Coastal style brings the light, breezy feel of the seaside into your home, think whites, muted sea colours, worn natural materials, and as much daylight as you can get, whether you live by the sea or two hundred miles from it. Continuing our series on the great interior decor trends and how you can use them for inspiration in your own home (with a special emphasis on lighting), here’s a guide to the coastal interior decorating style…
Maybe it is because we are an island nation, that we’re hardwired to love all things coastal, though anyone who's spent a British summer outdoors knows the weather rarely lives up to the daydream. Most of us still carry those childhood beach holiday memories though, rock pools, sandcastles, and ice cream eaten a little too fast, and walking into a light, coastal-inspired room can bring a hint of that feeling right back. As American singer-songwriter Michelle Held, said ‘Don’t grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.’
Clovelly, Devon (Shutterstock)
How to give your home the coastal look
Coastal style is all about light and bringing in as much natural light as possible, to help create an airy, bright feeling, not unlike the pale, light-maximising approach of Gustavian style. Crest-of-a-wave white, not surprisingly, is a good starting point but, in terms of decorating and furnishings, think about adding muted sea colours, such as greys, blues and greens.
The best materials for coastal design
As with many contemporary styles, and much like the Arts and Crafts movement before it, natural materials and objects feature strongly in coastal interior design. Look out for furniture made of pale, plain unvarnished wood, rattan and wicker; soft woollen throws, and cotton, jute and sisal rugs.
Image: Structhome
Scrubbed wooden floors and deal tables always work well as part of a coastal design theme, as do white shutters and blinds, and softly floating white muslin or voile curtains, which offer a degree of privacy, while letting in the light. However, you don’t have to overdo it with the nautical accessories. When it comes to coastal decor, light also means light touch. You can be inspired by the dreamy ideal of the beach house or the Cornish coastal cottage, without turning your home into a maritime museum. This sitting room by Alexandra Langdon has a coastal light and palette but remains smart and chic…
Image: Alexandra Langdon
Coastal style accessories
Team blue and white for a few eye-catching accessories, whether you’re choosing cushions and rugs, bed linen or china and crockery. Few brands carry a stronger coastal link than T. G Green’s Cornishware®, with its distinctive blue and white stripes. The range has been in production for well over a century and, thanks to a trio of enthusiasts, was rescued after the original company went into financial administration in 2007. These days, Cornishware® is as popular as ever and, if you want to add a touch of the red ensign to your kitchen, the range includes red and white stripes too - perfect for a more strongly nautical look.
Image: Cornishware
If you are out beachcombing, look out for flotsam, such as pieces of bleached driftwood, which you can use as decorative items or turn into household fixtures. Take this coat rack, for example - just add hooks!
Coastal interior design ideas, room by room
One of the main advantages of choosing a coastal theme for your home is that the emphasis on light can open up small rooms and make them look larger. Coastal themed rooms should be relaxing too, somewhere to kick off your shoes and unwind - and where it’s not the end of the world if you have sand between your toes! Use the colour palette above and keep things simple.
Coastal entrance hall ideas: first impressions
A coastal entrance hall should feel light, bright, and welcoming from the moment the door opens. The white painted wooden ceiling adds height, and the floor, furniture and furnishings bring together a range of natural materials. Add a seafaring feature to a stairway, with decking rope and rope brackets.
Image: Timber Trails
Sitting room ideas: Sit back and watch the waves
Coastal sitting rooms are a combination of style and comfort, not too formal, designed for relaxation and walking barefoot, where it doesn’t matter too much if you still have sand between your toes. Plants are another feature of coastal design and one of the easiest ways of bringing the natural world indoors, an idea our guide to botanical interior design and lighting explores in more depth.
Dining room ideas: Easy and relaxed
Coastal dining rooms are not meant to be too formal; they are definitely designed for relaxed mealtimes. If you have children or young guests, they will love decorating a table with pebbles, shells, and other beach finds (once suitably washed, of course).
Image: JH Designs
Bathroom ideas: Floating away
Bathrooms, like children's bedrooms, can usually take an extra helping of coastal ephemera, though sometimes a few subtle touches are all you need. This Australian coastal bathroom, with one dark blue wall gets it just right.
