by Haute PR

Created on: September 14, 2008

Achieve Beach House Chic on a Budget

From Southampton to Amagansett, the Hamptons is home to some of the most gorgeous properties in the world. Residents shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars on interior design, just to get that homey beach house look. Many times, these design-savvy homeowners won't bat an eyelash at spending $30,000 to renovate a single walk-in-closet in their tony summer homes. For those of you who have more style than money, there are some easy, affordable ways to decorate your entire summer home for less than $30,000.

"The best designers combine high and low priced items in a way that looks expensive," says Cindy Lee Bergersen, a prominent interior designer. Bergersen suggests filling the room with collections of found objects that you picked up on vacation or at small boutiques, just because you loved looking at them. If you group objects you love together, they make a big impact. Family photos shouldn't be randomly scattered all over the living room. It makes a much better statement if you group all of the photos in one place. Pottery Barn makes great picture shelves that artfully display elegant groupings of family photos like your own personal art gallery.

"A designer look is something simple, elegant and in good taste," states Bergersen. Buying a simple orchid and putting it in a vase with river rocks or sand is a great way to get a designer look for the fraction of the cost. When you combine flowers in a vase, always use an odd number of flowers such as 1, 3, or 5 as opposed to even numbers. It just looks more put together. Another easy way to create dramatic, beach decor is to take a wide hurricane, a thick candle, some sand and sea shells and put them together for a designer look.

As far as accessories, there are a lot of very well-known designers who go to Pearl River Mart, the Chinese Department Store in Soho. "They have a great selection of streamlined products that look more expensive then they are," explains Bergersen. They sell wrought iron trays there that look like they cost $150 but sell for $22.50. Stores like West Elm also have designs in natural materials with clean lines at great prices.

For designer finds on a dime, check out the outlets. The ABC Carpet and Home Warehouse Outlet in the Bronx has fabulous rugs and furniture at discount prices. If you go to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, check out Crate and Barrel, Frette, Le Creuset, Pratesi and Williams Sonoma. En route to the Hamptons, stop at the Tanger Outlet

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