Coastal chic making waves

While homes all over the country employ coastal design, the Houston-Galveston iteration is chic and sophisticated, with lighter colors, polished or matte metals and plenty of blue. "The coastal experience is more about the color and texture, and a feeling that you get," said Seamus Kraham, owner of the Urban Resort home décor shop in Galveston. Through the week, the couple lives in Waddell's Memorial-area childhood home, a traditional, 5,100-square-foot house that used to be filled with dark wood and the furniture his parents chose years ago. After redecorating, their in-town home and their beach condo both capture their taste perfectly: open floor plans, light colors, big windows and plenty of natural light. The beachfront project draws UTMB doctors and other professionals, plus plenty of Houstonians who purchased lofts, townhomes and luxury homes - ranging from $350,000 to $6 million - for weekend getaways. Shari Shirazi is her husband's lead interior designer, sticking to the less-is-more philosophy with colors that borrow from what's outdoors: tans from the sandy beaches, greens from plant life and blue from the sky.