Robert Himmelstein refers to himself as "the first employee" of a family business founded by his father in 1981 that has specialized in furnishing Shore homes for more than four decades. Now the president of Surfside Casual—a full-service, custom furniture store with locations in Somers Point and Manahawkin—he still derives great joy from helping homeowners complete their dream beach house with couches, chairs, dining tables, bedroom sets and more, whether they come in with their own ideas or need his team's expert design advice.

"Some of our customers are very talented, and some want us to give them a turn-key [operation]," he says. "It's really up to the customers' preference, and both ways are a lot of fun for us. They generally want something beachy, light, airy, fun and durable, and quality is very important, because it has to hold up to the Shore environment but also hold up to heavy summer activity."

To be sure, furnishing a vacation home at the Shore is different from doing so in a primary residence because of the need for pieces that will stand the test of time and be easily maintained and cleaned. Style, of course, is also important, just like in any house, and should not be sacrificed in the name of durability.

Other concerns include who will be using the house—perhaps the owners will be renting it out throughout the summer or will frequently be hosting family and friends. If so, serious consideration should be given to guest rooms and their comfort factor.

House & Home spoke to several local professionals to learn more about furnishing a Shore home and to gather some helpful tips to make the process easier.

Planning ahead is crucial
While many homeowners have a keen design eye and are able to come up with an overall aesthetic for their beach house on their own, others can greatly benefit from a professional who has years of experience in coastal projects. Shore homes often have tight or awkward spaces that take careful planning ahead of time, from selecting the right pieces for a room to making sure they can actually be delivered into the house.

"We'll lay out the whole home and offer interior design service complimentary," Himmelstein says. "We offer custom furniture and unique layouts, and we design it for what they need and around how they're going to use the home. There's no question about it, [that is the fun part for us].

"The toughest part is the delivery end. ... We try to work with our customers, but sometimes it just doesn't fit, and that is a very big part of the challenge. We like to help customers early on so that we can help them with staircases and the layout of rooms, and this way we can make things look right in the space available. If we begin early enough, sometimes we can even shorten up walls where the staircases are, so this way it's easier to make the turns. We might recommend railings instead of solid walls at some of the turn points so we can actually get the furniture in."

Himmelstein adds that all-weather fabrics previously utilized strictly in outdoor furniture are now being used indoors as well. Surfside Casual also offers slip covers from Four Seasons that have become popular not just because of their look, but also because broken parts can easily be replaced.

His son Stefen, the COO of Surfside Casual, further expounds on Shore trends.

"We have started to see in recent years a more modern coastal style emerging," he says. "There have been a little less rolled-arm [sofas] being sold and a little more track-arm. We have felt that our client base [is evolving], and as a result we have started to sell a lot more from certain brands, like Bernhardt for example. Our Bernhardt business from this year compared to five years ago is up a few hundred percent, I'm sure.

"It's the same with outdoor furniture. ... We're one of Polywood's largest distributors in the country and once again, the amount of black Polywood we've sold this year over five years might be up a thousand percent. You're starting to see down at the Shore people doing black window trim, black railings, and people like to pull it all together and match it with some black furniture, whether it's Polywood or other darker-toned outdoor furniture."

Certainly, there is more than just the looks when it comes to outdoor furniture at the Shore, he adds.

"That's why Polywood is so great, because it can't rust," he says. "They use marine-grade stainless hardware, and the material itself actually can't rust. It defends against the salt air really well, and it helps that it's a heavier product, for when we get high winds like we did with the hurricane that was just offshore. It's also incredibly low-maintenance: Customers will basically just powerwash it once or twice a year, and that's all the maintenance they have to do. Most don't even cover it during the winter, they just bring their cushions in."

No matter what type of furniture a homeowner is purchasing for the beach, it's important to note that the delivery fee will often drive the overall cost of the project up significantly. Working with a local company might keep them closer to their budget.

"Some furniture dealers do a sliding scale, and they might end up charging you $600 in delivery," Stefen Himmelstein says. "Sometimes when you're working with an interior designer, you'll pay thousands and thousands of dollars for the delivery and install. Consumers sometimes see it as a line item, especially if it's their first time furnishing a home, and they don't realize that they can explore another dealer that has their own in-house warehouse and delivery service, and that line item will go away."

Sleep like a baby
Sometimes selecting the design elements for a living room or kitchen in a Shore home take center stage, and the outdoor living environment is of course big as well. But the bedrooms—and the actual mattresses people will be sleeping on—should not be overlooked.

"As far as furnishings for your home, to me the most important thing is your mattress," says Pam Nardone, the owner of Hibernate Bedding. "You're there to relax, and if you don't get a good night's sleep then you're not relaxing enough.

