Love the seaside? Coastal decor is all about bringing the ambience of the beach inside your home…

Rather than sailing ships and sea creatures which are more suited to a Nautical themed decor, coastal decor incorporates elements of the seaside. In particular, the coastal style is all about capturing the serenity and laid-back vibes of the beach. Think blue skies, sandy beaches, blue (and green) sea tones and natural soft hues of driftwood, shells and pebbles (here in Brighton we have an abundance – good for decor, not great for walking on).

Choose The Right Colour Palette

Crisp white walls make the perfect base to layer up your colour palette of earthy neutrals – sand, stone, driftwood. Add in splashes of ocean blue and compliment with plenty of big and bold green leaves. Add splashes of sunset warm yellows and reds for bold accents. For extra authenticity, painted floorboards can really elevate the ambience. 

Go Big On Patterns

Add blue and white stripes to your interior to invoke a beachy feel. Although more commonly associated with a nautical style with their French Navy heritage, a lighter blue stripe will be right at home in your coastal decor, just don’t overdo it! Use rustic patterns and geometric shapes to add texture.

Allow In Lots (And Lots) Of Light

Obviously, you cant make more natural light but maximise what you have to let those white walls shine. Avoid heavy curtains in favour of light-coloured sheer drapes or classic white wooden blinds.

Strategically mount mirrors on walls near windows and any other light sources to maximise reflection. Glass accents can also help add a natural shimmery ocean vibe.

Focus On The Textiles

Incorporating textiles is imperative to add a cosy, relaxed and inviting beachy ambience to your space. Emphasise the natural vibe with baskets and weaves, a firm favourite amongst instagrammers being a jute rug. Balance natural textures such as straw, linen and hemp and make use of lots of cushions - which should complement the colour palette with extracted tones from the rest of the decor. 

 

Showcase your passions with wall art

Unless your windows overlook the ocean (if so, lucky you), a statement can be made with the right artwork. Avoid cliches such as watercolours of boats or starfish. Abstract and geometric patterns in earthy tones are a good place to start but for a really bold look we recommend modern graphic prints such as our ever-popular Seagull. Use art to tell a story, take inspiration (or illustrations) from your favourite places, maps, foods or experiences. You can find lots of stunning sea-based (and free) vintage art here to extend your collection. Or, go all out with a gallery wall – always a great idea to make it super personal. 

How do you put a gallery wall together? Well, that is entirely another topic but see here for a start and feel free to ask any questions you may have, we’re more than happy to help.

What’s the difference between Coastal Grandmother and Coastal Granddaughter decor?

Wait, what? If your average day involves less than 2 hours on Tik-Tok you may be forgiven for not knowing what these two very not-so-micro 2022 trends are all about. The coastal grandmother trend, a millennial obsession, originated by Lex Nicoleta takes influence from Nancy Meyers' movies such as ‘Father of the bride’, ‘It’s complicated’ and ‘Something’s got to give’. The craze adds a wealth of sophistication to your average coastal decor - an abundance of floral bouquets, the aroma of fresh coffee, fine white wine and wardrobes of linen and cashmere. 

Coastal Granddaughter, like its grandmother before, is a whole lifestyle rather than simply a decor style but in the words of popular TikTokker @carlyvandyke_ who coined the term, it is more modern, youthful and ‘untucked’.

There, now you know, basically in our world, same rules apply!

 

You can enter a never-ending rabbit hole if you venture into the world of social media and search ‘coastal decor’ – we hope that before you do that this blog has given you plenty to think about, let us know what you think in the comments. As always, thanks for reading, Simon.

Explore our full range of our coastal prints today.