Ambient Lighting By the Sea!

Ambient lighting is the basic and main lighting source for a room. Sunlight is beautiful and natural ambient lighting. A ceiling chandelier will provide softness to your seaside space and make your room more welcoming by eliminating contrasts. Ambient lighting should be bright enough that your room does not look dark, but soft enough that your room does not feel washed out by a flood of bright light.

Ambient lighting can set the mood for your whole room, and the choices in style are plentiful. The beautiful view and lighting choice above in the dining room is from Coastal Living Magazine. We have chosen a few of our favorite seaside chandeliers from By the Sea Decor to add not only ambient lighting, but a striking decorating accent to your space.

Sea Urchins . . . By the Sea!

Sea urchins are amazing! Often referred to as the "hedgehog of the sea", these creatures are found on the ocean bottom near rocky shores and are usually only 2-4" in size. In all the years we have been visiting our NJ beach, I have only found one sea urchin in my many, many shell expeditions! It is adorably tiny and a beautiful shade of purple.

At By the Sea Decor you will find some unique sea urchin inspired products to decorate your coastal home. Our Stacked Sea Urchin Lamp has a subtle base of sea urchins with a pop of coral on its shade. Also available with a shiny silver base and a neutral shade to bring some seaside sparkle to your space.

Our pillow collection features sea urchins in many varieties. The Eco-Art Sea Urchin pillow shown above is made from organic cotton with a pillow insert made from ecofill fiber. Isola Bella has sea urchin coastal pillows hand-painted with earth-friendly inks on a 100% natural linen background in either natural or vibrant violet.

Need linens? Isola Bella has another exquisite collection of sea urchins on linen table runners and cocktail napkins. Not to mention their sterling silver jewelry line of sea urchin earrings and necklaces.

One of our favorite coastal decor accessories is our sea urchin vase available in two sizes: 12" diameter, 5" in height or 15" diameter and 8" in height. Perfect on your seaside table or shelf.

Love sea urchins? We have you covered!

Coastal Bath Ideas

An updated bath with a modern palette from Coastal Living Magazine. The sleek design of the vanity and the warm neutral hues give this functional space its relaxed style.

By the Sea Decor offers a collection of coastal bath decor accessories to give your space a pure simplicity. Reclaimed driftwood wall sconces add rustic beauty. The simple shapes and elegant style of our coastal decor hardware can be mixed and matched to rejuvenate a vanity. Beach decor towels can add a touch of softness to your coastal bath. And for a little surprise, choose one of our toilet flush handles . . . easy to install and an amusing replacement for an ordinary piece of hardware.

Vacation Anyone??

Vacation anyone? Imagine yourself lounging in this beautiful living room featured in Coastal Living magazine. With snow falling again and chilly temperatures in the Northeast, it's fun to think about summer and know it will be here . . . eventually. Until then, hopefully a vacation may be on your horizon. We are sharing some of our favorite resort wear from By the Sea Decor to perfectly coordinate with this stunning room. Bon voyage!

Wine & Cheese By the Sea!

Perfect after a day spent at the beach or on the water. A little wine and cheese before dinner watching the sunset. Here are a few serving ideas from By the Sea Decor to make your entertaining simple with a beach decor twist.

Let's start with the wine . . . the Tropical Palm pattern of etched glassware comes in so many sizes for your wine preference, including the new tumbler-style. If wine is not your drink of choice, the martini and champagne glasses are beautiful. Also available in everyday glassware and tumblers.

Our Granite Cheese Server has metal seahorse handles and comes with a starter set of paper napkins and a small cheese server. Natural shell tidbit plates are the perfect size to hold hors d'ouevres . . . or wonderful tapas. Pass out linen hand-printed cocktail napkins from Isola Bella in a myriad of patterns and colors. A nice large shell platter with rope handles can be used for whatever else you serve.

After this wine and cheese gathering, dinner may not be necessary!

