shorelines ◦ interiors by gregory ◦
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"South Shore Style"
Location, Location, Location.
That’s the mantra for real estate. And location is essential to understanding South Shore Style. You cannot ignore our rural setting, our Maritime climate, and our historic architecture. Whether you live amidst the trees of Lunenburg County or on the edge of Mahone Bay, your home decorating should embrace this country-seaside lifestyle. It’s all about the land; it’s all about the water; it’s all about the view. Integrating your location into your decorating style is called creating a “sense of place.” If you love living on the South Shore, then this approach to decorating might be for you.
Creating a “sense of place” means being sensitive to elements that already exist in your South Shore home setting, such as historic architectural details or window views of the natural landscape. This does not mean recreating a period atmosphere like a museum if you live in a 19th century home, or filling the house with fishing nets and maritime artifacts just because your home looks at the water and once belonged to a sea captain. It just means going with the flow—being true to the features of your house and landscape.
Your home is a canvas and you are the artist. Old floors, mouldings, and wainscoting are just historic frames for your personal decorating style, whether you like formal, casual, or contemporary. To give your home South Shore Style, I recommend colouring all of these hard surfaces with the colours and textures of the local landscape. If your home has beautiful wooden features, then the natural wood look is great. If you want to paint some or all of your wood, then use the landscape for your inspiration.
As an exercise, take a drive along the shoreline and notice the granite boulders, the slate, and the driftwood. Shades of grey, brown, green and blue surround us in stone, sand, trees, water, and sky. Notice the smooth textures versus the rough. Now go inland to the pastureland and farming communities. These same colours and textures surround us in fieldstone, fences, grasses, trees, and sky. They uniquely define our country-seaside lifestyle. Using these colours and textures on the hard surfaces in your home frames whatever your decorating style with a South Shore “sense of place.”
With the frame settled, let’s move on to the canvas. In rooms with a prominent view of the natural South Shore landscape, you should try to keep with the same natural palette of colours. The view is your art in these rooms so the other room colours should coordinate with the view. Try using brighter shades of the colours you have already used. A colour that always works on the sunny South Shore is yellow. Since it is the colour of sunshine, it makes any room of your home seem warm, comfortable, and inviting. Pink, purple, red, and orange, the colours that punctuate the seasons, should be used the same way in your home. Use these colours on throw pillows or a small piece of furniture like an ottoman or footstool. When you tire of the bright colours, change them. For rooms without a view, use any colour you want as long as they still coordinate with your natural colour palette. If you need help, go to the paint store or call a decorator for assistance. Good luck with creating your own South Shore Style!