Life’s a Beach: Paradise Living Room Edition

You can't beat the pre-holiday jitters, the nerves and excitement that comes with travelling away to a sunny paradise, albeit only temporarily. But how do you stop the post-holiday blues from undoing all the relaxing your getaway brings? And whilst we've all considered just leaving our lives behind for a one way trip to somewhere exotic, for most of us that's just not on the cards. Sometimes you have to bring a little piece of the paradise you're missing into your home, to keep you warm whilst you Google your next adventure.

Anyone familiar with the dreary Scottish Winters, knows how hard it is to beat the blues at home. Until my boys are grown, my fantasy of island hopping from November to March is very much a fantasy - that length of term-time absence would really blow through our holiday budget! So for now, I settle for recreating the tropical vibes, in our not so tropical home.

I chose our living room to be our little holiday nook, combining the open space with bright elements to really capture that holiday villa look. We're thrilled with the results, and wanted to share our tips to get that holiday resort feeling in your own home

Here are my top tips to bringing some sunshine into your every day life…

Match your colour palette to your favourite destination.

Whether that's vibrant jungle greens and reds, or White sands and blue seas, you can capture a lot with just the colours you choose. We opted for Farrow and Ball *‘Strong White*’ as the base for the living room. I love the warm, neutral, beachy tone of the colour. It’s the perfect base to showcase all of our colourful soft furnishings and accessories.

Display your favourite holiday moments.

This is where my photography skills come in handy - but you don’t need to be a pro to bring this to life. We created a gallery wall using the Ikea RIBBA frames to showcase all of our favourite travel moments. The trickiest part was choosing which ones to use! An Ikea frame was a really inexpensive but effective way to fill the wall with our best memories, and it's always the first thing people comment on when they visit our home.

Use colourful prints and fabrics.

This is where your destination theme comes in handy again - mix and match those colours, and add in lots of different textures too, as they really can transform any room into a luxurious space. The soft whites and corals we chose, with gorgeous golden fringes really helped bring the room to life. With the expert help from David, Director of Epitome Soft Furnishings we also went with soft, neutral wool curtains, which softens the room and introduces some warmth on those cold, winter nights.

Showcase your favourite trinkets and souvenirs.

I purchase something on every trip we take. This could be anything from a postcard to a shell or starfish ornament, I love to bring a little bit of our trip home with us, and the trinkets you buy can be as cheap or expensive as you'd like. I display these on our shelves to showcase our memories and add some authenticity to the room. My favourite is a little starfish that we purchased on our island trip to Yelapa, Mexico, it reminds me of the fun we had on that trip and the rich and intense colours of the island.

Accessorise, accessorise, accessorise.

Yep, I said it. Accessorise! This is the part I really enjoy - choosing the accessories. The perfect accessories can make or break any room so be careful not to under or overdo it! It's a fine line and if I'm honest it's something I still very much struggle with! I often buy far too many accessories, and then have some difficult choices to make! We opted for some coral ornaments, interior books, candles and a few other accessories to bring our shelves to life. (To see exactly what we bought, check the list below)

Use natural materials.

The best way to bring authenticity into your room is to use natural elements where possible. These rattan mirrors reminded me of our time in Mauritius. I also adore the rattan side lamp we chose from Rockett St George too.

Bring home your holiday scent.

A signature scent is something more and more resorts are introducing. Have you ever walked through a hotel or spa and had that wave of recognition wash over you, just through the scent alone? What’s even better is resorts are now bottling their unique scents and selling them for you to take home in the form of candles, diffusers and room sprays. Now your home can forever feel and smell like the real thing, *every single day*.

Act like you’re on holiday.

And you're done! The hard work is complete. Time to pour a cocktail, put your feet up, and soak in your new room. Gather the family and share your favourite holiday moments to really complete the scene.