With the concept of a ‘staycation’ gaining popularity, more of us are turning to home holidays, and the Great British seaside remains a favourite destination. Beach huts are in high demand around our coastlines and have increased in value exponentially over the last 20 years with the average cost now up around £50,000. It’s even possible to take a holiday in a beach hut with many travel operators offering single-roomed, luxury accommodation for a longer stay.
The UK seaside holiday first became popular towards the end of the 18th century when George III visited Weymouth in 1789 in a bid to improve his health. Coastal holidays gained traction when the Victorians introduced bathing machines, and in 1909, the first publicly-accessible beach huts were launched in Bournemouth.
Establishing your own summerhouse in your garden means that you can take advantage of its benefits all year round. Whether you are seeking to create a summerhouse theme that complements your coastal location or would simply like to replicate your favourite seaside destination on home turf, our blog explores ways to fulfil your vision. Below we explore summerhouse ideas to help you create a beach hut-style garden building that reflects all your favourite aspects of the coast.
‘It’s so bracing!’
Whether you enjoy the lively sea breezes of the East coast or prefer a secluded Cornish beach, spending time in the fresh air is always healthful and mood-boosting. With your own garden summerhouse, you can spend time outdoors all year round, benefiting from its shelter when a shower breaks out or the wind blows more strongly. Make maximum use of the shelter offered by your summerhouse by carefully choosing its position, especially if your garden is exposed or your summerhouse is installed at the top of a slope.
Scotts offer a rotating base for most of their octagonal summerhouse models. This enables you to turn your summerhouse through 360 degrees allowing you to follow the sun and shelter from the wind. This ingenious mechanism is hidden away behind timber skirting and the nylon wheels require no maintenance. Enjoy your beach hut-themed summerhouse in all weathers by making sure it is lined. You can even opt to add insulation to a Scotts summerhouse as well as double glazing to keep you cosy during every summer storm.
‘A life on the ocean wave’
If you’re lucky enough to live by the sea, you may even be able to spy that enticing stretch of blue from your property. Position your summerhouse to face the sea and you won’t need to travel to the beach to enjoy its benefits. Maybe a swimming pool offers a luxurious alternative for splashing around. Make sure your poolside summerhouse contains all the accessories you need including floats, inflatables, and toy boats for some summer fun with the grandchildren. Brightly striped towels can be hanging from pegs as you take a refreshing dip. Think about setting up a summerhouse and hot tub combo that enables you to move with ease from the water to your sun lounger.
‘She sells seashells.’
Pottering around on the beach is a favourite pastime on many beach holidays, and you can use any driftwood, sea glass, or shells you find to decorate your beach hut summerhouse. Sites such as Etsy and eBay also provide a host of options for shoreline décor and you can even arrange them on a boat-shaped shelf unit. Create your very own rockpool with a simple garden ‘pond’ in a washing up bowl or discarded Belfast or Butler sink. Seal it well and fill with rainwater. Add plants including pondweed, and a few rocks and allow the natural world to the thrive.
‘Ship ahoy!’
The sky is the limit for your beach hut-themed interior décor. Choose light, bright and colourful tones, and make a beeline for nautical stripes, blue and white patterns and curvy shapes that mimic the waves of the sea. If you’re using bunting indoors, it can be crafted from fabric in traditional colours or using a patchwork approach. Simply attach a sequence of cup hooks and secure the bunting around your summerhouse eaves. Nautical rope and fishing nets make a splash as decorative features and you can always find a vintage barometer, convex mirror, ship’s wheel, or a lantern at flea markets and antiques fairs. It is best to choose one or two statement pieces to avoid over-doing the theme.
Install some artwork including canvases made from your own photographs of seaside holidays remembered. Look around online and you will find some decorative gems from a f
lying seagull to suspend from your summerhouse ceiling to an ornamental wooden whale, a clam shell wreath, or a mermaid cushion design.
Add lighting to recreate those summer evenings by the sea. Choose from strings of lights in a variety of styles from nautical hemp rope, or bulbs in the shape of an octopus, shell, starfish or turtle. Save money and protect the environment by harnessing the power of the sun to keep the lights on. Scotts offer a solarhub option with a high efficiency solar panel so you can light your summerhouse without being connected to mains electricity.
Sit back and relax!
There are plenty of effortless ways to maintain your beach hut theme through your choice of comfortable furnishings. The iconic striped deckchair can be used inside or out, but if you can’t fancy the challenge of setting them up, white wicker seats keep the holiday feeling alive. Add a folding table, rustic rug and some red, white and blue cushions and throws, and you will be able to kick back and enjoy your seaside home-from-home.
Scotts offer handy modular seating in a range of upholstery colourways. Our Mappleton Charcoal striped fabric for backrest and loose cushions particularly complements the beach hut theme. Or you may prefer the more fun and colourful Honeysuckle Fig or Sanderson Jackfruit colourways. Our modular seating option can be moved around with ease and delivers free-standing storage for all your summer garden accessories.
Under the boardwalk
Surround your summerhouse with beach-style accessories and re-create your perfect coastal holiday inland. All summerhouses require a firm and level base, and if you plan ahead at the installation stage, you could build on a timber or composite deck that will provide the perfect seaside feel underfoot. The colour of your summerhouse will influence the type of decking timber you choose. We recommend the lighter paint finishes in the Scotts range for a beach hut theme such as Putty, Duck Egg and Birch. Alternatively, you might prefer the darker, rich Teal colour with echoes of the sea’s waves.
Install a sandpit outside your summerhouse for the grandchildren and your home will instantly become a go-to destination when the sun comes out. A sandpit edged with railway sleepers can be converted into a bed for planting when the tinies grow up. For long summer evenings, set up a fire pit, chiminea or patio heater outside your summerhouse. Choose from Indian fire bowls to gel-based alternatives that burn bio ethanol and can also be safely used indoors.
The type of planting you choose will enhance your beach hut summerhouse theme. Select grasses that remind you of the shore such as foxtail, moor grass and miscanthus. If your summerhouse is in a coastal area, select hardy varieties such as pheasant-tail grass, and add Hart’s tongue fern, fleabane and red Valerian that will stand up well to being wind-swept. Palms and cordylines could bring to life a Caribbean-style beach hut theme while heady lavender and rosemary will infuse your summerhouse setting with the scent of Mediterranean.
Piece of cake
And finally, to truly fulfil your enjoyment of your beach hut summerhouse, don’t forget to make space for some traditional refreshments. Lay out a picnic on a blanket or offer your guests a cream tea served on a bone china crockery. If you have mains electricity installed in your summerhouse, stock up a small fridge with ice creams, soft drinks, and a refreshing beer.
For the journey
We hope that you have been inspired by some of our ideas to make the most of your summerhouse with a fun beach hut theme. Whatever theme you choose to follow, make sure you select a premium quality summerhouse that will withstand the elements and last for many years with minimal maintenance. Scotts’ premium summerhouses are available in a range of shape and styles to suit all gardens and every theme.
Get in touch to speak to our expert design team and we will be happy to set you on the right path.