I believe that with coastal design and decor, you don’t want to compete with the beauty of the natural world outside your windows. The canvas that Mother Nature has painted for us is unrivaled in its beauty, bringing to its viewer a color palette of options to work with.

When decorating on the coast, the sand, the sea and the sky above offer a plethora of options to bring the outside in and harmonize with what is going on outside your window. In order to accomplish that, I’m sharing 5 of my favorite design and decor elements that you can bring into your coastal home or use to instill a little bit of a coastal vibe into your own landlocked abode.

 

1. Textured natural materials

I like to find pieces made out of natural materials that provide texture to your design, like this natural wicker dining chair. Doesn’t it seem to mimic the tall fronds of the sea grasses swaying behind it? You can bring that same element and feel into your coastal home with natural sea grass and sisal rugs, bamboo, natural wicker and rag rugs.

 

2. Natural wood in any shape or form

Natural wooden pieces that look like their surfaces have been weathered by the outdoor coastal elements over time create depth and character in a home. I especially love when natural wood elements that look like a piece of driftwood, lovingly caressed by the ocean’s waves, have found their way inside your home.

 

3. Natural linens and pale colors in your furniture pieces 

I feel that if you utilize pale colors and natural linen fabrics in your soft furniture pieces, you can then layer color on top of them. They act like a blank canvas on which you can create any scene that your mind envisions. Great pillows, throws, rugs and artwork are the instruments that you use to create interest with. This natural wooden side table pops with a rag rug underneath.

 

4. Unique pieces that speak to your location

I found these vintage port holes that had been made into mirrors at the Brimfield Antique show and am now going to use them as bathroom mirrors over enamel trough wall sinks. The bathroom that these mirrors are being utilized in is also connected to the bunk room, so I felt that these mirrors would be apropos. I don’t like too many accents that overtly speak to the location but I do like like to bring in design and decor elements that gently allude to where you are or connect you to the ocean.

I also have some nautical lights in the same finish that I will be using in another bathroom to accomplish the same thing… speaking to the location in which the house sits without going over “overboard.”

 

5. Of course it wouldn’t be a Life’s Patina design if there was not a vintage element or two included! 

I found this amazing apothecary piece in Texas and when I did, I knew that I had to utilize it somewhere and could not sell it. Now it has found its home as the kitchen island in the beach house. I intend to keep most of the vintage paint on it but add some more blues over the gold areas.

These fabulous vintage shutters are finding another purpose as heating return register covers. They will be wire brushed to remove some more of the chippy white paint and reveal the beautiful natural wood underneath.

I feel that these vintage pieces add character and uniqueness to any home. They offer a layer of history to a new build in particular and bring warmth into the interior environment.

This vista is one that is so refreshing, inviting, peaceful and relaxing. Working with the elements of the exterior in the interior of your coastal home will truly create an environment in which the separation between the indoors and out is barely noticed. They can work off of each other, flowing one into the other, to create a retreat and a sanctuary to all who visit.

May you have been kissed by the ocean’s beauty at some point this year!

xoxo Meg