How to Channel the Beachside Vibes of Goa in Your City Apartment
You don't need a ticket to escape on a seaside holiday -- just a little imagination
A haven of sunshine and coastlines, fresh tender coconuts and whippy Serradura, Goa is a delectable slice of paradise that serves up a little something for everyone. Contrary to what the travel industry would have you believe, it doesn’t take an expensive vacation and two weeks off the clock to check into India’s seaside capital. With a little imagination, you can convert your city apartment into a dreamy seaside abode. Take a trip to the beach and back with this serving of coastal concepts.
Your ticket to Goa lies here.
Your ticket to Goa lies here.
2. Beach-style splashback
A lesson in quirky coastal chic, this striking bathroom is a vision of azure waters and sun-splashed shores. The geometric pattern on the wall and the inspired-by-chevron rug combine Goa’s characteristic colours to form a classic mosaic of sunlit, deep-sea nirvana. The teal roof is a fitting reflection of the sea, majestic and opalescent.
A lesson in quirky coastal chic, this striking bathroom is a vision of azure waters and sun-splashed shores. The geometric pattern on the wall and the inspired-by-chevron rug combine Goa’s characteristic colours to form a classic mosaic of sunlit, deep-sea nirvana. The teal roof is a fitting reflection of the sea, majestic and opalescent.
3. Suspended beach ropes
The humble rope is an emblem of beaches around the world and a mainstay on almost every Goan shore, as a safety measure or to moor boats.
This pure white bedroom becomes a seaside retreat, thanks to the addition of just two suspended beach ropes. Each capped with a lightbulb on the bottom, the ropes work as alluring bedside lamps. The framed seaside image on the wall is a subtle allusion to sunny seaside escapes. This space shows how to get a bang for your buck with basic beachside decor.
The humble rope is an emblem of beaches around the world and a mainstay on almost every Goan shore, as a safety measure or to moor boats.
This pure white bedroom becomes a seaside retreat, thanks to the addition of just two suspended beach ropes. Each capped with a lightbulb on the bottom, the ropes work as alluring bedside lamps. The framed seaside image on the wall is a subtle allusion to sunny seaside escapes. This space shows how to get a bang for your buck with basic beachside decor.
4. Driftwood displays
What says Goa better than driftwood and stripes of aqua? Holding the potential to be a coveted collector’s item, driftwood can be repurposed into an array of furniture. If only people knew its value.
Displays of driftwood, like the centre table in this beach-themed living room, do not need to come from genuine pieces cast ashore. They can be created from regular wood panels, crafted to a weather-beaten finish. Like the previous room, rope completes the seascape, appearing in a blink-and-you-miss-it performance as handles on the glass canisters and the table .
What says Goa better than driftwood and stripes of aqua? Holding the potential to be a coveted collector’s item, driftwood can be repurposed into an array of furniture. If only people knew its value.
Displays of driftwood, like the centre table in this beach-themed living room, do not need to come from genuine pieces cast ashore. They can be created from regular wood panels, crafted to a weather-beaten finish. Like the previous room, rope completes the seascape, appearing in a blink-and-you-miss-it performance as handles on the glass canisters and the table .
5. Baroque ceiling
Walk into any home in Old Goa’s Portuguese Baroque quarter, and chances are, you’ll find a false ceiling made of wood; one of the many architectural imprints left behind by the erstwhile Portuguese empire.
The barrel-vaulted ceiling in this home is a modern representation of traditional false ceilings, and is a route worth taking if you want your decor to skew a contemporary style. Notice how the space plays to an assortment of summer colours exclusively through furniture and accessories. The yellow single seaters warm the space while the navy-blue nautical cushions add a spot of colour.
Walk into any home in Old Goa’s Portuguese Baroque quarter, and chances are, you’ll find a false ceiling made of wood; one of the many architectural imprints left behind by the erstwhile Portuguese empire.
The barrel-vaulted ceiling in this home is a modern representation of traditional false ceilings, and is a route worth taking if you want your decor to skew a contemporary style. Notice how the space plays to an assortment of summer colours exclusively through furniture and accessories. The yellow single seaters warm the space while the navy-blue nautical cushions add a spot of colour.
6. Cerulean sails
Clean, white, pared-back walls form a perfect shell for this bijou bedroom. A striped cobalt headboard and wall-hung maritime blueprints create an ultramarine corner in a sea of all-white. Rope ball lamps, a porthole mirror and soft white scatter cushions featuring nautical knots stir up visions of marine voyages from a bygone era.
Clean, white, pared-back walls form a perfect shell for this bijou bedroom. A striped cobalt headboard and wall-hung maritime blueprints create an ultramarine corner in a sea of all-white. Rope ball lamps, a porthole mirror and soft white scatter cushions featuring nautical knots stir up visions of marine voyages from a bygone era.
