Designer: Thom Filicia

The Inspiration: “I thought it would be fun to reproduce the feeling of an oceanside resort,” says Thom Filicia. “Bahamas chic” is the term he uses to describe the look of his vignette, a fusion of Caribbean colors and natural materials that suggests the “ease of a tropical lifestyle,” says Filicia.

The Ideas: To freshen up the secondhand sofa — “a classic queen-size pullout” — Filicia re-covered it in “a really clean, ice blue linen fabric with celery-colored piping.” Because the room is intended to be a low-key, high-traffic hangout, he set about furnishing the space with reasonably priced accessories from such retailers as West Elm, Restoration Hardware, and Crate & Barrel.

Designer Tips and Tricks: Rather than bothering with complicated wall treatments in such a simple, unfussy space, the designer hung a half-dozen curtain panels made of silk and linen from inexpensive clear plastic shower-curtain rings.

The room’s accessories were chosen specifically to suggest the beach feeling, says Filicia. A slatted wooden screen alludes to the louvers found in tropical climates, and framed photographic negatives of seashells, which can be moved about at whim, recall the ocean. Other nods to nature include the sea-grass cube tables, a sisal area rug, and an exaggerated floral print splashed across the accent pillows. And not every sofa demands a traditional throw: Filicia draped his with a sarong.

Source List

Sofa: Carlyle, www.carlylesofas.com.
Sofa Fabric: Romo, www.romofabrics.com.
Sea-Grass Cube Tables and Bolster: Mecox Gardens, www.mecoxgardens.com.
Sisal Rug: Paul H Lee Carpets & Rugs, 212-656-9995 (available to the trade only).
Curtain Panels: Restoration Hardware, www.restorationhardware.com.
Screen: Crate & Barrel, www.crateandbarrel.com.
Photographic Negatives and Lantern: West Elm, www.westelm.com.
Pillow Fabric: Lulu DK Fabrics, www.luludk.com.