"To all those beach homeowners, not only should you have a mattress that's comfortable for yourself, but also if you rent it out, your tenants deserve a nice mattress to sleep on. You can just protect them with a good mattress protector, which of course we sell too."

Nardone has been serving Shore homeowners for years and has a loyal customer base that she and her team are always eager to educate. Hibernate Bedding offers platform beds, head boards, pillows, sheets and comforters, but specializes in organic mattresses that don't come with the harmful chemicals and fire retardants associated with foam mattresses.

"When we first opened the store 12 or 13 years ago, there weren't many organic options, and now there are," she says. "You had to spend more money before, but you don't anymore. I have organic mattresses that are lower-priced than a Stearns & Foster. We have mattresses at all price points, so if somebody has a very limited budget, we can help them. We also have beautiful mattresses for someone who has a luxurious home and wants a luxurious mattress to go with it."

Fun and games
The Shore is all about relaxation and enjoyment, so capping off a beach home with a bar or even games for guests of all ages helps to complete the space. That's where a company like Royal Billiard & Recreation can be of assistance.

Audra DelConte, whose parents founded the store in Colmar, Pennsylvania, in 1982, says that they deliver often to clients looking to liven up their Shore home. That includes a selection of premade bars—the Philadelphia Eagles version is quite popular—as well as custom bars at a higher price point but with more individuality to them.

"What we do is generally ask anybody looking for a [custom] bar to create a wish list, and within that wish list are the dimensions and the layout," DelConte says. "Do you want it L-shaped, do you want it to be straight or do you want a U shape? Give us an idea of how many people you anticipate sitting at it—if you want a 6-foot bar but eight people sitting at it, that's not going to work. Also in the wish list, you can tell us if you want a refrigerator, a wet sink, drawers, if wine storage is important to you, if bottle storage is important to you, if you want cabinets. Tell us the overall function of the bar, because we can put any kind of cabinetry behind it or adjustable shelves. The wish list is really where it starts, and from there you go on to creating the look of the bar with wood species and finish colors."

Royal Billiard & Recreation also has around 100 bar stool samples in its showroom, so customers can stop by and find which will work best for look and comfort.

As for recreation, pool tables and shuffleboard tables are in high demand at the Shore. Outdoor options are available with marine-grade materials and specialized fabric, but most homeowners are looking for indoor tables, and Royal Billiard & Recreation can make recommendations for size and length based on the layout of the room.

"All of our tables, whether shuffleboard or pool table, come in so many different wood species and finishes," DelConte says. "Often, a Shore home will do a lighter finish or a gray finish. There are all different variants of colors available, and different sizes for different room measurements.

"We also do at the Shore a fair amount of combination pool table and dining table. You can get a dining top for a pool table and bench seating or individual seating to put around it. Then you take the dining top off and you have a pool table. That's been a fairly popular way to go at the beach homes."

Other popular items include arcade games, foosball, card tables, air hockey and dartboards.

"We have a really popular arcade game that has 60 of the oldest retro games on it, like Pacman, Galaga and Frogger," DelConte says. "That is so popular, and a lot of people will take them to their beach homes. Outdoor ping-pong is also huge, because that's really an easy addition. Most of them fold up and roll away if you want to bring it in during the winter months or put it under a covered patio. There are some beautiful outdoor ping-pong tables now, and some can convert into outdoor dining tables."

Strike now
Although the summer season is winding down, fall is a great time to think about picking out new items for next year. It might make sense financially, too.

"We offer free storage: We've got two large warehouses that support our business," Stefen Himmelstein says. "A lot of brands have fall price increases; that's pretty common, especially with the outdoor companies. They all do that across the board—basically the end of the summer is the end of their year, so here comes the 2026 price list. So we tell our customers, come buy at 2025 prices. We'll actually put out the money and store it at one of our warehouses, and then when you're ready in the spring, give us a call and we'll deliver it to you."

Whatever time of year, choosing a third-generation family company like Surfside Casual means customers get a team that is committed to fulfilling their wishes. Founder Larry Himmelstein and his wife Dot are still involved in the business in their 90s, and Stefen has helped push the brand forward with a focus on modern technology.

"I'm very proud of [the company], I'm very appreciative of all their hard work, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with my family every day," he says. "At the end of the day, I wouldn't have it any other way."

RESOURCES
Hibernate Bedding
Bernardsville, N.J.
(908) 766-5450
HibernateBedding.com

Royal Billiard & Recreation
Colmar, Pa.
(215) 997-7777
RoyalBilliard.com

Surfside Casual Furniture
Somers Point and Manahawkin, N.J.
(609) 927-4000
SurfsideCasualFurniture.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 25, Issue 6 (Fall 2025)
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