South Florida Style Guide
South Florida has many facets that lend themselves to home themes. The interior decorator or home staging professional has a variety of choices for creating authentic Florida style homes. For a homeowner who wants to recreate some of the best known parts of Florida, it simply takes a little imagination and a keen sense of observation.
Some of the traditional Florida styles have been modernized to the point of being unrecognizable. For a true sense of Florida living, take an hour to flip through the archives at a local library – you may just find a “new” way to decorate your home.
South Beach – Known for its flashy colors and art deco flair, a home decorated in the South Beach style will be the party house on the block. Bright hues of yellows, greens and pinks are predominant in this funky, chunky look. Big, blocky pieces of furniture, large fixtures and wild art are all fair game for the homeowner who wants to bring the quirks of South Beach home.
Tropical Paradise – Evoking images of a lush tropical isle, this style of home has flowing drapes, rattan and wicker furnishings in dark browns with deep greens and blues as accents. Plants and trees take center stage in this décor – homeowners could add a quiet water feature to the backyard for ambiance while enjoying the late afternoon sea breeze.
Beach Camp – This casual, campy style brings hammocks and tiki torches to the backyard to give a relaxed feel to a home. Paired with wide planked flooring, cool shades of whites, grays and blues give the sense of the ocean – even inside the house. Hats, beach chairs and sunscreen are all within easy reach for the beach-goer, and pictures of Florida wildlife are scattered through the house. Kitschy touches like cast nets, fishing lures or tackle boxes can make the homeowner feel as though they could walk out front and cast out a line.
Old Florida – The original Florida homes were smaller houses, with wide wrap around porches and screen doors that slammed as you ran outside. Recreate the feel of the orange groves by planting a variety of citrus trees, installing a squeaky screen door (minus the hydraulic hinge) and setting a few rocking chairs on the front porch. For extra flair, add a pitcher of lemonade next to the checker board and put out a gallon of sun tea to brew for later. Washed out colors are key, with pops of color in flowers tucked into mason jars invoke the feel of yesteryear. You may find yourself slowing down over a piece of key lime pie.
No matter what style you decorate your house, you may find that the quirky sense of Florida living will creep in. Flip flops find their way to the back porch, beach towels get tossed over a chair and sand will inevitably grace the recesses of your car. It’s all part of the charm of living in a vacationer’s paradise – and part of the reason you settled down here to begin with.