12 Ways to Create Coastal Home Decor and Interiors
Coastal home decor is a wonderful way to give your home a beach house feeling that is relaxed and effortless. Regardless of where you live, there are warmer seasons where a coastal look can provide a seaside getaway right at home. From a coastal kitchen to a coastal powder room, there’s so many ideas. And you don’t need to live by the ocean to get it.
With its light, airy color palettes and natural textures, coastal decor captures the relaxing essence of the ocean and beachside living. To bring this serene easy look into your home, one can start by selecting colors that reflect the seashore’s palette. Light blues, sandy beiges, and soft whites serve as a perfect backdrop, creating a calm and inviting space.
1. Use Just a Few Natural Elements
Incorporating just a few materials, textures and accessories that echo the coastal environment is key to achieving a balanced look. Elements such as driftwood, rattan, and sea glass can be used in furniture and decorative accents. These materials embody the coastal vibe and just a few natural accent pieces go a long way
2. Choose a Coastal Color
Do you find choosing coastal home colors intimidating? If you think about the colorful beauty of a seaside coast, it’s a bit easier to select a color palette. Consider colors that reflect blue skies, seafoam green water, or white smooth sands. Then start looking at paint samples in coastal hues. Brands like Behr and Sherwin-Williams are two good places to start.
Color Palette Selection
Selecting the right color palette is a key backdrop for your coastal decor. It should reflect the calm and serene hues found by the sea. Some examples are:
- Blues: From pastel sky to deep navy.
- Whites: For crisp freshness.
- Sandy tones: To evoke the beach underfoot.
Accents can include bolder colors, but they should always maintain a connection to the coastal theme.
Behr Paint Colors
Sherwin-Williams Paint Colors
Sherwin Williams Coastal Paint Colors
3. Use Natural Materials and Textures
You can also draw inspiration from natural materials and textures like jute, bamboo, and sea glass. Or, if you’ve ever been on a tropical vacation, you may like art that includes sea life, driftwood, beach grasses, or palm leaves.
The key is to select décor that speaks to your style. And you don’t need much to create a tasteful, coastal look. Less is more. So, think of clean lines, relaxed comfort, and open, airy spaces.
Light and Airy Coastal Living Room
4. Cover your Existing Furniture
What if your furniture does not look coastal? If you don’t own a beachy looking sofa, that’s OK. Give your sofa or accent chair a coastal look with a slipcover. Slipcovers not only protect your existing furniture but can instantly transform a room into a coastal look without a lot of effort. Think crisp white or light blue pinstriped. The same goes for covering existing throw pillows to match your coastal home decor.
White Couch Cover for a Coastal Look
5. Extend the Coastal Theme Into Other Rooms
And you don’t have to stop the coastal look in one room. Instead, extend the look for coastal room decor opprtunities to try in other rooms in your home. For instance, if your family room flows into a kitchen or dining room, you can add a beachy tablecloth to your table. Or add coastal bowl filler like the one shown here to the table and a matching one for the family room.
This is a coastal home shown below is a perfect example of how to extend a coastal look into another room. Look how this seating area flows into the look of the kitchen. With leafy palms, wicker lighting, and roll-up shades in both rooms the look is cohesive. The pop of blue and green in the throw pillows goes well with the print on the kitchen counter. Plus the shiplap wall adds the perfect coastal feel to both rooms.
Coastal Sitting Area off of White Kitchen
6. Create a Relaxing Coastal Bedroom
For a relaxing, coastal theme in the bedroom, you may only need summer comforter, a few throw pillows and lightweight, curtains to complete the look. You might also consider adding some coastal wall prints, pale blue wall paint color, or a jute woven rug. For more inspiration, take a look at these gorgeous coastal bedroom ideas!
Photo by BCBE Custom Homes – Look for coastal bedroom design inspiration
Accessorizing With Coastal Home Decor
Accessorizing your rooms with coastal items can effortlessly bring the serenity of the seaside into your living space. The following are specific strategies for selecting coastal-themed items for home.
7. Choosing the Right Artwork
Coastal Artwork like the print shown above, sets the tone for a coastal-themed space. When selecting pieces, homeowners should aim for artwork that features:
- Seascapes: Paintings or photographs that capture the ocean, beaches, or seashore
- Maritime Scenes: Artistic representations of harbors, docks, and ships
- Color Palette: Blues, greens, and sandy neutrals to echo coastal hues
8. Use Marine Life in Your Coastal Home Decor
Marine life motifs introduce an element of the ocean into your home. To achieve this, consider:
- Pillows and Throws: Patterns with starfish, seahorses, or shells
- Wall Hangings: Items featuring fish, coral, and marine flora
- Display Shelves: Figurines or sculptures of marine animals
This coral seahorse lamp from Wayfair is a lovely piece of coastal room decor
9. Adding Nautical Accents
Nautical accents provide a subtle nod to seaside living. Incorporate the following elements:
- Knots and Ropes: Rope-wrapped decor items or knot-themed fabrics
- Anchors and Steering Wheels: Metal or woodwork pieces in the shape of anchors or ship’s wheels
- Lanterns: Coastal-style lanterns can be used for both indoor and outdoor lighting
10. Integrating the Coastal Home Decor Outdoors
To truly capture the essence of a coastal theme, your outdoor space should reflect the light, breezy feel of the seaside. This can be achieved through thoughtful landscaping, furniture choices, and exterior coastal decor.
11. Landscaping with Coastal Flair
Landscaping is also an opportunity to add a coastal vibe. Opt for native seaside plants such as salt-tolerant grasses, flowering perennials like lavender, and beach-loving shrubs such as yucca or sea oats. Incorporate sandy pathways or pebble walkways reminiscent of a beach.
- Plants to Consider:
- Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima)
- Beach Grass (Ammophila)
- Coastal Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)
- Elements to Include:
- Sandy Pathways
- Pebble Mosaics
- Driftwood Accents
12. Outdoor Furniture Selection
Selecting outdoor furniture with a coastal home decor vibe involves focusing on materials and colors. Furniture made from weathered wood or wicker provides a rustic, driftwood-like appearance, while cushions in blues and whites echo ocean hues.
- Recommended Materials:
- Teak
- Wicker
- Recycled Plastic
- Color Palette:
- Navy Blue
- Eggshell White
- Aqua
See this 4-piece coastal-look patio set at Lowes
So, remember, using the right color selection, furniture, artwork and accessories is the key to elevating your coastal home décor. Decorative touches like maritime-inspired art, seashells, nautical stripes, and coral pieces add a sense of the seaside living into any room. By strategically placing these elements throughout the home to tie the look together, your coastal look can easily come together beautifully!
