Beach Decorating Ideas

If you crave the motion of ocean waves, cherish sand between your toes, or just love beach music, recreate those magic moments and good vibrations with a metaphorical change in latitude for a fun, fun, fun beach themed escape.

And, we're here to get your creative juices flowing so you can be young, foolish, and happy, while you fashion some kind of wonderful event for you and your guests.

For inspiration, consider a day at the beach filled with high energy activity, the tranquil nature of sand & sea, or a throwback to the surfing culture of the 1960s. Here are 3 distinctive beach decorating styles:

When decorating, we like to place decorations, arrange accents & set "surprises" so guests discover them over the duration of the party. Below, we've put together some of our favorite suggestions for decorating your party scene with seaside flair.

Surf's Up! Entrance & Outdoor

START your party planning outside the box with a welcoming entrance and fun details in the backyard:

• Hang bikinis, board shorts, flip flops, hats, sunglasses, beach towels and accessories on a clothesline, fence, or porch railing
  
• Flank the front door with:

• Surfboards or cutouts from bulletin board paper, plywood, or cardboard, DIY here
• Beach ball & ring float columns, glued together with latex adhesive
• Wood crates & nets with buoys, lobsters, crabs & shells
• Giant pool floats
• Floor urns with bamboo or dried sea oats
• Potted palm plants
  
• For the adventurous, make your own palm trees, DIY here
• Use sidewalk chalk to draw creative designs on the driveway and paths to direct guests

• Roll out a bamboo mat runner
• Arrange Adirondack or beach chairs
• Fill the trees with hanging starfish
  
• Light the drive & walkways with hanging rope lanterns
• Kick up the beach colors with flower or tissue pom poms hanging from tree limbs
• Pose plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments
• Group arrangements of seashells and driftwood
• Put out a weathered BEACH sign

• Add planks to wood pallets to build a beach boardwalk/pier
  
• Warehouses (like us) leave wood pallets by the back door/dock for anyone to take (please!)
• Lay blue cellophane underneath to look like water
• Make your own pier pilings, DIY here
• Cut wood pallets in half to make a mini picket beach fence
• Hang ocean waves of blue & white bunting or swaths of fabric on fences and/or porch railings

• Wrap balusters, columns, fence posts/rails, and/or tree trunks in strips of fabric in beach colors
• Line the walkways with strips of fabric on bamboo poles or wood stakes
  
• Hang a life ring or beach-themed wreath on the front door
• Or, make your own fun-in-the-sun wreath with flip-flops
• Line the front walk with beach balls and/or pinwheels
• Hang a hammock between bamboo poles or in trees with beach-color pillows
• Light the drive, walkways, and/or entrance with tiki torches

Make a Scene

CREATE a laid-back surf shack scene on the front porch, at the back door, or in the party area:

• Roof
• String a natural grass table skirt, fringe or thatching above the doorway as the surf shack roof
  
• For best results, put brown Kraft paper behind the thatching to hide the wall color
• Easily mounted with clear push pins
  

• Walls
  
• We like printed bulletin board paper, which is available at craft & hobby stores
• Weathered-wood or bamboo print
• Easy to install with clear push pins
• Grass table skirts or thatching
• Bamboo fencing
• Painted cardboard
• Rattan or bamboo window shades (not pictured)
• Weathered wood planks (not pictured)
• Corrugated tin or gray plastic (not pictured)
  
• Door
• Use an existing doorway
• Make a fake doorway frame from

• Poster board
• Bamboo
• Painted wood
  
• Cover the door/fake doorway
• Wood-print fabric
• Wood-print paper
• Rattan or bamboo shade
• Bead curtain
  
• Basics
• Hand-painted sign on weathered wood or cardboard
• SURF SHACK
• FOOD HUT behind a food table
• TIKI BAR behind the bar
• If you don't have a real surfboard, make a cutout, DIY here
  
• Bulletin board paper
• Cardboard
• Plywood
• Spread out burlap to resemble sand
• Paint jar and/or bottle caps gold or silver for a fake doorknob & lock
• Erect a free-standing fence with a weathered wood pallet, cut in half
  
• Decorations
• Life ring
  
• Beach chairs
• Potted palms
• Tiki god or mask
• Hanging plants
• Paper flowers
• Seagulls, pelicans, parrots
• Shore birds
  
