Decorating your home in coastal beach style
There’s nothing quite like waking up to the sound of the waves, smelling the fresh salty air and basking in breathtaking views of the ocean every day. The lure of the ocean alongside the numerous health benefits it provides has prompted many people to leave inland areas behind and move to the beachside or purchase/rent a holiday property near the coast.
However, not everyone is lucky (and by lucky we mean rich) enough to live in a coastal house or travel to places like Australia to enjoy a relaxing vacation by the beach. Although obtaining an Australia tourist visa is a fairly simple and inexpensive process, the same cannot be said about buying or renting a holiday home in the country, especially if you’re eyeing a house on the beachfront.
The good news is you don’t have to live in a house by the ocean to enjoy the coastal atmosphere. You can bring the ocean wherever you are with a few clever décor ideas and a bit of inspiration. The coastal beach style is not just extremely popular, but it’s also rather easy to pull off, so if you want to give your home a shoreside makeover, here are a few tips that you can try.
Go for a sea-inspired color palette
The best way to set the mood for your coastal aesthetic is to start with a color palette inspired by the ocean. By choosing the right hues and nuances you will be able to create the perfect canvas for your interior design.
Traditionally, the coastal style includes shades of blue and green, but there are many other colors you can play with if you want something less generic. Pale pink, ivory, sandy and creamy tones can warm up the ambiance and lighten up the atmosphere, especially in predominantly neutral rooms.
However, not everything has to be light and soft. You can create interesting contrasts by adding stronger accents like deep blue, dark brown or even black. Just make sure you keep everything in balance and use bolder hues in moderation.
If you don’t trust your color combination skills, keeping most of your surfaces white is always the safest option. In this case, you can spice things up with navy furniture or solid wood flooring.
Decorate with coastal motifs
These days, services like Visagov make it easy for tourists to explore beach destinations all over the world. So, if your love for the seaside has taken you to many coastal locations and you’ve returned with souvenirs from each trip, you probably have more than enough décor pieces to instill the coastal atmosphere in every corner and nook of your home.
Feel free to put your seashell collection on display or create DIY decorations with them that you can place around the house. Another easy way to add coastal motifs to your rooms is through wall art. A few paintings depicting coastal life or marine elements are all you need to make a statement in this respect. Framing a few photos from your seaside adventures is also a great and cost-effective idea to bring the ocean closer.
Include natural materials
Since the coastal beach style is inspired by the natural world, you can make use of natural materials to bring the outdoors indoors. Hardwood floors, rugs made of natural fibers like jute, furniture pieces made of wicker, and soft textiles like throws and cushions made of cotton or linen and decorated with coastal patterns are all awesome elements to include in your coastal-themed design.
Feel free to continue with the beachy aesthetic on your porch and patio. You might not have an ocean view outside your window, but you can create a nice beachy atmosphere by extending the color palette and the aesthetics you used indoors to the exterior, thus ensuring a seamless transition and a cohesive look for your entire home.
Keep it simple
When it comes to coastal design, less is always more. The minimalistic approach is preferred to complex décor schemes that incorporate a wealth of elements. The rooms need to be bright and airy in order to conjure the freedom and vastness of the open sea.
This doesn’t mean you have to go for a stark look, as it can feel cold and sterile, but you don’t want to overcrowd your space with too many unnecessary items either. If you find yourself walking into a room and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of décor pieces that populate the space, you might want to bring it down a notch.
Choose cozy and comfortable furniture pieces
The coastal style is known for its laid-back and relaxed vibe. Basically, you want to make your home look and feel like a vacation home, but one that is permanently inhabited. This means that comfort and functionality should come first. Think cozy seating areas, reading nooks by the window, soft throws and pillows everywhere and any other elements that can make your rooms warm and inviting.
Add a touch of greenery
Including plants in your home décor is always a good idea, no matter what look you want to achieve. However, we don’t often see pots and plants included in the coastal style. This doesn’t mean you should refrain from adding a touch of green to your interiors. On the contrary, if you have a green thumb and love tending to plants, we encourage you to use them in every room. From palms and dracaenas to weeping figs and citrus trees, there are plenty of options you can choose from to spruce up your beachy design.
The coastal style is not only easy to achieve, but will also help you brighten up the atmosphere inside your home and create spaces that everyone will enjoy. So feel free to give these tips a try and see how it goes.
