Spring break is coming, but it seems very distant.
Because of the pandemic, flying to the Bahamas is not so easy this year. And good luck getting a home in the Hamptons.
But just because you can’t feel the sand between your toes, it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the beach. The owners are creating calm and relaxing environments by bringing the beach to them.
A personalized beach house by Marnie Oursler, with shiplap walls and an abstract painting that draws on the colors of the sea and the sky.
Dana Hoff
Susana Simonpietri, founder and creative director of interior design firm Chango & Co., works with many clients in Hamptons, Connecticut and New Jersey who want an airy seaside style.
It’s an aesthetic that works just as well in a seaside home as it does in a city loft, says Ms. Simonpietri. “We had clients who said to us, ‘I don’t love living in the city, but I do. How can I have a space that transports me and looks more like a vacation?'”
Bringing the beach to you
Start with a neutral color palette and accentuate it with warm blues and tan. Then apply a layer of timeless materials that evoke surf-softened driftwood or feathered seagrass for texture and character.
“Think of sand, sky and ocean,” says Marnie Oursler, a builder and builder of luxury homes in Delaware. “Look at the elements of the beach that are always constant and bring the outside in.”
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Use wood in contrasting finishes – such as exposed beams paired with whitewashed shiplap – over polished metals or shiny marble. Choose furniture with soft lines and natural materials such as jute, sisal and rattan that add a tropical touch.
For upholstery, opt for linen covers to make your sofa look like a beach shirt softened by the sun.
Chango & Co. uses a similar color palette in most beach houses, but makes each design look new with unique pieces, such as luxury lamps in woven materials.
Rachel Langworthy
Contrasting wood tones create definition, while different light fixtures add personality to this Marnie Oursler home.
Dana Hoff
“Rattan furniture and fabrics bring that beachy, calm, cozy and casual feel,” says Roxy Te Owens, founder of Society Social, a furniture store based in North Carolina. “They work in all kinds of spaces, from New York City to the countryside of England.”
Ms. Oursler says that redecorating just one room or space can create a sense of escape. “Having a designated space for relaxation can make it look more like a retreat. You may just be walking to a different room, but it looks like you’re going somewhere new.”
Keep the decor simple and avoid beach toys and kitsch, such as shells and dolphins. When it comes to works of art, Ms. Owens suggests larger prominent pieces, such as a seascape or beach photography, on the wall of a gallery. “It makes the space feel calmer,” she says. In addition, it is a great way to fake a seaside view.
A permanent vacation
For some, turning a home into a beach getaway literally meant going to the beach.
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In Connecticut, Douglas Elliman agent Jennifer Ho says that single family homes in the Greenwich beach community were sold at the highest rate in 11 years during the fourth quarter of 2020. “I had a client who sold her beautiful 9,500 square foot home in two acres and move to a smaller property just two blocks from the beach, “says Ms. Ho.
This beachfront semi-detached house on the coast of San Mateo County sold for $ 1.6 million in late 2020, after just 10 days on the market.
Beyond RE marketing
It’s about wanting “a sense of escape,” says Marian Bennett, Golden Gate agent Sotheby’s International Realty who works in the Half Moon Bay area of California. Unlike many regions, sales of condominiums and homes outperformed single-family homes in 2020 because the lower price made them a more affordable option for a coastal property. “People wanted to be close to the beach.”
It is a similar situation in many Florida markets. “From a mental point of view, people feel trapped in cities and are looking for panoramic views, exits to the beach and areas where they can be out all year,” says Dan Kaplan, managing partner at PMG, developer of Sage Longboat Key a new boutique condominium on a barrier island off the west coast of Florida.
Douglas Elliman’s agent, Jennifer Ho, listed this home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, in mid-February, for $ 3.325 million, and recently accepted an offer after more than 20 exhibitions and several bids. “And I’m still getting calls from agents and buyers who want the house,” she says.
Douglas Elliman
The impact of rent
In areas that are accessible from nearby cities, demand for short-term rentals last summer skyrocketed. In Greenwich, Ho has seen houses being rented out without seeing and hopes that demand will continue this year.
It is the same in the Hamptons. “Many of the people who rented last year closed their rentals in September when they left,” said Todd Bourgard, Douglas Elliman’s senior regional sales manager for the Hamptons. “So, seasonal rentals are certainly harder to come by.”
Located on Ka’anapali Beach, Hawaii, this 11,000 square foot vacation home is rented for $ 10,000 to $ 13,000 per night.
HI Luxury Rentals
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But for an island destination like Hawaii, which requires a mandatory flight and quarantine, the pandemic has virtually cut demand for rental. 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 “was completely zeroed” last spring. Although the market has improved marginally, “it is nowhere near the volume or frequency we had before the pandemic.”
The luxury sector of the Hawaii vacation rental market was the first to recover, and Hawai’i Life CEO Matthew G. Beall believes that sophisticated homes like this eight-bedroom beach property will be completely sold out.
HI Luxury Rentals
But with the vaccine being launched, the definition of a jet for a beach destination may well be on the horizon. “People haven’t been on a plane for so long that when they say go, they’re going,” says Ho.