The Mane Lion

We love the artfully created, hand-painted designs from The Mane Lion, especially their coastal collection. All of their creations are made from the finest quality earthenware and are hand-painted in Italy. They meet all of the FDA requirements and are intented to be used for food sevice. Not just another pretty serving piece! Each design is created specifically for The Mane Lion in Italy. You will not find this mass-produced in every store.

A little history on the company . . . The Mane Lion was established in 1979 in the heart of Philly's Main Line. This rail line from which the area affectionately got its name was paramount in creating the Main Line community. In the 19th century, this area became home to many sprawling country estates built by Philadelphia's wealthiest families. As you can imagine, entertaining at home at that time was how people visited. The Mane Lion was created to enhance the act of entertaining and all all of its creations are "accessories for an entertaining life".

Shopping for a shower gift? The Mane Lion offers a beautiful and unique alternative to gift-giving. Shopping for yourself? Even better!

64 Days!

I think this chair is calling me . . . only 64 more days here in the Northeast until Memorial Day weekend. All this scene needs is my book and I think I would be set for the day. Getting anxious, but looking forward to temperatures in the 70's here today!!!!

THAWOUT SALE!

Time to thawout from this cold, snowy winter. By the Sea Decor is offering 20% off all coastal pillows through 3/20. Simply enter coupon code THAWOUT upon checkout for your discount. Choose from your favorite sealife icons . . . embroidered, hand-printed . . . hooked. Pillow backgrounds of linen, velvet, cotton . . . the choices are amost endless!

74 Days Until Memorial Day Weekend!

Okay, after having just returned from a warm, sunny week in Florida to watch baseball, I have to admit, I am becoming ANXIOUS for summer. I am missing the balmy hot sun . . . only 74 more days until Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully, the East Coast will not have to wait until then for our summer weather.

Color Me . . . Aqua!!

Yes, we are enthralled by our new Largo Aqua Marine Glass collection due to arrive in our store shortly. Beautifully reflective silver is the perfect setting to hold the idyllic aqua glass in each piece. The Largo Aqua Marine Glass Bowls can be used to hold your favorite potpourri, candles or small shells. The Largo Aqua Marine Glass Hurricanes are awaiting your scented pillar candle. The Largo Aqua Marine Glass Footed Centerpiece Bowl will command quite a presence on your table and probably does not need to be filled with anything!

Monochromatic Coastal Pillow Collection

It can be so much fun to decorate with a monochromatic theme! Our new coastal pillow collection can help you achieve that goal. All of the pillows in this ensemble are done in shades of off-white and beige. Choose from 18" square seahorse, starfish or fish design. The Pisces Snail pillow is available in an 18" round throw. Toss a few on your favorite sofa to bring a subtle palette to your space. Line your dining room chairs with one from each pattern. Will be arriving in our store shortly, but are available for pre-order on our website, or by clicking each picture.

Countdown to Summer!

We are waiting . . . 84 more days until Memorial Day weekend. Thinking about the warm sunshine and a nice cool breeze under our beach umbrella. The soft sand and the rippling waves. Ahhh, pretty soon!

Create Your Own Outdoor Dining Space

What a lovely outdoor dining space . . . fireplace and all! While this outdoor kitchen is magnificient, you may not have the same space available in your backyard, you can still design a table setting to enjoy the seasons. There is nothing like dining outdoors on a pleasant summer evening.

We chose to feature our Frosted Shell Globe Lantern Set here for its beautiful design and functionality. Use one or all three lanterns to set the mood at your seaside gathering. Classically designed casual dinnerware with a beaded trim gives this easy care melamine collection coastal style. If you have an overhead space, hang a few of our gray metal lanterns from your pergola for a finishing touch.

Now, it we could just get someone to do the cooking!

A Perfect Coastal Palette

How beautiful is the calming palette of this room from My Homes? Perfect shades for your coastal home!

Pure white linens against an aqua blue background filled with texture. The cascading chandelier brings elegance to the room, while the simple white table lamp takes a subtle spot. The contemporary mirror hanging above the bed reflects on the beauty of the room. A few taupe accent pillows would complete the space.