Coastal decorating ideas for every room
Bring the ocean indoors

If you want a calming coastal-inspired space that feels light and airy, look to the ocean. From whitewashed wood and soft blue hues to tactile accessories and tranquil artwork, there's a whole host of easy ways to give your home a stylish nautical nod. From the living room to the bedroom, read on and discover how to transform your home into a blissful oceanside oasis.
Cosy up by the Atlantic coast

Make a tiny living room cosy by the sea with two-toned wood-clad walls and mismatched furniture. Fill in the gaps with pops of bright coloured cushions for a look that is full of fresh air and coastal character.
Create a coastal home office

Turn a home office into the perfect seaside-style workspace. Start with white-clad walls and an industrial-look desk then frame the space with vintage seaside-inspired wall art and accessories to make a work day feel like a holiday.
Display nautical accessories

Transform a plain white living room into a welcoming beach house retreat by staggering seaside accessories across a few levels. A simple glass cabinet, a textured hamper basket and coastal-inspired cushions create a small yet practical space that's packed with personality. For a final flourish, add sand dune-style greenery in white pots.
Embrace ombre

Make waves with wallpaper

Whimsical turquoise waves wallpaper surrounding a crisp white bed turns a classic bedroom into a refreshing coastal-style space. We love this graphic print that adds an alternative Japanese twist to the coastal look.
Layer up the natural texture

Channel the natural textures of a beachscape and opt for rattan seating and beautiful woven accessories. Teamed with blue-grey sealife prints, it'll offer a more contemporary take on the coastal theme and create a laid-back look with clean lines and cool colours. Breezy voiles and textured rugs continue the chill-out factor while bleached driftwood wall art adds in notes of the Med.
Set up a terrace by the tide

Whether you're near the ocean or not, set the scene on a patio or decked terrace with beach pebble tones and nautical patterns. Frame pale wooden garden furniture with plenty of striped cushions and snug blankets then pull out the storm lanterns and listen out for the sound of waves against the shoreline.
Makes waves with a blue area rug

Anchor a traditional coastal-style living room with a large area rug that evokes the feel of the deep blue sea. Coin the classic look with an antique-style print in a blend of cream and indigo blue and then continue the refined coastal vibe with seascape artwork and brass-finish lighting and lanterns for nautical charm.
Call on seafood prints in the kitchen

Give a navy blue and grey kitchen a coastal update with smart lobster silhouette print fabric accessories. Add to the look with colourful red crabs printed on crockery for a modern twist on a coastal kitchen.
Inject beach hut vibes into a bathroom

Incorporating nautical details into your bathroom scheme can transport you to the beach in a flash with minimal on-a-budget effort. Sailboat, compass or anchor motif transfers make a classic and charming addition to simple boardwalk-style cladding.
Invest in cosy coastal textiles

A pared-back wood backdrop and white sofa are all it takes to make this minimalist beach house-style living room coastal quaint. The layers of pretty seaside motif lightweight mix-and-match fabrics stand out against the off-white walls and seals the deal.
Take tips from Miami

Play on beach house panels

Recycled or faded furniture is a key element to coastal schemes as well-worn and sunbleached wood surfaces take on an organic feel. Complete a bedroom scheme with light fabrics in ocean-inspired motifs. Pinstripe pillows look relaxed and clean – especially set against watercolour tones. Sandpiper bird motifs hopping over the bed linen make a refreshing alternative to classic gulls.
Inject colours of the deep

A pale tonal colour scheme that maximises available light needn't feel bland. Use bright textiles in rich blue shades for a bold focal point. Here, inky blue tones that echo darker ocean days makes a real statement in this fresh white bathroom, whilst creating a sense of coastal atmosphere and openness.
Sail away on a window seat

Create a charming nook to enjoy sea views with fabrics that continues the vibe. An alternative to blue, this shade of stormy grey looks smart and refreshing with zingy yellow sailboat and lighthouse motifs.
Choose classic coastal materials

Bring a little beach life to your dining room with a beautiful collection of recycled glassware inspired by the colours of the sea. Enhance the vintage beach shack chic with matching pendant lights, upcycled dining furniture and classic coastal-style linen fabrics in bleached tones.
Choose stormy greys

Coastal schemes needn't be bright and whimsical. If you're yearning for a home by the sea, stormy grey tones can create a stylish and contemporary space with plenty of atmosphere. Potted coastal reeds bring the seascape indoors and make a sculptural statement in this laid-back living room.
Make it modern and minimalist