• Driftwood
• Starfish & seashells
  
• LOCALS ONLY sign
• Ukulele
• Flip flops
• Pink flamingos
  
• Beach umbrella
• Fishing Nets
• Buoys on rope
• Fishing bobbers
• Shower head
• Bicycle
• Skateboard
• Hammock
• Rain barrel
• String lights
• Fruit
• Oars
• Weathered pails
• Crates & trunks
  
• Fishing pole & hand net
• Beach ball & floats
  
• Window frame
• Volleyball
  

Give 'em a Sign

HARMONIZE your decor by repeating one or more beach, surfing, or ocean-themed icons, symbols or motifs, such as:

• Erect a directional signpost with beach destinations on weathered wood, mini surfboard cutouts, or arrows in bright beach colors. DIY here
• Make a cute little arrow sign TO THE BEACH
• Add throw pillows in beach colors to a neutral-colored (or covered) sofa
• Intersperse signs and beach phrases written in rope letters, DIY here

Show Your Colors

TIE it all together by choosing a palette of colors up front to guide your decorating decisions:

• Consider a full range of beach colors
• Choose any 3 to 5
  
• Lighten 1 or more colors to refine your palette
• Make your colors stand out with white, ivory and neutral backgrounds
  
• Remove competing colors and objects that distract from your selected shades
  
• For a coastal effect, use colors inspired by nature
• Ocean & sky: turquoise, teal, blue and aqua
• Sand & shells: rose, sand, gold and sienna
• Establish your colors with repetition
  

Fly High

DECORATE the ceiling and transform the room; here are some ideas to lift your thinking:

• Hang surfboard cutouts & inflatable sharks, whales or dolphins
• Radiate swaths of draped fabric in beach ball colors from a center point
  

• Hang an assortment of new and/or vintage beach-destination postcards on a clothesline
  
• Brighten the room with hanging garlands of flowers
  
• Suspend driftwood, starfish, and/or seashell garland
• Make palm trees with leaf cutouts & hanging brown streamers as tree trunks
  

• Tie brightly colored bandanas end-to-end
  
• Liven up the scene with life rings overhead
  
• Stretch fishing nets with hanging glass buoys
  
• Hoist round paper lanterns in beach colors of varying sizes & heights
  
• Intermix tulle pom-poms and ceiling swirls
  
• For a retro look, add spacing between lanterns and use a variety of bold, contrasting colors
  

• Fly kites and/or beach balls
• String up an assortment of beach accessories at varying heights:
  
• Flip flops
• Sunglasses
• Panama hats
• Bikinis
• Plastic crabs
• Straw fans
• Board shorts
• Starfish

• Crisscross banners of colorful papel picado (perforated paper) and/or pennants
• Float bottles with messages and lobster buoys
  
• Dangle snorkels, masks & fins
• Elevate pool floats & swim rings

Up the Walls

ENHANCE the background and create focal points with themed wall decorations, trimmings, and backdrops:

• Hang new or vintage travel posters to beach destinations
• Mount giant paper or foam flowers
• Use bamboo or rattan shades to
• give walls that beach hut vibe
• create a themed backdrop
• restrict access
• hide supplies & unsightly areas
• Layer bamboo fencing, raffia table skirts, thatching, or weathered-wood bulletin-board paper

• Add a realistic beach vista behind the bar or dessert table with a photography backdrop or scene-printed bulletin board paper
  

• Then, frame the view with curtains or bamboo poles
• Lay out your own water & sky horizon:
• Use blue fabric, paint, or cloud-printed bulletin-board paper for the sky
  
• Create the horizon with hanging turquoise tulle or organza as the water
  
• Simulate light reflections on the water with white mini or fairy lights underneath
  
• Suspend an orange/white round paper lantern as the sun/moon
  
• String a collection of lobster buoys on a rope
• Brighten the room with Popsicle garland made from pool noodles, DIY here
  


• Fill open spaces with rectangle panels of beach towels
  
• Or, hang striped beach towels on hooks
• Cascade a curtain of flower garlands
• Emulate the heat from the sun and rippling water with twisted crepe streamers
  
• Make a gallery wall of individual seashell photos framed with poster or foam board.
  
