BARBARA JACKSIER'S WATERSIDE COTTAGES

Waterside Cottages Cover. Photography by Dan Mayers

Waterside style decorating is a great way to recapture your past or create an exciting new future.
Author Barbara Jacksier grew up in Brooklyn, New York, home to what may be the most famous beach in the world -- Coney Island. Her family lived in an apartment a few miles inland but each year they would spend their summer vacation at the shore. Barbara loved everything about living close to the water, including the sound of the waves, the pastel painted bungalows and the beachcomber’s keepsakes. Her memories of those beloved summer getaways inspired her new book, Waterside Cottages. It celebrates coastal style décor and makes the perfect summer reading.

Boathouse Living Room. Photography by Dan Mayers

When I was a child, my family and I spent our summer vacation at the beach. We didn’t stay in hotels. Instead, we rented small houses with easy access to whatever beach we were near. Those houses were called beach cottages, and I’ve loved them ever since.

In Waterside Cottages, I’ll take you on a cross-country tour to visit fourteen homeowners. The houses differ greatly in their decorating schemes, yet all have the ability to instantly transport you to the water’s edge. Some are centuries old and others built recently. A few boast vibrant Caribbean colors or nautical hues, while others rely on an all-white palette for a sense of serenity. Some feature rooms filled with accumulated treasures; others celebrate simplicity.

Photography by Dan Mayer

Whether they are primary residences, artist’s retreats or weekend getaway, all of the cottages in my book offer their owners and guests a place to enjoy time together; to chill out; and to feel sheltered and protected from the raging sea and the world outside. I hope you’ll use the book as a tool for translating a love of the waterside into successful decorating schemes.

Photography by Dan Mayer

Of course, as my mother told me, living near the water isn’t a necessary part of living beach house bliss. You can feel close to the sun and surf wherever you live when you decorate with waterside style. Visit Barbara’s blog at http://barbarajacksier.blogspot.com/