7. Scintillating sailboats
Even the smallest of spaces can be gifted a piece of Goan splendour with a touch of wallpaper.
Wallpaper depicting docked sailboats forms a compelling backdrop in this blue-and-white powder room. A suspended rope shelf and a fisherman’s pendant lamp add minimalistic flourishes to the space.
Get the perfect wallpaper finish with this expert guide
Even the smallest of spaces can be gifted a piece of Goan splendour with a touch of wallpaper.
Wallpaper depicting docked sailboats forms a compelling backdrop in this blue-and-white powder room. A suspended rope shelf and a fisherman’s pendant lamp add minimalistic flourishes to the space.
Get the perfect wallpaper finish with this expert guide
8. Silver waters
Where the Arabian Sea meets the Goan shoreline, the sea is a calming pewter, capped by rolling waves and silver froth. It is only when you venture deeper that the waters begin to gain strength and sparkle.
This room captures the essence of Goa’s shoreline; soft and mellow and submissive. The translucent stones on the coffee table are a window to shell-spangled beaches and pristine silver bays.
Where the Arabian Sea meets the Goan shoreline, the sea is a calming pewter, capped by rolling waves and silver froth. It is only when you venture deeper that the waters begin to gain strength and sparkle.
This room captures the essence of Goa’s shoreline; soft and mellow and submissive. The translucent stones on the coffee table are a window to shell-spangled beaches and pristine silver bays.
9. Colonial canopy
Take a page out of Portuguese colonial design and elevate your room with a romantic canopy bed. Even a small space can accommodate a canopy by foregoing the traditional four posters and optimising ceiling space instead.
The pièce de résistance in this bedroom is the tented canopy; an Elysian white fantasy that presides over the room with otherworldly allure.
Take a page out of Portuguese colonial design and elevate your room with a romantic canopy bed. Even a small space can accommodate a canopy by foregoing the traditional four posters and optimising ceiling space instead.
The pièce de résistance in this bedroom is the tented canopy; an Elysian white fantasy that presides over the room with otherworldly allure.
10. Beryl blues
This apartment is an expression of beachside frolic and aquatic capers. The beryl doors are statement pieces that rival the periwinkle tide at Goa’s Baga and Calangute beaches.
This apartment is an expression of beachside frolic and aquatic capers. The beryl doors are statement pieces that rival the periwinkle tide at Goa’s Baga and Calangute beaches.
11. Splashes of colour
The turquoise tide, golden sunlight and colour-happy holidaymakers are all brought alive through lamps, paintings and floral accents in this tropical oasis. Dominated by blue and white, the bedroom is a virtual beachside play palace that marches to the rhythm of a tide far, far away.
The turquoise tide, golden sunlight and colour-happy holidaymakers are all brought alive through lamps, paintings and floral accents in this tropical oasis. Dominated by blue and white, the bedroom is a virtual beachside play palace that marches to the rhythm of a tide far, far away.
12. Island fiestas
An island getaway takes on a whole new meaning when it looks like this. With a custom sailboat island, invite Goa into your home and take a gastronomical cruise in your very own kitchen.
This sparkly white cooking area holds just two nautical elements: the sailboat island and a small model yacht. And yet, the beachside theme pulsates from every corner, urging the island to set sail with every meal.
Read more:
Get a Relaxed, Breezy, Light Decor In Your Home
Houzz Tour: An Eclectic and Quirky Piece of Heaven in Goa
Goa Houzz: Redesigned With a Courtyard, Jali Walls & Heritage Tiles
Tell us:
Which of these ideas will have you ushering Goa into your home? Tell us in Comments below.
An island getaway takes on a whole new meaning when it looks like this. With a custom sailboat island, invite Goa into your home and take a gastronomical cruise in your very own kitchen.
This sparkly white cooking area holds just two nautical elements: the sailboat island and a small model yacht. And yet, the beachside theme pulsates from every corner, urging the island to set sail with every meal.
Read more:
Get a Relaxed, Breezy, Light Decor In Your Home
Houzz Tour: An Eclectic and Quirky Piece of Heaven in Goa
Goa Houzz: Redesigned With a Courtyard, Jali Walls & Heritage Tiles
Tell us:
Which of these ideas will have you ushering Goa into your home? Tell us in Comments below.
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Although they may be replicas, the treasures in this pastel harbour look like they might have been salvaged from a centuries-old Portuguese shipwreck deep in the Arabian Sea. The tarnished half-wheel on the wall makes for a charming custom headboard and is complemented by a montage of seafaring relics on either side of the bed.
See how the blue-and-white palette conjures up a balmy beachside aesthetic, while the sheer, tasselled canopy serves as an ode to Goa’s salty breezes.