seashell summertime decor

I cannot believe how fast summer is flying by!  In about 3 weeks the Masterpiece children will be back to school.  What?!?!  Anyway I wanted to pause the season for a moment to share a favorite staple of mine in my summertime decor.

I love seashells- all shapes and sizes, but since we do not live in a coastal town I only bring them out during the summertime.  I love to sprinkle them all over the house to evoke a summer-beachy-airy feel.

They find themselves on the mantle or the coffee table or a sideboard or the dining room table… you get the idea. Anywhere is fair game, whether it’s in the kitchen, family|living rooms, bathrooms, bedrooms or anywhere really.

And it’s not really just seashells but much of sea life, including coral, sea fans, starfish, sea sponges and much much more.  Throughout the year I like to use organic decor and this happens to be one of my major choices for the summer.

Bigger pieces look great as stand alone focal points and smaller pieces look great grouped together or clustered.  I love to use glass bowls or cloches to display them.

Sealife also pairs beautifully with silver pieces or wooden trays, bowls and troughs.

Since they are organic they look great in many ways with different things.

Ironstone and books are a couple others that come to mind off the top of my head to mix beautifully with seashells et al.

And although much of retail looks like a pumpkin patch already, it’s full on summer mode over here.

While yet others are languishing in the christmas in july epedemic, I have to admit I am a bit of a season purist.  July and August are summer to me; I am holding on to our lazy schedules for these last few weeks before I lose the kids to high school commitments.

“To find a seashell is to discover a world of imagination.”

~Michelle Held~