• Alternatively, frame real seashells
  

• Hook up a fishing net decoration and add starfish, shells, and sea life
• Include plastic crabs, lobsters, tropical fish, & green streamers as seaweed
• Attach photos of your guest of honor or beach travel destinations
• Use bamboo or weathered wood bulletin board paper for the background
• Enhance with white mini or fairy lights
  
• Mark the spot with crossed paddles or tiki torches over a doorway, bar, or fireplace
• Put up tiki masks for a surfer party

• Include a sweeping view of the ocean on a distant wall, at the end of a hallway, or behind the bar. This simple optical illusion can fill any size space with two shades of blue bulletin board paper, fabric, or paint.
• Hang/paint sky blue along the top to fill the space
• Add navy blue with the top edge at eye level
• Optionally, add a ship, sailboat, lighthouse, or island to your horizon
• Use tulle sheers, curtains, or fabric if you need to transition any of the edges
• More details at the DIY here

Serve 'em Right

FIRE UP your food service with unique details at food stations, appetizer spreads, self-serve buffets, raw bars, dessert tables, and hors d'oeuvre trays:

• Create a fun day at the beach on your serving table with teal-colored satin overlaid with a strip of burlap along the back for the beach
• Use a real surfboard or cutout as a serving table tier
• Dress tables with striped stretch covers or skirts
  
• Center salad & serving bowls in swim ring & inner tube floats
• Hoist a thatch or stripe umbrella over a food station, buffet, dessert table, or bar
• Decorate tables with blue & white wave bunting, raffia table skirts, or natural thatching
• Label food with tents and mini signs in pineapple, beach ball, palm tree, and/or seashell card holders

• Include plastic sand pails with shovels
• Build a display of cascading fruit as a centerpiece
• Include enamel serveware in bright colors, such as cake stands, beverage tubs, and utensil holders
• Use scallop, clam, and starfish shaped serving dishes
• Arrange tropical plants in woven basket planters at varying heights on a buffet or food station

• Go natural with real oranges, coconuts, and pineapples as serving bowls

• Drill holes in a driftwood log to hold appetizer skewers
• Tie a colored bow onto each chafing dish handle
• Trim serving dishes with aqua or blue rick-rack to look like ocean waves
• Skewer & circle hors d'oeuvres and appetizer bites with shark fin toothpick flags

• Or, decorate with toothpick flags in beach colors

• Enhance food platters and serving trays with decorative themed centerpieces

• Serve up a seafood boil down the center of the table on newspaper or brown paper
  
• Assemble carrot & green pepper palm trees for veggie and food platters, DIY here

• Give your food presentation a professional look with individual appetizers lined up in rows
• Weight paper napkins with starfish
• Loop seashells with natural twine to wrap napkin & utensil bundles
• Arrange silverware in the shape of a palm tree
  
• Give it some retro flair with diner-style food baskets, striped straws, & polka dot food cups

• Sacrifice doll legs to a watermelon shark, DIY here
  

• Decorate with edible sand made from wafers, graham crackers & brown sugar, recipe here
• Create a cupcake beach scene with flower sprinkles on PEZ-candy flip-flops under a drink umbrella
  
• Also, festoon dips and food platters with cocktail parasols

Raise the Bar

LIFT SPIRITS with extra fun touches and embellishments in cocktails and at the bar:

• Construct a bar from an old door or wood planks on a pair of painted steel drums
• Chill out your party beverage service with Pomegranate Sex On the Beach cocktail popsicles, recipe here

• Cast fishing bobbers into ocean colored punch
• Use a bamboo weave mat or printed wood-grain tablecover on the bar top
• Stretch a table skirt, fishing net, or thatching across the front
• Hang a fishing net as a floating wall backdrop for your bar
• Cool beverages in a retro-style Coca-Cola cooler
• Make outdoor drink holders from cans, DIY here

• Paint ping-pong balls to make beach ball drink stirrers, DIY here
• Build a bar backdrop of stacked wood crates as shelves
• Arrange a fun-day-at-the-beach or surfer scene on the bar top

• Dress up fruity rum drinks in tulip glasses with
• Pineapple or pink flamingo stirrers
• Frilly paper drink parasols aka umbrellas
• Bamboo-printed paper straws
• Colorful pineapple, orange, and maraschino cherry fruit garnishes

• Serve shark-infested cocktails that turn blood red, here’s how
• Skewer drink garnishes with shark fin or beachy pink, green, and light blue toothpick flags

• Set up a make-your-own spiked lemonade stand, here’s how
• Freeze edible flowers in ice cubes
• Serve up your spirits in a memorable way by creating your own tropical beach bar with a view, here's how
• Rename a tropical-inspired cocktail for the event or guest of honor
• Infuse pineapple bites with coconut rum, here's how
• Pass South Seas Shimmy Jell-o shots, recipe here

• Mix it up with ice and seashells in beverage tubs
• Keep it cold, dry, and festive with frozen water balloons in beverage coolers

• Announce "DRINKS" with a flip flop banner for the bar
• Border the edge of your bar with rope, bamboo, flower leis/garland, string lights or plastic crabs

Focal Points & Centerpieces

Create a scene with centerpieces, vases, focal points, and vignettes.

