Beach Home Decor 101

August 28th, 2007

If you have ever rented a beach house for the summer, then you know the level of relaxation and peace you can experience when surrounded by beach home decor. So why not try it year round by adding the beach home dcor to any room that needs a facelift? Since we cant all live by the coast, this is the next best way to bring seaside living into your everyday life.

The most obvious way to add beach home dcor to your house is to make a nautical statement. It is easy to find inexpensive boat or yacht models that you can place naturally on your shelves. A clever decorator will find small anchors or buoys to hang as art work. If you anchor these designs with wicker or white furniture, you can really bring the beach home dcor together. Furniture and colors tend to be neutral in shades with many whites, beiges, tans, light blues, and yellows used as the palette.

Try collecting accessories from the coast when you are shopping for your beach home dcor. Shapely glass jars filled with seashells can make a nice statement. Stacking a few bottles together, maybe with sand or rocks in them, can actually look like art when done correctly. If you go on a beach trip, walk along the beach and pick up things along your way to bring home. Nothing will add to your beach home dcor better than personal items from favorite family vacations.

The Cape Cod Beach Home Dcor

Cape Cod style furniture and beach home dcor is more than just the furniture itself; it is a way of life. It is about the feeling of the ocean breezes, the open air, and the clean natural emotion of relaxation that is evoked from the furniture.

Cape Cod style furniture really came about in the 1930s to the 1950s. People were looking for a way to slow down and enjoy life. The Cape was very popular at the time, a vacation spot that people would travel days to get to. It was a haven of serene tranquility but very creative with artists, poets, performers, and those with a passion for art. When arriving, it was like stepping into a different era. The houses and furniture had clean lines, neutral colors, simple curves, and furniture styles that we would now consider shabby chic.

Everything was fresh and lively, just like Cape Cod itself. Beach home decor was incredibly influenced by Cape Cod and the thought of better times. You can easily have this tranquility. Start by using the seashore as your inspiration, by taking the colors and lines from the sailboats, the water, the rocks, and even the seagulls. Use your imagination, and you can be living on the coast in no time.

Homes In Elle Decor Magazine

August 28th, 2007

The homes featured in Elle Decor magazine are only the finest and the most elegant. So if you pitch an article about shabby chic or primitive decoration, the editor is unlikely to want your writing. Homes that fit Elle Dcor magazine can be found in every city, but you, the writer must figure out where. A good place to look is your citys Christmas or spring tour of homes. Only homeowners who have great dcor and are proud of it would put their home on a tour.

When you think you have identified a house for Elle Decor magazine, check through back issues to make sure that particular house has never been profiled. Also, make sure your angle is fresh. The editor will never take a story on a homes distinctive topiary, for example, if she ran another topiary story the previous month.

Elles editorial board requires sophistication first, but beyond that, the magazine features style from all over the world. Elles home decor style is usually quite international in fact. The magazine is originally French after all.

Sending Your Query

Just like with any magazine, you must find out about Elle Decors editorial guidelines the magazines rules for submission. There will be a different word count limit for each section: features, reviews and trends. Some editors require that you send relevant pictures with your submission. All require that you include reference to your previously published work.

Because Elle Dcor is such a prestigious magazine, it can be hard to find the right contact information and the editorial guidelines. Getting this information and sending a dazzling letter to the right person at the right time is actually part of your pitch. If you can get a piece of paper in front of the right editor, always a busy woman with plenty of secretaries to intercept bad letters, it shows you probably have the tenacity of a good writer.

For the brand new writer, Elle Dcor might not be the best choice because previously published articles are so important. After you write for some other magazines, find a good topic and send it to the right editor; you might find your writing in Elle Decor.