Style Spotlight: Coastal Cottage

In the summer, people wish they had plans to get to the beach. In the winter, people wish it was summer, and that they were at the beach. The always on-trend solution to this dilemma is to bring the beach home. From seashells collected at your favorite vacation spot to nautical wall art, a porthole mirror or picture frame, you can build your own coastal getaway at home. 

What is Coastal Design? 

Coastal interior design can be found under many different names, but perhaps the best name for the group is Shore Style because the coastal themes all revolve around that special place near the water’s edge.  

Decorate your home for a coastal style by using accents with natural motifs and textures. When it comes to colors, look for sandy tans and bleached out yellows, or foggy blue shades. The style doesn’t rely on neutrality, playing instead with soft contrasts and weather-worn edges and lines.  

While the look groups together with common traits, each home embraces a coastal style in a slightly different way. Every example of the style comes together in a bright and colorful celebration of sunshine and water.  

Types of Coastal Styles 

Coastal designs create a natural balance of all things aquatic and a calming retreat. There are many common characteristics between the different coastal styles that allow a lot of room for adding your unique personal touch.  

A few of the different types of coastal style trends include Beach House Coastal design, California Coastal design, the Coastal Hamptons style, Modern Coastal, and more. There’s even a Coastal Grandmother Style of interior design, or Granny Coastal style. For a look at other seaside trends, from Carolina Coastal to Miami Beach, check out our style spotlight on seaside styles. 

Nautical Themes vs. Coastal Themes 

It’s important to keep in mind that a coastal style home design may incorporate nautical themes, but the two design styles are very different.  

A nautical room focuses on the schooners out on the ocean, incorporating the distressed wood and the smooth metal hardware of a fishing boat or sailing ship. This decor is centered around fish, cool open waters, or sailing motifs.   

A coastal themed room can include elements from nautical designs, but nautical would not necessarily include a coastal vibe. 

Tropical vs. Coastal Décor Styles 

There’s more to the coast than just sand and water, but not everything found near the coast can be labeled as necessarily a coastal design style. As with the nautical theme, tropical styles are similar in origin but very different from the calmer coastal styles like Coastal Cottage. 

There’s a colorful variety of shore-scape that lends itself to the more bohemian design styles of the recognizable Tropical Décor. A tropical style interior design goes for warmer color palettes and seasonal shifts in focus, such as vibrant floral patterns or the reliable look of reeds and grasses, even animal prints. The tropical look is louder, brighter, and brings a hint of drama into your space.   

In contrast, coastal style relies on cool colors and permanent themes. A coastal design allows for more collections from nature, from sand to water, wood and rocks, and accenting touches from smaller flowers or ferns.

What is the Difference Between Coastal and Beachy Decor? 

There is little difference between coastal and beachy decor. Coastal style refers more to the full theme of the space being awash in the cool relaxation of sandy colors or whites and blues.  

If the decor is beachy then it might include a few beach-themed items, or the stylistic placement of a beachball. A beachy vibe to the style can evoke a lakeside or a summertime pool party. It presents a more dynamic space than the casual comfort of a coastal cottage, though there may be overlap in the color scheme and furniture.

How to Decorate with Coastal Cottage Style 

With a coastal cottage style home, there’s an obvious emphasis on simplicity, which makes it the more adaptable of the seaside themes. A coastal cottage is a place to relax, wrap up in something warm with a cup of tea in your hand, to read a book or sit on the porch and watch the waves. You can bring that feeling of comfort to your home with the coastal cottage look by adding a few of the coastal traits. 

One of the easiest elements to focus in on is how you use color in the space. Think cool pastel in blues and greens, as well as the look of distressed wood with bleached tans, whites, and gray tones. It brings up memories of sand and water, while still allowing for the more colorful accents of seashells, coral, or sea glass. 

Look for lighting that creates a reflective ambiance, with softer ripples and waves rather than direct, harsh beams. This could be found in watery, seedy glass shades, or softer, daylight lighting. Think of the clarity of rolling waves over sand and the reflections from the surface of calm waters. 

The accents to look for bring in objects that can be found on the beach, as well as on a boat. From starfish to glass floats to rope netting, if it’s on the beach, it’s fair game to get the look. You can’t go wrong if you work in twine, sand, or wood planks.  

The simplicity also frees up the look of your fixtures and hardware. Whether it looks like it was used on an old sailing ship, or like a silver-painted oyster shell, it can tie together the room and still be functional. 

Durable and well-used is another common trait with the coastal landscape, so windmills, lighthouses, and colorful signal flags can be used for inspiration or accent. Glasswork with natural flaws and hearty metal frames set a sturdy design for indoor or outdoor lighting. Rock or stone accents, and natural, living finishes on metal lighting fixtures or hardware help keep it grounded. 

Create Your Own Coastal Cottage 

With so many different types of coastal design, there’s no right or wrong way to put together a Coastal Cottage-inspired home. For a coastal theme, if it reminds you of the coast, it belongs there. If it’s calm and cozy and coastal, it will fit in with the coastal cottage design vibe. So cast a wide net and get creative.