How to Decorate Your Home in Coastal Style

You don’t have to live by the magnificent seaside or peaceful Great Lakes to integrate the clean and fresh style of coastal décor into your home. In fact, many people who live nowhere near the shoreline implement coastal elements within their home design to bring more calmness and tranquillity into their space.

It is important to understand that coastal décor is NOT intended to look like a Margaritaville eyesore with neon palm trees, tiki bars and bright Hawaiian prints covering every surface. The coastal design style is characterized by the reflection of natural seaside elements such as surf, sand, and sky brought to life in your space through colour and texture.

Whether you want your entire home to be tastefully decked out in coastal design, or you only want to add a few seaside elements in select rooms, following these tips will get you amazing results!

Implement Coastal Colors

Using colour psychology is important for designing any room of your home. Sun-bleached whites, light blue and green hues of the sea, and sandy beige tones are the main coastal colours. Other beautiful, serene colours to incorporate into your coastal décor theme are:

• Dune grass greens
• Beach pebble grays
• Driftwood grays and browns
• All the colours you find in seashells

Some people enjoy adding pops of vibrant colours, such as beautiful yellow and orange sunset hues or the colours of flowers by the shoreline. 

Let the Light In

Coastal homes have many windows allowing natural light to be the main source of illumination in the space. Window treatments are simple, light, airy, and rarely ever closed. It is important to celebrate the sunlight in your coastal-themed home by pushing back the drapes and letting the light pour in.

Casual Furnishings & Natural Textures  

The furnishings in coastal design should be comfortable and casual. Decorate with wood furniture and antique trunks, which provide space to store extra blankets and display collections of décor. Use natural materials that mimic nature by the sea like rattan, cane, or seagrass for chairs, and jute, sisal, seagrass, or knotted wool for floor coverings. Natural fibres and rope accents are right at home in a coastal living space. Look for woven baskets, rope curtain ties, or rope-wrapped lamps to infuse your space with these textured elements. Keep linens simple, crisp, clean, and add hand-painted, distressed accent pieces to round out the look. 

Woodwork Detail & Flooring

To bring a coastal look to your home, dress the walls with painted white woodwork detail like board and batten, beadboard wainscoting, and whitewashed panelled walls. Try to keep wood flooring and tables in a light finish. Think weathered wood, driftwood tones, whitewashed, natural maples, ash, and bamboo. A few darker stained pieces of furniture strategically placed can help anchor a room full of lighter tones an add dimension to the space.

Decorate with Sea Treasures

Adding coastal accessories and art is where you get to express your memories, keepsakes, and treasures. Maybe you have a bag of shells, stones, sea glass, or perhaps some neat driftwood that you found during your last trip to the beach. Pull those simple treasures out and create memorable art and displays with them. Coastal accessories can be sea life, shells, sand, sea fans, coral, driftwood, etc. Look for nautical or coastal prints on throw pillows, dishes, glassware, or artwork. You don’t have to go overboard with your accessories but adding a few favourite items in each room can pull the design together and give your space a true authentic coastal vibe. 

At Conway Furniture, we recognize that each homeowner has a unique sense of style and design. That is why we provide a wide selection of home accents, furniture, and custom floor options.

 If you’re looking to add some coastal elements to your next home design project, browse our online store or give us a call to find out what we have in stock!