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Tips for Decorating Your Beach Hut

James Cooper
Home and Property Insurance Customer, Sales and Service Specialist, read more

3 minutes

Written: September 16, 2016

A row of brightly painted beach huts stands on sandy ground, each in different pastel and vibrant colors.

We sat down with Beach Hut of the Year 2016 finalists to discuss their top tips for beach hut living. Read on for great tips about decorating your beach hut and follow the links to browse more from our Beach Hut of the Year top tips series. In this article, Beach Hut of the Year finalist, Lili Sanchez, shares her top tips on decorating your beach hut.

A row of colorful beach huts, one with a woman sitting outside on a deck chair. The huts are painted blue, yellow, and white, with bunting and summer decorations.

Things to consider when renting a beach hut from the council

Lili’s beach hut, AKA her ‘shed’, is located in Thanet, Kent. Like many other hutters, Lili rents her beach hut from the council. This comes with regulations and conditions, covering health and safety considerations to limitations on decoration. Lili believes that these rules all benefit beach hutters and that it’s still possible to make your hut a place to feel at home.

How to create your ideal beach hut interior

Although beach huts are tiny things - similar in size to the average bathroom - planning can make the small space go a long way. Lili divides her 'shed' into five zones: cooking; washing-up; furniture storage; crockery and cutlery; and a social area.

As Lili is bound by council restrictions on decoration, she makes use of parcel tape, bras hooks, pins and Blu Tack to decorate her walls.

However, Lili stresses the point that sheds need air circulation, so it's important to avoid wall-to-wall floor coverings in favour of moveable cotton mats which can be easily cleaned and aired. Without good air circulation, you’re creating the perfect environment for mice and mould. Read our article on how to care for your beach hut for more information.

A green tablecloth printed with illustrated figures covers a small table topped with flowers and a radio.

Top tip: If you’re lucky enough to know your beach hut neighbours, why not ask them whether they can air your hut from time to time? You can offer to return the favour.

Smart storage for your beach hut

Smart storage is key to a functional and beautiful beach hut interior. Lili recommends recycling plastic containers from restaurants or takeaways which are easily stackable and can be painted or decorated to personal taste. It’s important that these containers are airtight as mice and mould can be a major problem.

Top tip: Splash tea tree oil around the edges of your floor every month or so. Mice don’t like the smell and it’s a quick and inexpensive way to freshen up your interior. If you don’t like the smell of tea tree, oil burners are also great as the smell penetrates into the wood – and puts off mice.

Accessorise your beach hut

Close-up shots of a blue beach hut featuring a round porthole-style mirror.

Most of Lili’s eclectic accessories have been sourced from charity shops, or are simply things she didn’t want cluttering her home.

Storage and ease of cleaning are at the fore of Lily’s mind whenever she brings accessories to her hut. Her work top area is covered with a wipe able striped vinyl fabric and below her worktop is a washable curtain Lili made herself from a second-hand Cath Kidston duvet cover.

  • Fold-up stools with tray tops make easily storable tables.

  • Shower curtains make ideal door curtains as they’re lightweight and easy to wipe clean.

  • Small throws are always useful and can be easily taken home to wash.

  • Pretty towels hung around the hut look fab and can be switched around to create different looks.

  • Bunting is great for a vintage feel.

  • A door mat is important when you have lots of people traipsing in and out of the hut.

  • A port-hole mirror keeps to the seaside theme, creates light and its reflected image brings the sea into the hut.

  • Battery operated lighting is important.

  • Canvas folding chairs are easily stored in a beach hut and can be used outside when the weather’s good.

  • A portable gas fire is handy over colder months.

  • It’s always useful to have a small sewing kit and a tool kit containing a hammer, pliers, screw-drivers and scissors to hand.

  • A pot is useful for emergency loo situations.

Top tip: Hang up saucepans to air as they can get smelly and attract mice and mould. Make sure you do the same for damp towels.

James Cooper

Home and Property Insurance Customer, Sales and Service Specialist

James is a respected industry leader with over 10 years' experience in the home and property insurance sector.

He works across a broad range of insurance product and policy development and delivery, including product development; customer sales and marketing; and P&L accountability. 

James currently works at Everywhen as Head of Sales and Service - Property. Everywhen combines regional care with national reach, deep sector knowledge and strong insurer relationships to deliver tailored solutions across 55+ schemes. We help our clients navigate everyday and emerging risks with confidence, always and at all times.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.