Image: Moore Creative
Kitchen ideas: Coastal cooking
You can definitely have some fun in a coastal kitchen and by introducing some touches of strong colour, such as that bright red and white Cornishware® - but keep cupboard colours light or pale for the right setting. Open shelves and glass fronted cupboards can work well too.
Bedroom ideas: Drifting off by the sea
Children love all things pirate, but a bedroom that is too exciting may not be great for settling down to sleep. This bunk bedroom by interior designer Lucinda Griffith, with its touch of the shipshape manages to be both fun and calming. For a grown-up version, keep to whites and soft blues, greys and aquas, rustic style furniture, and minimal clutter. Fall asleep to the sound of waves - real or imagined. Or take a leaf out of The Gallivant Hotel's style, with limewash wooden walls and relaxed tones throughout their bedroom schemes, proving you don't always have to go for the traditional blue and white colour scheme to invoke beach vibes!
Image: Lucinda Griffith
Image: Lucinda Griffith
Lighting your coastal home
Look out for shades in white and blue and in natural materials, including whitewashed wood and glass. Antique brass lamp stands and fittings offer a nod in the direction of maritime fixtures. Here are a few from the Pooky collection that would work fabulously in a coastal theme...
Cornish strips
This ceramic lamp with delicate hand-painted bands reminded us of the shingle colours you might find on a Cornish beach.
A ceramic lamp with hand-painted bands
Whitewashed wood
Hand-turned wooden lamp bases in a slightly Hand-turned wooden lamp bases in a slightly shabby white are as coasty as it gets. Pair with a blue-toned linen shade for maximum effect. A wooden bedside lamp and a matching floor lamp are a great way to bring this look into a room.
Magnifying the light
This wall light's glass, set within a brass ring, is ground into a convex shape like a magnifying glass, gently intensifying the light from behind it. It's a charming way to brighten a coastal sitting room, once you've finished watching the sun go down below the horizon.
A convex glass and brass wall light
Liquid light
Topped with beautiful, buttery brass fittings, this pendant light has an almost fluid feel to it; with the right bulb, it would look wonderful in a coastal kitchen or dining area.
A fluid-shaped glass pendant light
Ready to bring the coastal look home? Browse Pooky's lampshades and lighting for pieces to help you set the scene.
FAQs about coastal interior design
What's the difference between coastal and nautical style?
They often get lumped together, but they're not quite the same. Nautical style leans into sailor culture directly, navy and white, rope, anchors, and a slightly worn, utilitarian edge. Coastal style is softer and more abstract, borrowing the feeling of the beach rather than its props, with light neutral tones, layered blues, and natural materials like linen and whitewashed wood. Think relaxed seaside home rather than ship's cabin.
Is coastal interior design only for beach houses?
No, far from it. Coastal style is really about light, colour, and natural materials rather than literal proximity to a beach. A white, airy room with natural textures and a blue-toned accent or two will read as coastal wherever it is, no sea view required.
Should coastal lighting be warm or cool?
Warm light, works best, and interior stylists often call it the single cheapest way to make a room feel coastal, more than any fixture. Look for bulbs labelled "warm white" rather than "daylight" or "cool white", they give whites and natural wood a soft, sunset-like glow, while cooler bulbs can read as cold and clinical, working against that relaxed, sun-soaked feeling.
How do you make a small room feel more coastal?
Lean into the palette rather than adding more stuff. White or pale walls, a mirror to bounce light around, and keeping furniture low and uncluttered will do more to make a small room feel coastal, and bigger, than trying to fit in every driftwood accessory you can find.
What's the difference between coastal and Hamptons style?
They're often confused since both borrow from seaside living, but Hamptons is the more polished cousin. Hamptons style leans into white-on-white schemes with navy detailing, rich dark wood floors, and a grander, more structured feel, closer to a smart East Coast beach house than a relaxed one. Coastal style stays looser and more textured, built on soft neutrals, natural materials like wicker and rattan, and an easy, low-fuss approach to seaside living.
Can you mix coastal style with other interior styles?
Yes, and it mixes particularly well with styles that already lean toward natural materials and pale palettes, think Scandi or modern rustic. A few well-chosen coastal pieces, like a whitewashed lamp base or a blue-and-white accessory, can bring in that seaside feeling without committing your whole room to it. If you fancy going further, our guide to eclectic style has more on mixing periods and pieces with confidence.