home – RemodelaCasa – Pink Peppermint Design

Wednesday – June 8th Lineup

Designing Vibes – Cuckoo4Design – Whispering Pines Homestead

Decor to Adore – Thrifty and Chic – Clean and Scentsible

Thursday – June 9th Lineup

CitrineLiving – Southern Home and Hospitality – Worthing Court

The Stonybrook House – Southern State of Mind – This is our Bliss

Friday – June 10th Lineup

Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Country Road 407 – Quarters One

Shiplap and Shells – Simply2Moms – Pasha Is Home

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