Answer: without a single seashell! When interior designer Orlando Soria was tasked with decorating a sea-side home, complete with a beautiful view of the ocean, he didn’t find it hard to apply that inspiration to his design. But how exactly do you achieve beach-chic without literally bringing the beach inside? Buckets full of sand and found seashells on your shelves is only cool when you have braces in elementary school. Orlando figured out how. We’re taking notes:

We’ve long been fans of Orlando Soria ’round here. You may remember him from Secrets of a Stylist on HGTV with Emily Henderson?! From his incredibly good looks {he’s hot as summer, baby!} and his light hearted personality, to his hilarious hashtags on Instagram {we die over #victim} and super entertaining posts on his blog, Hommemaker, he always has us laughing out loud.

But our major crush goes beyond his handsome looks and self deprecating personality, Or-lahn-do is also super talented. These days he’s creative director of Homepolish, and we got the chance to pick his interior design focused brain after drooling over his latest project: a clean and polished beach home. All we can say is our own dream vacation home – or any home for that matter – would look a heck of a lot like this!

Incorporating beach-inspired elements into the home in a non-traditional way is very important. As Orlando explains, “I tried to steer clear of any resources that were obviously beachy or nautical themed. [Instead] I tried to bring in as many colors from the outdoors as possible. The beautiful golden jute rugs to reference the color of the sand, concrete side tables to reflect the polished sea rocks on the shore, and ivory and beige keep everything feeling calm and relaxing.” With the view being so impressive, Orlando didn’t want the decor to be too ornate or distracting.

Orlando worked with a lot of small vendors and makers for this project. We love how he always has a sophisticated mixture of high and low. Most of the lighting came from One Forty Three {we’re big fans- see our lamp here!}. The chandelier in the living room is from Etsy– an affordable place to keep in mind when decorating. Normally a piece that amazing would have been CRAZY expensive! It’s a testament to the fact that the most expensive pieces aren’t necessarily the show stoppers.

“The client for this project loves inventive, distinctive pieces so I knew I wanted to include some,” said Orlando. Additional innovative home furnishings included the geometric concrete bedside tables. Orlando counter balanced those pieces with more subdued ones. Orlando told us, “I had to so it didn’t turn into PeeWee’s playhouse,” but with his sophisticated taste we aren’t surprised that he was able to find a perfect balance. The sisal rugs, minimalist lounge chairs and the basic {but elegant!} marble coffee table all are simple and streamlined to allow the statement pieces to really shine!

It’s easy to let our obsession of this crisp and clean style to get the best of us. But before we run to the store to redecorate our homes for warmer weather, we asked Orlando to give us some advice on decorating season to season. “I do think it’s a great idea to freshen up your home every season. You don’t have to go crazy, it can be swapping out accessories or changing art. But making a few changes here and there can really help maintain your appreciation for your space,” Orlando advised. “In summer, I love bringing in a lot of plants to enjoy the extra hours of sun that pour through the window. In cooler months, I like to add more wooden items to bring in more warmth {trays, candlesticks, etc}.”

We all agree that the best way to keep things fresh without spending too much is to invest in seasonal things you love and can store away and reuse the next year. If you want to give your home a bit of summer update, Orlando suggested looking at the work of his favorite designer, Robert Stilin. “He does beautiful, understated spaces that are somehow beachy and ridiculously sophisticated at the same time.”

Alright, at the end of this you either want to run to the nearest beach, turn your home upside down or drink up a tall glass of Orlando! Which ever option you pick, we’re just glad we could help. — Victor

photography by Tessa Neustadt