New Surf Shack Book: the best in Relaxed Coastal Living

A new book has landed, Creatives, and it’s packed with a whole slew of ideas on relaxed coastal living.

Though we all love a good dose of Hamptons style (as seen here), this book is not that. In fact, it’s probably best described as the exact opposite of Hamptons. It’s not at all luxurious, it’s not at all uptight. It’s laidback living at its best. And it’s packed with an easy coastal vibe, a dash of bohemian style, and a whole load of mid-century goodness thrown in too.

I’m kinda head over heels for it, and thought it wise I give you a peek inside it in today’s post.

New Surf Shack Book: the best in Relaxed Coastal Living

Surf Shack features over 270 pages of amazing coastal homes. And as you’ll see in the photos above and below, the homes are incredibly varied. It actually makes you think about what ‘coastal’ as a design style actually is, because all of the spaces are putting their own spin on this classic aesthetic.

What’s so good about these spaces is that they’re less stylised, less thought out. I mean, I’m sure the home owners did some tweaking to make the rooms look amazing, but at the same time, the book is more a look at the way people live than it is at the way rooms are designed. It’s wonderfully everyday. The kinda everyday I wish I had, actually.

Escaping the Rat-Race

The author of the book, Nina Freudenberger, moved from New York City to California back in 2012 and was taken aback by how easy and breezy life was in her new surrounds.

In her introduction to the book, she tells how you surprising it was to see surfers carrying boards to the beach of a morning. In her former life in NYC, mornings were all businessmen and briefcases. But here, she was immersed in a new culture. Surrounded by surfers who seemed happy with this bohemian way of life, she was eager to explore and showcase the surf shacks they came home to. And so the book was born.

Nina wraps up her intro to the book with a quote that I really love:

“Create a home around something you love doing, and it can’t help but be beautiful”. 

Going your Own Way

What I love about the Surf Shack book, as a devotee of bright hues, is that a lot of the homes feature colour. It’s not all white and beige and distressed timbers. Many of the spaces are packed with bold patterns and a sense of eclecticism. The owners seem to collect what they love and what speaks to them, and the spaces work as a result.

The two images above are perhaps my fave from the book. They’re not the first images that come to mind when you hear the words ‘surf shack’. But they do embody what this book – and the homes – are about. A way of life that is less about what you should have and more about what you shouldn’t.

The moral of this book, if you need one, is that you don’t have to emulate all of the stylised homes you see in magazines. You can go your own way, collect the things you love. And you can end up with a stunning home that feels uniquely yours.

The new Surf Shack book is available here.