Last week, when the skies were really blue around here, I was walking along Southwold Promenade in our lovely Suffolk, enjoying the fresh sea air and Beach Huts. When it’s sunny and you’re not rushing to your car, all wrapped up – it’s funny how much more you notice around you. Colours, names of things and all of the inspiration at your finger tips.
As you may know already, I am a bit of a beach hut geek. Well , a lot of one, really. I wrote about the coast near us last year and I have turned our own garden room in to a beach hut themed place to relax. I just find them so adorable to look at – and the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing contrasting colours and cool names. Anything goes !
As much as the owner probably loves the colours that they choose, it also seems that they decorate them for the pleasure of visitors to the seaside and I love that.
Lots of people were out refreshing the paintwork on their beach huts. I stopped and had a chat with one man as his beach hut plaque was quite intriguing. It had cute little jelly shoes attached to it – it’s the one on the right in the middle, above – aptly names ” Jellies “.
He said that the shoes had belonged to his little grand daughter the summer before and instead of throwing them away – they thought it would be nice to have them as a keepsake. I thought that was really lovely.
It got me wondering the reasoning behind each of the huts. Some are probably for fun and others with a more personal meaning. The yellow one here called ” Drama Queen ” really made me laugh. Not only the name but the dramatic colour. So tongue in cheek.
I also spole to another man painting his beach hut ( gawd, I really do sound like a crazy lady don’t I ? I do love a chat with folk in Southwold ) and he said the prices vary from around fifty thousand up to one hundred and sixty thousand to own one. Gulp.
But, hey, you can always hire one for the day which would be a nice family day out.
Look at all of these beautiful colour palettes. That soft shade of pink and the mint green. The pastels sit comfortably with the bold colours. Which one would you pick out of these ? ” Companionable ” is the perfect word for a coastal neighbour. That red is fearless !
“Dolly Grey ” always makes me smile. It’s so pretty. Adore the soft grey with blue tones. I would like to colour match it and maybe use it for a bathroom. The red, blue and white for Noah’s Ark is very regal. Actually, what a great place to visit to find some interesting wall ideas for homes. I will bear that in mind for when I’m qualified in interior design.
So, so many variants on blue – obviously a popular colour. Had to finish on Auntie Bong Bong’s name sign. Possibly the sweetest one of the day.
As you can see, I was very dedicated that day in taking photos for the blog. Andy walked along side me, slowly eating an ice cream. He’s very understanding. Ha !
If you had a beach hut – what would you call it and what colour would you paint it ? Which one out of these tickles your fancy ? Let me know by leaving your comment under this post. Maybe we can get a whole imaginary row between us :) …
Personally I think I’d paint mine in pastel rainbow colours and call it ” Betsey and Mae ” – fingers crossed for one day, you never know.
Have a good day.
You can see more of my images over on my instagram page.
I was drawn to ‘Drama Queen’ actually… It jumped out at me from the others, what a great name! Would be fascinating to know the stories behind them all, wouldn’t it. I have a feeling mine would change colour yearly.. far too many delicous colours to choose from to just stick to one! As for the name, I’ll ponder that one, just in case said imaginary beach hut should present itself ;-) xx
Totally agree. The main fun would be choosing a colour every year …
Glad you agree about ‘Drama Queen’ – hilarious name! I look forward to hearing your name when the beach hut appears! Thanks, Hollie, for stopping by … X
Oh how this post brings back childhood memories of Southwold! I think if I were to be lucky enough to own a beach hut – I would call it “The Huts Nuts”! ;-)
That’s so cool, Nicky! Love it! Southwold is such a special place – glad it has bought back memories for you … :)
Ooh I spot my family’s beach hut ‘here’s hoping’!! Southwold is such a lovely place and I love the way you’ve photographed all the beach huts!
Oh! i feel very honoured that you like my photos! So so love the beach huts and yours is a beaut! Thank you for reading my post :) X
Thanks for commenting on ‘Jellies’, and thanks for giving me an excuse to stop painting and chat for a few minutes. My granddaughter, Maggie, whose shoes are pinned to the sign will be delighted to learn that her story has made it onto the internet :-)
It was great having a chat and I loved your story. Also love that you have found my blog post! Thank you very much for leaving a comment and say hi to Maggie! :)
Just come back from visiting my granddaughter Maggie, as I’m her Granny and I painted the ‘Jellies’ sign. We had the hut for 2 years before I settled on the name, before it was just No. 29. Finding a name that works for you is harder than you think sometimes! Anyway Maggie has not seen the Jellies on the sign yet as she lives in Cheshire, but she has a lovely box of sand and is making sandcastles in her back garden at the moment. At 2 1/2 she will love it when she visits this summer.
How lovely, Jeanne. It must be so wonderful to have a family beach hut. Memories for you all. Maggie is very lucky – and no doubt will love the sign when she sees it. I guess it’s good to wait a while to name your hut – once you’re all settled in it. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment :) Lucy x
So much pastel gorgeousness here. Southwold is somewhere I really must visit – looks like beach hut heaven! I think I’m long overdue a beach hut photo session ;) I think pastel stripes would be the way to go too – I’m hoping to persuade my other half that we *need* a potting shed in the garden and then go to town with all the pastels :) xxx
Everyone needs a potting shed! ;) I look forward to seeing it on your instagram feed :)
Lovely colourful photos! Our family hut is Babbadoon. It was named by my Grandparents who are sadly no longer with us. It is supposed to be the sound the wind makes on a windbreak on a windy day on Southwold beach. There is a very friendly community amongst beach hut owners.
Ah! I know the one. You are really lucky to have such a great community. Thank you for sharing your beach hut story X