Host a coastal banquet

Decorate with driftwood

For a modern coastal scheme, create a feature wall of driftwood with rustic sanded wood planks or raw panelling. This textured backdrop creates a striking feature wall and is the perfect way to offset a muted dining table dressed with organic linens and a vase of coastal reeds.
Install a wall mural

Make it rich and moody

Give your bedroom a maritime mood with dramatic navy blue walls. The rich tone will instantly transform your space into a cosy, smart and effortlessly elegant retreat. Balance the heavy walls with a light weathered headboard and smartly striped bed linen. Then, use lighting techniques to create pools of warm light. We love how the brass frame of the tripod lamp shines out from the deep blue backdrop.
Add tranquil tiling

Dine with beach wood

Team dark blues with rich wood and wicker for a laid-back contemporary look. This dark blue feature wall takes on a stormy seascape effect when enhanced with a wooden table with black metal legs. Choose light, bright accessories and a dose of white to lift the scheme.
Break away from blue

A coastal scheme evokes a soft blue palette, but don't be afraid to turn décor conventions on their head. This country bathroom with rustic bevelled wall tiles is a stylish example of how other colours can work too. The rich red roll-top bath and cabinet offer a gentle nod to the coast when teamed with a rope-framed mirror, delicate seashell handles and glass hurricane lighting.
Plump for pastels

Ideal for guest rooms, this calming coastal scheme uses pastel blue and soft taupe to create a restful sleeping space. The daybed is layered with rustic linens and soft fabrics for a subtle country twist, while the oversized hamper basket makes a textured nightstand solution, with hidden storage.
Fake it with wallpaper

Make it modern Med

Deeper denim tones and modular lines will transport your living room to the stylish Mediterranean coastline. The abstract pendant takes on a lobster pot-look and works beautifully teamed with an industrial-style coffee table. Add accessories in natural woven textures and pair with weathered paint and wood to finish the look.
Embrace a theme

Feel the breeze

Hang festoon lighting

Bring in metallic tones

Accessorise with blue ceramics

Channel boho beach vibes

Plump for pops of colour

Light the way

Go vintage with nautical motifs

Go overboard

Here's a coastal living room to satisfy the most ardent of sea lovers. White wood walls make an apt backdrop for matching units, featuring distressed and mismatched drawers. Natural materials are abundant, while a lobster pot pendant light and fish-shaped accessories add a light-hearted feel to the space.
Take it traditional

Team inky fabrics with whitewashed furniture for a smart Long Island-inspired scheme. Traditional tastes will appreciate this more elegant take on the coastal trend. Match heavy white wood units with dark blue furnishings and add chrome accessories to complete the luxurious look.
Combine tonal shades

Warm with burnt orange

Not your typical coastal style, but we could just imagine this impressive copper bathtub in a ship captain's quarters. Offset by sailboat roller blinds, this striking look is a sunny success thanks to the unusual colour combination of cool pale blue and warm burnt orange.
Style it with stripes

Keep it classic

Channel East Coast elegance

Smartly striped rugs, oversized nautical pendant lights and blue and white crockery turn this large, bright kitchen into a Hamptons-style hub for the whole family. Created with nautical-inspired accessories that can be changed seasonally, this versatile look can be easily recreated regardless of your existing cabinetry.
Introduce watery hues

Weave beautiful artwork into your scheme for a more sophisticated take on the coastal look. This living room reinvents beach style with soothing eau du Nil colours of palest green-blue, inspired by the waters of the Nile, and a feature wall with artwork depicting ocean scenes. Create balance with white-painted wooden furniture and a classic sofa, chair and pouffe.
Anchors away

Pare it back

Get playful with artwork

Create a simple yet uplifting gender-neutral nursery scheme with a dreamy white and blue palette. Introduce playful sea animals across artwork and accessories – a sure winner with little ones – then simply update them with more mature seafaring motifs as your child outgrows them.
Take it down a tone

Enhance with weathered wood

Combine sea and sand colours

Transform an open-plan living room into a relaxed seaside scene with a calming palette of sandy neutrals and sun-bleached white, offset with waves of deep ocean blue. Accessorise the coastal colour scheme with weathered wood and wicker for a relaxed and airy feel.
Love classic décor? See our inspiration for country-style decorating
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