Vases

• Use real coconuts as natural vases; optionally add a base made from a section of another coconut
  
• Fill a conch shell with flowers for a striking display
  
• Paint hollowed-out pineapples for a set of color-coordinated vases
  

• Fill a glass vase with whole or cut oranges, limes or lemons
  
• Create distressed, vintage mason jar vases in beach pastels, DIY here
  
• Layer sections of colored sand in a glass vase
  

Shells

• Assemble seashells, starfish, and candles on a bed of sand in a square glass terrarium
  
• Use turquoise tulle as an emblematic base to showcase shells & flowers in a galvanize bucket
  
• Submerge shells in a water-filled glass vase and use mini wood crates to build tiers
  

• Scatter ocean-colored acrylic rocks to display a glass bowl of white seashells
  
• Add glitz with a variety of seashells & starfish painted metallic gold
  
• Create a striking display with a collection of lanterns filled with starfish & shells
  

Accents

• Tie back poles wrapped in white or ivory fabric & turquoise organza with starfish
  
• Embellish potted plants with brightly colored drink umbrellas
  
• Paint starfish in beach colors
  

• Hang palm fronds inside patio umbrellas
  
• Enhance blue and/or green bottles with hanging seashells, DIY here
  
• Give it a rustic feel with hanging burlap tied with jute rope
  

Receptions, Banquets & Dinner Table Settings

BRING your style to the table with coordinated color and details.

• Dress cocktail tables with striped stretch covers or cinched linens
• Use a message-in-a-bottle to mark table numbers
• Tie utensil bundles and/or napkins with seashells or starfish on twine

• Fold napkins into Starfish shapes, DIY here

• Spice up tables with surfer or beach-themed salt & pepper shakers
• Insert placecards in crab, sea turtle, seashell, or starfish holders

Light it Up

GIVE your event that magic touch with an extra beam of brilliance.

• Use up-lights on perimeter walls in cool ocean tones or high-energy beach colors

• Hang sheer fabric drapes to soften the effect
• Add sand to seashells to hold tealights
• Or, fill shells with wax for a unique set of beach-themed candles
• Aim pin spots to make centerpieces stand out

• Hang seashells around the outside of ocean-colored jars to make candle holders

• Drill holes in driftwood to stand mini taper candles
• Float candles in vases filled with water and sea shells
• Bamboo tiki torches are a natural light source for a beach or retro surfer theme
• Set pillar candles in stacked wood crates for an eye-catching presentation
• Project beach themed GOBOs on walls & ceilings
• Use colored glow sticks on walkways or floating in the pool
• Include submersible colored floral lights in vases

• Make tealight holders from driftwood, DIY here
  
• Energize the room with blacklight glow tape
  

• Shine orange lights behind palm tree silhouettes painted on a white sheet to invoke a beach sunset
• Cover fairy lights with ocean-colored tulle or organza to simulate shimmering light reflections on water

• Fill colored and frosted bottles with fairy lights and decorate with a shell on jute rope
• Customize your own candle holders with coral, sand & shells in glass vases
  
• Brighten the bar, walkways, railings and serving tables with beach and ocean themed string lights
• flip-flops
• pineapples
• drink umbrellas
• glass buoys
• pink flamingos
• sailboats
• parrots
• palm trees
• seashells
• sea turtles
• tropical fish
• whales
• jellyfish
• seahorses

Thankful For Small Favors

• Give thanks with thoughtful tropical or Hawaiian luau themed party favors, such as:
• Shaped soaps
• Cheese spreaders
• Bottle stoppers & openers
• Coasters
• Swizzle sticks
• Beach-In-A-Jar
• Coconut or pineapple cups
• Straw fans
• Mini pots with a tropical plant or bamboo