How to Decorate with Seaside Decor
Looking to lighten the appearance of your decor? A coastal decorating style will do just that, calling to mind a cheery seaside cottage or a carefree day spent at the beach. Coastal cottage home decor reflects the ambience of New England towns along the Atlantic or sunny Floridian destinations.
| Selecting Colors for Your Coastal Decor Consider the overall feel you would like to create in your coastal room. To calm the senses, choose soothing colors in neutral, pastel, and mist tones. Use delicate shades found among pale seashells, clear skies, and gentle waters. Off-white, ivory, and cream look wonderful with soft blues, light aquas and greens, peach, and pink. Darker neutrals, like beige, tan, and brown, will remind you of building sand castles or running among the dunes. Deep colors can be included for interest but work best when used sparingly. Create a refreshing, breezy vibe with cool aqua, teal, and green; or brighten a room with summery shades like white, yellow, orange, and coral. For a playful, fun atmosphere, use bold colors that evoke a beach party or underwater paradise. Look for shades of lime, turquoise, aquamarine, and deep blue. | Choosing Coastal Patterns and Motifs Simply turn to the beach and all its treasures for inspiration. Imagine the gems you can discover while beachcombing, and bring those same sights to your seaside decor: seashells, starfish, sand dollars, pails, and sand castles. Coastal creatures, like soaring gulls or skipping sandpipers, provide a delightful, nature-inspired accent. Lighthouse and sailboat motifs give your decor nautical flair. You can also find plenty of coastal decorating ideas among the mysterious ocean depths. Bring aquatic splendor above ground with depictions of fish, seahorses, coral, and sea turtles. Mermaid designs enhance your coastal decor with an element of fantasy. |
 |  |  |
| Creating a Weathered Coastal Setting If you love a well-worn look, seek out casual coastal accents with weathered finishes. Pick pieces reminiscent of driftwood on the shore or planks on a boardwalk. Distressed coastal wall decor with a vintage appearance will also add to the effect. | Decorating with Coastal Window Treatments Window treatments with coastal patterns can quickly convey your intended theme while bringing a splash of color to your room. Play with beach motifs, complementary designs such as stripes, and fresh hues – nothing that will make your decor appear stuffy or formal. With their airy appearance, sheer coastal window treatments are a terrific alternative to solid curtains. Sheers allow light to soften your room and are easy to coordinate with many color schemes. |
 |  |
Finding a Coastal Style That Works
Keep in mind that a few distinctive pieces will set the scene nicely. Too many items in a room can lead to a cluttered, busy look – the opposite of a mellow coastal ambiance. Use neutrals and solid colors to temper striking patterns and provide a rest for the eye. Consider the size of your space as well. A canvas triptych, wall tapestry, or metal wall sculpture may suit a large room but overwhelm a small space. For cozy areas, try a coastal wall plaque or other coastal wall decor pieces. Select furnishings with clean lines and simple embellishments to avoid a heavy feeling in your decor. Louvered slats, beadboard detailing, and woven sections are great for adding subtle interest. Light finishes, such as white, off-white, ivory, and sand complement many coastal themes.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |