It’s a dream for many homeowners to have a space on the coast, or even to be within walking distance of the beach. And if you’re lucky enough to be living out this dream, you may want to decorate your space to suit.
Are you feeling motivated by all the beach home interiors that are now trending on Instagram? Hey, we don’t think you have to reside in a seaside area to reproduce such tranquil spaces. There is a proper way to approach the coastal trend, so keep scrolling for lots of understated seaside influenced design ideas before you start purchasing everything and everything that comes in a crab print or a tone of wall art. It can seem strange to pair seaside design with modern architecture. After all, contemporary design is renowned for its clean lines, strong forms, and minimalist aesthetic. Additionally, coastal style is popular because to its brilliant hues, beachy designs, and whimsical decor.
It might be a bit funny if you invite all of your close friends and family over to your home on the beach but once they walk inside, it looks like a mountain home retreat. And though you may love your mountain scenery, you might actually feel more at home with a coastal theme.
When it comes to coastal design, colors play a central role. But along this same line, furniture and your overall living space arrangement will need to be taken into consideration.
If you’re moving to the beach, or if you already have and are looking to ramp up your design, the following will offer a few helpful tips for getting your space beach ready.
Where to Find Coastal Decor
As explored in this guide, if you’re looking for coastal inspiration for your interior and exterior decor, you should probably look no further than the beach. That’s right. Why buy hollow pieces of faux driftwood full of styrofoam when you can get the real deal right on the shoreline?
Beach decor comes in all styles. And you can be as creative as you like. But the best part is, foraging on the beach is free. Just make sure that you’re not scavenging on private property of course.
A few items you might like to collect are as follows:
- Sand (to place in glass bottles)
- Seashells
- Driftwood
- Pebbles
- Starfish
The aforementioned items are great to place around your space in bottles, on shelves, in bowls, or even by hanging on the wall. Just ensure that you wash them thoroughly to remove any dirt, sand, or other debris, and to wash away that fishy smell that may accompany finds such as starfish.
Coastal Colors
Perhaps the most central element of a coastal-themed home is going to be the color scheme that you choose. And fortunately, you’ll find a variety of blues, greens, beige, and other soft tones to work with as you plan out your interior design. Hamptons and coastal design homes are primarily neutral in colour, but the accent and highlight colours make a distinction. A modern beach resort’s energetic and carefree qualities are highlighted by coastal furniture decorating. These residences will thus include vivid flashes of coral, turquoise, and yellow. On the other side, the Hamptons embrace dark hues while adding refinement to the stately design with stone and navy.
For most coastal themes, white will occupy the bulk of your space. But you may choose to include accent walls painted a soft shade of blue or aquamarine. In addition, you can use these softer colors as accent points in the backyard areas, or around the trim on the exterior of your home as well.
Tying together colors throughout a space is just as much of an art as painting on canvas when establishing background color. So as the best strategy, you may want to play with color palettes and test out your color pairings on inconspicuous areas of your home before you go out and buy 20 gallons of paint.
Further, you’ll want to take in your furniture color as well. Pairing furniture colors that match beach hues such as jute or soft browns can work well with blues, greens, and other soft pastels such as lavender and yellow.
Wall Art
As mentioned, you probably don’t want a mountain or ranch-style theme mixed in with imagery of a coastal montage. The idea here is to bring the coastal elements into your home, and this also includes your selections of wall art.
You may have a preference for the style of art that you choose. But you also don’t want to limit yourself when it comes to making your coastal-themed space truly unique. The wallpaper can feature a painted, brush-stroke texture with a lovely colour scheme of blues and greys to create a contemporary, seaside aesthetic. By adding the wooden shelf, it might serve as a foundation for original ornamental motifs using the same, coastal-inspired colour scheme, elevating the wallpaper in a lovely way.
For example, you may select large abstract pieces that represent flowing water or motion as a focal point for your family room. Or you may prefer non-representational art that pairs nicely with your chosen color scheme. Additionally, impressionist beach scenes may also mesh well with your design. Or if you have your heart set on figurative design, be on the lookout for a beach-related figure study. And you may even find something you love from a local coastal artist.
Wall art should also represent your own personal taste and style. As such, being unique by choosing original art is going to be the best strategy over the mass-produced artwork that you can find at any home decor outlet.
Choosing a theme for your coastal space can be a wonderful process that gets you in the beachy mindset. And feel free to play around with your design as you engage in the process. After all, you never know where your inspiration will come from. And it’s probably right outside of your door.
