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Heading for the beach? Take a look at our selection of beach accessories that are well-designed, eco-friendly and sustainable.

Developing their beach collection, Paris-based 5.5 designstudio have drawn inspiration from the architecture of the iconic city-resort La Grande Motte situated in Camargue, France. Developed in the late 1960s, the resort was entrusted to architect Jean Balladur who spent twenty years exclusively on this project.

The result is iconic architecture-sculpture made of triangles, truncated circles and trapezes, which provides a kinetic effect to Balladur’s work. Although the unusual architecture was criticized, the city of La Grande Motte ultimately obtained the label ‘20th century heritage site’ from the Ministry of Culture in 2010.

5.5 designstudio’s beach items celebrate La Grande Motte’s symbolic architecture aiming to make it a living heritage. The colorful collection that includes beach mattresses, parasols, towels, buckets, deckchairs offers vacationers a new experience and creates multiple ephemeral installations reacting with the architectural landscape of the city-resort.

Sand Pyramids, as their name suggests, comprise buckets that allow children to reproduce the city’s triangles and play the architects’ apprentices on the beach. Aptly named Beach Pyramids, parasols resonate with the pyramidal buildings of the city. Resembling a canopy perforated with modénatures’ shapes, the parasols project the buildings’ silhouettes on the sand with the interplay of light and shadow.

Made with Dickson textiles, Acapulco Backrests offer a smart alternative to traditional deckchairs. Easy to anchor to the ground, they considerably improve comfort of the beach goers. Similarly, the Grand Motto, small side tables made with painted metal can be anchored to protect personal belongings from the sand

Poseidon mattresses, derived from the bishop’s bonnet and made in polyurethane moss, offer comfort to the feet in the sand, while towels Le Provence offer a generous surface on the ground to relax, alone or accompanied. Postmodern and vibrant colors add to the symbolic appearance of the collection.

Fabricated by William Ellery by Trevor Davis, Beachcomber Gear is a collection for those who don’t go to the beach often and therefore are not ready to invest much into buying beach accessories that are meant only to be used occasionally. Created in small batches, these beach accessories, which can transition from beach use to metropolitan use, may interest both casual beachgoers and urban dwellers.

The collection is made up of two multi-purpose items that are created from sustainable materials like vintage materials or garments that are also meant to last long.

Seatpack is a durable inflatable chair that is innovatively made to be around water and sand without wearing down. The product has a fabric anchor so it will not be easily blown away if the wind is strong. The object features a two-stage Boston valve for rapid deflation as well as lossless inflation, while a nylon tensioning strap further helps to adjust its firmness and all brass hardware ensures protection from rust.

Portable enough to carry to the beach, the seating also works pleasantly in one’s living space. Its wide lounge seat makes it perfectly suited for an extra chair in a living space and once deflated, it stows into its fabric anchor. Seatpack is skillfully finished with a manufacturing date and a hand painted arrow as a maker’s mark.

The second item, Beachcomber Bag, is brilliantly created from a water beading mesh that leaves the sand behind but offers enough privacy.

But hanging out on the beach is not only about having fun, it is also a great responsibility. Every holiday season, the ocean is contaminated by waste we leave behind. To address this problem, a team of Chinese designers Cui Weijian, Gao Xiang, Wang Yanwen and Li Yu Wei has developed Beach Cleaner, a simple and handy tool to ensure easier cleaning. It comprises a dustpan with a perforated surface, which lets the sand pass throughout while leaving the garbage.

 

Another solution to keep beaches clean is Dustbin 4 Beach created by Ji-in Byun, Cho Jung Seok and Oh Seul Ki. The object is a portable dustbin that can be pitched into the sand at any secluded part of the beach where you decide to lounge. Inspired by the streamlined shape of a dolphin, the item has a tapered base that digs deep into the sand for stability. Meanwhile, disposable bin bags can be placed inside for convenient removal.