The coastal design aesthetic is timeless and relaxing, drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the coastal environment. Summer is an excellent time to experiment with coastal decor in your home because the warm, breezy weather complements the organic, relaxed aesthetic.
Coastal design captures the essence of beachfront living by incorporating elements such as open spaces, light colors, natural materials, and marine-inspired décor. Incorporating these elements thoughtfully into your home will make your decor more complex and layered, rather than making it look like a kitchy beach condo. Whether you live near the sea or simply want a new look for the summer, incorporating coastal design elements into your home can create a refreshing and rejuvenating atmosphere.
Coastal Design Style Ideas
Introducing coastal design elements into your home can be an exciting and creative process. A few small touches throughout your space can help to energize the look and prepare you for the hot days of summer.
Light Color Palette
The primary backdrop for coastal design is typically a light color palette. This is because pale colors such as white, soft blues, greens, and sandy neutrals reflect the brightness and serenity of the coastal landscape. Choose colors that evoke the natural colors of sun-bleached shells, sea glass, and sandy beaches, which will instantly connect your indoor and outdoor spaces. Light colors have a calming effect on the mind, adding to the retreat-like atmosphere of many beachfront properties.
Even if you do not want to repaint your walls, you can add light colors to your space. Replace your movable textiles, such as throw pillows, curtains, and throws, with lighter-colored options. Replace your dark and moody upholstered furniture with light-colored options for the summer. Drape a light-patterned cotton throw across the back of your sofa. If you are feeling ambitious, replace dark-colored wall art with artwork that emphasizes lighter colors.
Incorporate Natural Materials
Coastal design is all about bringing the materials of the outdoors inside, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Natural materials such as wood, sisal, jute, bamboo, cotton, linen, and stone can be used to blend indoor and outdoor living. These materials used throughout the room will add to the room’s organic and timeless appeal because they will never go out of style. Natural materials, whether used in the form of wooden furniture, woven baskets, rattan chairs, or seagrass rugs, contribute to the authenticity and tranquility that characterize coastal living.
This does not have to be an all-or-nothing approach; you are not required to replace all of your furniture and decor with natural materials. Simply incorporate a few key pieces that will have the greatest visual impact, such as your coffee table or accent chairs, and add a few natural decor items to balance them out.
Accent With Nautical Elements
Decor is one of the simplest elements to switch out to introduce a coastal theme, and nothing says coastal quite like nautical elements. While a few subtle touches can feel classy, steer clear of using too much nautical-themed decor, as it can look kitschy. Decorate your room with nautical elements like sophisticated coastal wall art, vintage posters, or antique navigation tools. You can also find lovely nautical fabrics for soft furnishings to showcase nautical themes in a fun and unique way.
Use Light and Airy Fabrics
When the cold days of winter and early spring have passed, it is a good time to refresh your home fabric with light fabrics to make it feel cooler and fresher. Fabrics like linen, cotton, sheer voile, and lightweight blends let natural light in, creating a bright and welcoming atmosphere.
Replacing heavy curtains with sheers will provide a modest level of privacy while softening the light, giving your room an ethereal look. To make summer sleeping more comfortable, store your heavy quilts and cover your beds with lightweight fabrics. If you require more privacy, layer bedroom curtains with seagrass blinds to block out the light when needed and add another natural texture to the room.
Layer With Seaside Accessories
Using seaside elements to enhance a coastal design can add charm and whimsy to your space, but too many of them can overpower the design, so use them sparingly. Consider using just one or layering elements like bowls of seashells, driftwood pieces, a collection of seaglass, woven baskets, and jars filled with sand. These elements bring subtle color and texture to the room while allowing you to display your finds and generate conversation in the room.
Illuminate With Coastal-Inspired Lighting
Lighting is an easy element to swap in and out of a design. There are numerous options for coastal-inspired lamps that serve as seasonal decor, as well as chandeliers or pendants if you want to make a longer-term change.
Seashell, glass mosaic, and rattan woven lamps bring a touch of coastal whimsy to side tables, corners, and shelves. Pendant lights with woven shades provide lovely filtered light, while chandeliers with wooden or shell beads look elegant yet understated in a coastal-themed living space. Whatever coastal lighting elements you choose, make sure to incorporate layered lighting throughout the design to ensure functionality in all areas of the space.
Incorporate Coastal Plants
Fresh greenery is essential in coastal-inspired room designs. Fresh plants add vibrancy and color, breaking up the monochromatic look of light colors. Choose plants that thrive in warm and bright environments and have a coastal appearance. Consider plants such as palms, succulents, ferns, and dracaenas. To add visual interest, arrange potted plants strategically throughout your room. Hanging plants are a vertical option that can be used in areas with limited floor space.
Open and Inviting Layout
An open layout can help create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere in a coastal design. An open layout evokes the expansiveness and freedom of coastal living by creating interconnected and flowing spaces. This includes not only connecting your interior spaces but also your home’s interior and exterior living areas.
Large windows and sliding glass doors visually and physically connect your indoor and outdoor spaces. They allow natural light to flood your interiors, brightening the space while emphasizing the natural decor. If adding large windows and doors is not a long-term goal, free your windows and doors of heavy draperies and use lighter options to let in as much natural light as possible. Layer seagrass shades or roller blinds on your windows to ensure that they can be fully covered when needed.
Make a Living Room Outdoors
Creating a living space outdoors can help extend the area where your family and friends can enjoy themselves and relax throughout the day. Begin by selecting weather-resistant furniture and fabrics as the base for your design. Incorporate decorative soft furnishings like pillows, rugs, and light throws to make the space more inviting.
Enhance the atmosphere with string lights, lanterns, or other outdoor lighting. Consider adding shade elements like umbrellas, pergolas, or awnings to protect it from the hot sun. Incorporate natural decorative elements, like potted plants, to make the space feel like an outdoor oasis.
Extend the Views
If you are lucky enough to have a home with beautiful views, look for ways to make the most of them. To open up your room to the natural world, consider installing large windows and sliding doors. You can also take less drastic measures, such as arranging the seating to emphasize the views and dressing windows with simple window coverings. These will divert attention away from the window fabric and toward the view beyond.
Live With Imperfection
Living with imperfection is a powerful personal strategy for embracing a coastal lifestyle. It is a mindset rather than a design choice, but it will help you unwind in a less-than-perfect room.
Coastal living is associated with a relaxed attitude toward life. Beauty in the natural environment is associated with flaws rather than perfection. Embracing imperfection can include selecting weathered or distressed furniture, purchasing pottery with irregularities, and allowing fabrics to age naturally without feeling the need to replace them. Incorporating these pieces and others like them can represent your decision to value a way of life that embodies simplicity, resilience, and beauty, which we find in the imperfect and unpolished aspects of our surroundings.
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