Although that effortless coastal interior style the Californian’s are renowned for is all well and good in glossy magazines and Pinterest, it’s a more daunting and challenging style to recreate when you’re a city dweller in a top floor apartment, or a suburban home owner living nowhere near the coast!
Modern coastal décor is at the heart of everything we do here at Hunter & Co, so today we wanted to share five ways to introduce a more relaxed coastal interior design into your own home, regardless if the closest you’ll get to water is remembering to feed the plants twice a week!
CHOOSE A CALMING COLOUR PALLETE
(Photo: One Kings Lane)
Synonymous with coastal home décor, blue and white are the perfect choice for emulating this style. However, think of it as a grown-up chicer colour palette, with more muted blues, whites and greys. The space should feel calm and soothing, with accent shades such as deep greens, sage and brown to add interest.
THROW IN NATURAL TEXTURES
(Photo: Chango & Co.)
To avoid the colour palette of blue and white feeling too clinical, use textures such as wood, rattan, bamboo, linen and wool to add warmth to the space. Consider rattan light shades, wicker storage baskets, woven rugs and chunky lambswool throws for textured accessories. Also, whether you’re using chevron timber flooring, or a reclaimed wooden coffee table, different wooden tones combined with modern pieces of furniture such as statement navy blue winged armchair or a white mid-century modern sideboard, can create the perfect juxtaposition.
SIMPLICITY IS KEY
(Photo: Studio McGee)
The key to contemporary coastal style is simplicity. Nothing is overdone. From the subtle use of colour, to the paired back styling, this style of interior design screams understated elegance. Prints can of course be used – soft furnishings such as cushions are a great way of incorporating pattern – but steer clear of anything too bulky when it comes to furniture and keep a good flow around the room where you’re able to walk freely. And if you feel like you’ve over accessorised, you probably have. It’s like what Coco Chanel said about removing one accessory before leaving the house - take one thing away and the space could work so much better.
RETAIN NATURAL LIGHT
(Photo: Donnie Wales Interiors)
The difference between Californian coastal living and living here in the UK is that natural light is a given over on the West Coast (sigh). Here, we’re lucky to see anything lighter than dark grey in certain months of the year. Which is why retaining as much natural light as possible is essential to creating this style of home décor. If you’re able to invest in white plantation shutters, these are not only amazing at retaining natural light, they’re a timeless and stylish investment. However, window films can still do the same job when layered with curtains on a more modest budget or in a rental apartment. Other ways to keep the space feeling as light as possible is to stick to a lighter colour on the walls, such as white or a warm grey, using lighter coloured wood for furniture and investing in glass light fixtures.
THE FINER DETAILS
(Photo: Hunter & Co.)
Ah, now to our favourite part. The styling of the space. So, you have your colour palette decided, you’ve made the room feel as light as possible, and you’re ready to add the finishing touches. Remember, the look we’re trying to achieve is contemporary coastal, so try to limit the amount of nautical-inspired décor. The idea is to not be too literal when it comes to decorative additions – put the anchors back! Choose pieces such as driftwood, ocean inspired artwork, blue and white vases teamed together with artificial wheat used instead of flowers, woven baskets, coral, rope, and hessian.
Check out our Coastal Modern collection for full inspiration, but meanwhile, here is a quick round up of some of our products that would make great accessories to achieve that contemporary coastal look.
So, there you have our five essential tips on creating a contemporary coastal interior! Are you looking to achieve this style of interior in your home? Where do you get your inspiration from? x