The Ultimate Guide to Coastal Style (With Photos!)
Bring the beach into your home – without all the sand.
Whether your home is steps away from the ocean or completely landlocked, walking into a coastal-style home filled with coastal decorations will transport you to an oceanic paradise. From refined lines and sophistication to sea life-inspired motifs, we cover the essentials of nautical decorating and coastal decor to give you some of our coastal decorating ideas.
Coastal Decorating Basics
The Architecture of a Coastal House
Nautical Style vs. Coastal – What’s the Difference?
Coastal Color Palette
Nautical Patterns
Coastal Fabrics
Coastal Decorations
Coastal Decorating Basics
- Sandy neutrals with hints of primaries (yellow, red, and blue).
- Mixes of pattern and texture that create warmth and dimension.
- White furniture and walls that support an open, airy vibe.
- Organic, nautical decorating materials like rope, rattan, sisal, and driftwood nod to the style's maritime origins.
- Lightweight linen and cotton textiles lend a casual, beachy feel.
The Architecture of a Coastal House
Exposed beams, cathedral ceilings, built-in shelves, and paneled white walls emulate classic seaside cottages and make the space seem larger. Though natural wood is sometimes left exposed, wood furniture and wall paneling is usually painted or stained a light color. Coastal-style homes feature an ample amount of windows and open floor plans that amplify light, airflow, and openness.
Nautical Style vs. Coastal – What’s the Difference?
Nautical style vs. coastal – what’s the difference? While it may seem like these two aesthetics are the same, they actually have key differences in their colors and icons. While both aesthetics use the color blue, the nautical style uses a deep blue or navy blue and the coastal style uses several (turquoise, baby blue, aqua). The nautical aesthetic also mixes white, being a 2 color aesthetic, whereas the coastal color palette features several colors that we will touch more on in the next section.
As far as icons go, the nautical style is centered around ships and sailing. Most nautical decorating pieces feature boats and ships (with an anchor being their famous icon). The general gist this aesthetic focuses on is sailing. The coastal aesthetic incorporates a more beachy vibe with several icons being their star (think of seashells, starfish, palm trees, and more).
As we mentioned earlier, coastal style is all about the beach and cultivating beachside vibes. Invoke the sea by splashing shades of ocean blue all around your home, especially your bedding. Don’t worry about matching your hues, a traditional coastal-style home is filled with a spectrum of blues – turquoise, tidal pool aqua, pale sea glass green, Mediterranean azure, and bright cerulean all contribute to a coastal home.
Contrast saturated blues with clean white. White walls and large furniture pieces act as crisp canvases on which the blue hues pop. Pulled from maritime signal flags, classic coastal accent colors are bold yellow and red. These warm tones stand out on a backdrop of white and blue.
Coastal Style Patterns
The ultimate coastal decorating pattern is stripes, which can take on many forms. A navy Breton stripe (think French sailor shirts) is an ode to sailing, while thicker cabana stripes feel more beachy. Classic preppy motifs like plaids and buffalo checks also feel right at home. For a playful twist, go with sea life-inspired motifs including botanical marine prints.
Nautical symbols – anchors, ropes, life rafts, and compasses – can also be coastal style go-to if the beach is your favorite place to sail or deep-sea fish. Find the right balance of patterns for your personal look. Take a minimalist approach with one or two motifs in a room (try a couple marine life pillows or a coral patterned rug), or lean into the style with stripes and motifs galore.
When it comes to fabrics, go natural with linen and cotton to create a light, beachy feel. Linen is naturally resistant to bacteria, so if you have a beach house, it can handle wet bathing suits and sandy feet. Cotton is an easy-breezy textile that's perfect for casual spaces.
Use cotton for seating slipcovers. The slipcover can be thrown in the washing machine so cleaning up after beach days or messy pets and children is easy. The skirting on slipcovers also adds a laid-back yet sophisticated touch.
Light colored linen or cotton curtains have a sail-like look to them and make a stellar contribution to a breezy coastal vibe when gently flowing in the wind.
For rugs, natural, rope-like fibers like sisal and jute evoke a seafaring vibe. They're also durable, making them perfect for high-traffic areas and indoor/outdoor spaces.
Bring the outdoors in with shells, coral, starfish, sea glass, driftwood, and other collected treasures. When in doubt, fill a glass vase with sand and prop a few of your favorite seashells inside for a beach inspired display. Fresh flowers and plants also work to bring the outdoors in.
Maritime pieces like ship steering wheels, anchors, bottles, and ropes also make for perfect statement touches and unifying elements. Large glass balls in dark blues, reds, yellows, and greens wrapped in rope will transform your basic coffee table into a coastal talking piece.
Coastal-style lighting can take the form of rope-wrapped, iron, or wooden chandeliers; caged, black industrial metal wall sconces; or glass-enclosed lights designed to look like oil lamps.
Tip!
For more beachy vibe decorating, check out our guide: The Best Beachy Bedroom Ideas for an At-Home Vacation
Now that you know more about nautical decorating and the coastal style, it’s time to bring the water to your home!
