Avoid Spring Break This Year And Bring The Beach Home

Spring break is fast approaching, but it seems so far away.

Due to the pandemic, flying to the Bahamas is not so easy this year. And good luck getting your hands on a home in the Hamptons.

But just because you can’t feel the sand between your toes doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the beach. The owners create calm and relaxing environments by bringing them the beach.

Susana Simonpietri, Founder and Creative Director of interior design firm Chango & Co., works with many clients in the Hamptons, Connecticut, and New Jersey who want a breezy, coastal style.

It’s an aesthetic that works just as well in a waterfront home as it does in an urban loft, says Simonpietri. “Customers have told us, ‘I don’t like living in the city, but I have to. How can I have a space that transports me and feels more like a vacation? “”

Bring the beach to you

Start with a neutral color palette and accentuate it with warm blues and tans. Then, layer timeless materials reminiscent of surf-smoothed driftwood or feathery seagrass for texture and character.

“Think of the sand, the sky and the ocean,” says Marnie Oursler, builder and designer of luxury homes in Delaware. “Look at the beach elements that are always constant and bring the outdoors.”

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Use wood in contrasting finishes – like exposed beams paired with whitewashed rebates – on polished metals or shiny marble. Choose furniture with soft lines and natural materials like jute, sisal and rattan that give a tropical feel.

For upholstery, opt for linen slipcovers to make your sofa look like a sun-softened beach shirt.

“Rattan and woven furniture bring that beach vibe, calm, warm and relaxed,” says Roxy Te Owens, founder of Society Social, a North Carolina-based furniture store. “They work in all types of spaces, from New York to the English countryside.”

Ms. Oursler says redecorating a single room or space can create a feeling of escape. “Having a designated space for relaxation can make you feel more like a retreat. You could just walk to another room, but it feels like you’re going to a new place.”

Keep the decor simple and avoid tchotkes and beach kitsch like seashells and dolphins. When it comes to artwork, Ms. Owens suggests larger pieces, like a seascape or beach photograph, on a gallery wall. “It makes a space quieter,” she says. Plus, it’s a great way to simulate an ocean view.

Permanent vacations

For some, turning a home into a beach getaway literally meant moving to the beach.

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In Connecticut, Douglas Elliman’s agent Jennifer Ho says single-family homes in the seaside community of Greenwich sold at the highest rate in 11 years in the fourth quarter of 2020. “I asked a client to sell his beautiful 9,500 square foot home on two acres. and move to a smaller property just to be two blocks from the beach, ”says Ms. Ho.

It’s about wanting “a sense of escape,” says Marian Bennett, an agent for Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty working in the Half Moon Bay area of ​​California. Unlike many areas, condo and townhouse sales topped single-family homes in 2020 as the lower price made them a more accessible option for a coastal property. “People wanted to be near the beach.”

It’s a similar situation in many Florida markets. “From a mental point of view, people feel trapped in cities and seek scenic views, beach escapes and areas where they can be outdoors year-round,” says Dan Kaplan. , Managing Partner at PMG, the developer of Sage Longboat Key has charming new condominium on a barrier island off the west coast of Florida.

The rental impact

In areas accessible from neighboring towns, demand for short-term rentals last summer skyrocketed. In Greenwich, Ms Ho has seen housing rented without being seen and expects that demand to continue this year.

It’s the same in the Hamptons. “A lot of people who rented last year locked their leases in September when they left,” said Todd Bourgard, Douglas Elliman’s regional sales manager for the Hamptons. “Seasonal rentals are therefore certainly more difficult to find.”

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But for an island destination like Hawaii that requires a flight and mandatory quarantine, the pandemic has all but halted rental demand. Matthew G. Beall, CEO of luxury brokerage Hawai’i Life, which manages more than 600 rental properties on the islands, said the vacation rental market “went completely to zero” last spring. While the market has improved slightly, “it’s nowhere near the volume or frequency we had before the pandemic.”

But with the vaccine rolling out, the jet set to a seaside destination could very well be on the horizon. “People haven’t been on a plane for so long that when they say leave, they’re going to leave,” Ms. Ho said.