How to Bring the Beach Into the City

Take a trip to the beach, without having to leave your home…

This post comes from our blog intern, Natalie.

The beach, let’s face it, is the ultimate weekend destination. Unfortunately, a visit can sometimes be made challenging because of distance, a desire to avoid the crowds or, in my case, residence in a metropolitan city. Luckily, it’s not a hard task to bring the beach to you. Let me explain…

There are certain spaces we remain connected to long after we bid them adieu, sensory experiences seeded deep inside in our cellular structure. Things we saw, touched, or tasted are imprinted on our being, and later used to recreate a space we once inhabited and knew. The beach is one such sensory-rich space you can visit. Thunderous ocean waves crashing on the sand in a steady rhythm, a salty gust of wind, a seagull’s cry — these are all individually tethered to the space, and can be recreated in your own home.

If you are a city dweller like me, unable to visit the physical beach, bring it to your home using your five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.  

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Sight: The most effortless way to bring the ocean into your space is to do so visually. Make a moodboard. Sift through the Internet, or your own photo library, to find images of beach. Find photos that you connect to. Maybe it’s a picture from your childhood, a beach town you like to visit, or a place you have always been dreaming to visit. Print the photos and find an empty space on a wall to paste them up. Collage them and take a moment when you pass them each day to study the images, letting them bring you to that place.

Hearing: Connecting through hearing is simple. If you are craving the ocean, try meditating or practicing yoga to the sound of crashing ocean waves. Let your eyes fall shut, and let your mind wander to the seaside.

Touch: When I visit the beach, my primary goal is to relax, letting my body soak in the warmth of the sunshine, sometimes dozing off into a light slumber that feels all too perfect. The best way to replicate this at home is through a warm bath. Add some coconut oil to nourish your skin while enhancing the sensory connection to the coastal paradise.

Smell: Begin by identifying the scents you associate with the beach. For me, it is the suntan lotion, and the salty smell of my hair after a blissful dip in the ocean. Luckily, I can recreate both. If I am supplementing a day on the sand at a local city park, I always make sure to wear the same sunscreen. As for the hair, a simple spritz of sea-salt spray after a shower always does the trick.

Taste: Similar to smell, taste is individualized. What foods do you correlate with the beach? Prepare a meal that incorporates these foods or beverages and take each bite slowly, allowing your tastebuds to experience the flavor. Incorporate your remaining senses, and the only thing you will be missing out on is a tan.

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7 years ago

You covered all senses :) This is a great idea, but I prefer to be at the beach, to enjoy the real stuff :)

7 years ago

This is nice. I used to live 5 minutes from the beach. I am about a 40 minute drive now. Still not that far but 5 minutes was better :)

7 years ago

Super cute, love it!

x
StephC

http://sstephcc.blogspot.com/

ruthe
7 years ago

Fun idea’s and thanks for showing ‘sea-salt spray’ didnt know FP had,,,,, we missed the beach so much when living in town.. bought a rather large childs pool,,hauled in sand to fill so now there’s a beach in our guess room with seashells and wave music.

7 years ago

love that you covered all of the senses, this was a really lovely idea. I’m more of a forest girl than a beach babe but i loved the insightful ideas of bringing the beach to your home and they are so simple to do too!

http://www.thewhimsicalwildling.com/

7 years ago

Keep your budget in mind. Bringing in a few patio chairs you already own and setting up a tabletop fountain is a far different matter than knocking down part of an exterior wall to install a sun room!