Summer Coffee Table - Inspired by Gifts from the Sea

Coffee table displays curated thoughtfully can be as revealing as your fingerprints and can narrate stories about your design aesthetics, personal style and cherished memories.......My coffee table adorned with treasures from our beach vacation is bursting with happy tales and memories and is definitely a conversation focal point when we have company. 

Our growing stash of beach inspired accessories, is the result of a conscious effort that my family and I make, while on our vacations, to bring back evocative tokens of a summer gone by.

The dark stain on the wooden shell sculpture from Bali complements the yellow vase fillers from Michaels. They had a certain sea urchin look to them and thought they'd get along well with the other accessories. I scattered the fillers randomly on the tray to give my ocean inspired vignette a causal vibe.

These talismans of the sea are easy to work with and a grouping of them instantly creates a feel of a thoughtfully put together collection. However, I did not want to create a traditional beach house display as my entertainment room is a blend of modern contemporary style. By adhering to a particular theme (i.e. shell theme) and including shells made from different materials, I think I achieved the look that I set out to create. The display showcases our lucky finds from the beach to treasures stumbled upon while scouting the local shops while vacationing. 

Clockwise from left: (1) The rule that 3 + is considered a collection is something I follow. I've put together a collection that mimics my favorite shape in shells. The ones onto the right are sand based sculptures of seashells from Thailand. (2) A unique star shaped shell from South Carolina, a ceramic star fish and fossil Ammonite (Ammonites are invertebrate sea creatures that died millions of years ago) stone gifted by a dear friend   completes this grouping. (3)A granite sting-ray from Cayman Islands is the star of this troop adorning the coffee table.

As I sit back with my cup of tea and watch the sun bounces off the iridescent sea shells, I'm tempted to lean forward and pick one up and place it close to my ear. For a brief moment I'm transported to another place.......I can hear the waves gently crashing against the shore and can feel the warm salty breeze seductively tossing my hair against the nape of my neck.......I visualize my little guy's enthusiastic chuckle on discovering the perfect shell that would now be a part of our collection.......But then wait, is that a phone I hear ringing in the distance ??? In a flash I'm transported back to reality and as I attend the call I'm reminded that I have to get on with my next appointment for the day. I  put the phone down and as I hurriedly gulp the rest of my tea, I find myself smiling.......Moments like these make you realize, the importance of surrounding yourself with things that are meaningful to you and have a happy memory associated with it. With the vacation memories relived (even if it was for a brief moment), I find myself ready to tackle the rest of the day.......

A few stalks of Queen Anne's lace loosely tucked in an Italian Vinaigrette bottle completes the look....

On a different note, I'd like to keep you posted that August is going to be happening at TECD:) We have loads of Zen and global decor inspiration, a fresh twist to traditional Ganesh Chaturthi festive decor and never before seen Home Tours coming your way. So make sure you are connected via Facebook, Google Friend Connect or have Subscribed to our mailing list. 

We've also been regularly updating our Facebook page with impromptu decor inspiration and snap shots from my photography experiments. So make sure your connected and don't miss out on the eye candy !!!

And don't forget to drop me a line and let me know what has your coffee table been sporting this summer ???

Images: Clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission. 

Images are the property of Sruthi Singh and subject to copyright.