Escape at Home

Making your home a tropical getaway is essential to keeping a West Coast State of Mind all year long.  Fill your space with visual reminders of the beach and the sunshine as a constant reminder of where you want your soul to settle. 

Where my Tiki Dogs at? This handmade and hand carved pet dish holder (with bowls) is great for those dogs or cats that want their own Tiki Bar! The 6" round bowls sit 5" from the ground and the item measures approximately 16" x 8.5". The corners are tied up with grass cord.

WestCoast Goods is part of a midlife journey towards something better. Some place better. We've started this journey under a drab Michigan sky, looking West to the beaches of Hawaii, the Tiki Bars of Southern California and San Francisco, and the boho vibes of the Pacific Northwest. We love our home state of Michigan, but we wanted to remind ourselves, and our friends, that all these things exist here in some form or another. Even if they thrive most vividly in our minds and imaginations.

Tiki Bars are painted with beautiful glowing lights seeping in from every corner of the room. I'd suggest that lighting is the most important part of a Tiki space's atmosphere. Take a warm, colorful glow and wrap it in themed textures, materials, and patterns and you move quickly into the realm of magic, escape, and fantasy.

I wanted to talk with someone who helps create these pieces, so I caught up with MaryBeth Darin, a creator of custom Tiki lights from Michigan.

Even those of us without a green thumb can add some nature to our indoor spaces with ease. It’s best to focus on the most bang for your buck. So here are some of the easiest, but most tropical looking, varieties to add some Tropical Vibes to your home.

Tiki culture is all about the rum, right? RIGHT? Evan begs to differ. He is just one of many who are questioning whether alcoholic cocktails are a necessary component of a modern Tiki Bar and whether living a sober Tiki experience can be just as fun and satisfying as the boozy experience that most of us come to expect.

It's winter in the Midwest and it's cold outside. You need to recapture those Tropical Vibes ASAP. Here's our top 6 ideas for Midwest Tropical Escapism: