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Posts Tagged ‘coastal style interior design’

From Coast to Coast – Coastal Style Bedroom

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Since coastal style does its best to imitate the easy living, laid back atmosphere of a seaside cottage, it is a perfect interior design for a bedroom. The bedroom is the one room of your home that is meant to be a sanctuary after a long and busy day. The room’s atmosphere should also be conducive to refreshing and rejuvenating you. Because it brings the peaceful feeling of a deserted sandy beach or the prism shades of blue of an afternoon ocean into a room through color and shape, coastal style bedroom stimulates the senses while soothing the spirit.

 Incorporating coastal style or a beach theme into the master bedroom also allows you to contrast soft neutrals of earth and sand with corals, ocean blues and sea greens. When choosing a color palette for your bedroom, take some cues from the a day spent sailing (white and blue), the scenic view from a resort cabin (beach sand with cloud white) or a classic surf and turf combo (bold greens and blues paired with warm browns).

To make a coastal style bedroom truly comfortable, think of ways you can give it seaside resort atmosphere. Choose furniture, like a headboard or dresser mirror that incorporates organic materials that reflect a coastal lifestyle. Dress the bed in cool linens, either in crisp whites or in bold colors and pile on the pillows. Not only will a variety of accent cushions and pillows make the bed a comfortable place to rest and relax, it will also make the bed more of a focal point by defining the surrounding area and adding texture. Drape the windows in mosquito netting-like sheers. Lighting should be evenly diffused throughout the space; a balance of ambient (overhead) and task (bedside lamps) lighting that is practical while not being intrusive.

Anywhere there is a coastline or an ocean, the resulting lifestyle is unique to that region. The west coast, for example, has an entirely different flavor from the east coast, while the California coast is distinctive from the rest of the Pacific coastal region. When decorating a costal style bedroom, mix and match different coastal styles with care. The focus and atmosphere of the room should be calming and harmonious. While coastal style does possess an eclectic element, it shouldn’t be so “mixed-and-matched” that the overall effect is busy or cluttered. A coastal style bedroom is one that is exudes tranquility and will give you the feeling of a seaside vacation year-round.

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From Coast to Coast – Coastal Style Living Room

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Coastal style is becoming more popular than ever due to its versatility and casual savoir faire. While furnishings reflecting a coastal theme don’t possess one definitive style per se, coastal living room furniture is distinctive with its relaxed profiles, lighter or more exotic finishes, louvered accents and fabrics that echo marine life or a day spent by the beach. Aside from its many faces, coastal style is inspired by the lifestyles and objects closely associated with the different coastal areas found throughout the world.

Pick a coast. Because each one has its own unique flavor, mirroring a particular region and its social trends, you will want to focus on only one coast for the emphasis of your living room interior design. This choice will play an important role in the color palette you choose. For example, the Eastern Seaboard is more closely associated to moody grays, misty whites and paint-washed blues. But the Pacific Coast, especially California is linked to brighter colors like marine blues, sandy neutrals and sunshine yellows.

A coastal style living room borrows its color scheme straight from the sea. Fabrics range from rich earth tones to the vibrant colors of reminiscent of the sun, sky, tropical fish and coral reefs. Furniture designs commonly create visual interest with textures borrowed from natural fibers or panels of woven or inset organic materials like wicker, rattan or ceramic tile. Throw down a woven area rug of sisal or sea grass.  For a casual seaside resort holiday atmosphere, select a coffee table set with a white or soft pastel milky finish for a touch that is light and festive. This style of living room can also accommodate larger showy pieces like a TV armoire or a curio cabinet, especially if it includes beadboard or louvered panels.

When accessorizing a coastal style living room, you want to evoke the feeling of a summer holiday by the sea or a life lived by the ocean. Place a braided rug under the coffee table or in front of an electric fireplace. Put a row of woven baskets on a bookcase shelf; this little decorating trick will not only add an organic element to your coastal style living room, it will also make the space more functional. Group found objects together, such as a handful of shells or other little treasures from the sea to create secondary focal points throughout the room.

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From Coast to Coast – Coastal Dining Room

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Coastal style is a growing trend in interior design for many reasons. Neutrals are paired with punches of color; more formal or traditional furniture pieces blend happily with items crafted from organic materials; and a mix of fabrics that are both casual and dressy typically balance each other to create the atmosphere of a seaside resort. East coast living is different from the west coast lifestyle and for those living along tropical or Mediterranean coastlines, it’s different yet again. In other words, coastal style can be anything from totally casual to informal sophistication. If you want the feeling of the casual formality found homes with an ocean view, here are some ideas for decorating a coastal dining room that will be a place to relax with family and friends.

Since coastal style can be relaxed and casual, reminiscent of spending a day at the beach or a reflection of living by a lake or an ocean, choose a paint color for the walls that will bring water, sun, sand or sky into the room. Whether the palette leans more toward neutral tones or is brighter, will depend on the specific coast you have picked for your dining room’s focus. For example, vibrant hues such as coral, marine blue and primary yellow are reminiscent of the west coast, while sandy creams and softer grays say east coast.

A coastal dining room should have a cohesive and tranquil feel, even if you mix and match different furniture styles and/or coastal motifs. Wood is good; a wood dining table with a medium to dark wood finish or a white one with a washed or distressed finish is an excellent place to start. To create a relaxed dining environment, select furniture pieces with painted finishes such as white, lemon and cream that bring a sunny day spent by the ocean into your home. For a more exotic feel, pick a dining table like the Tommy Bahama Home Island Estate Cayman Pedestal Dining Table with matching chairs that has a richer finish and includes organic elements such as a cane inlay apron.

A coastal dining room is inspired by the diverse lifestyles, themes and activities associated with living by the sea or another type of body of water. Many interior designers feel that it’s those little touches that “make or break” a room: when accessorizing a coastal style dining area, choose items made of bamboo, rattan, cane or shells. Popular motifs for coastal style accessories are nautical stripes, anchors, coastal birds, seahorses and starfish. Tropical flowers and palm leaves are common patterns for upholstered dining chair fabric. Common decorative detailing for coastal accent pieces like a sideboard or a china cabinet include shutters, louvers or beadboard panels.

A coastal dining room is truly eclectic, utilizing a number of furniture styles such as country, traditional or even contemporary. It also incorporates natural elements like woven sea grass area rugs or objects like lamps, candlesticks and pictures made from shells. This style of dining room will make you feel as though every day is a holiday by the sea.

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Coastal Living no Matter Where You Live

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Coastal style evokes easy living, blue ocean, sunny skies, breathing warm, salt air and feeling the pounding drum of the waves on a smooth, sandy shore. Recreating the perfect seaside vacation or a weekend escape to a coastal resort has become a popular interior design motif for those of us who have fond memories of the ocean but don’t live anywhere near it. Because many of us find the sound and feel of water soothing, it’s an appropriate theme for decorating the one room in our homes that most of us regard as a sanctuary after a busy, hectic day. It is also a great way to decorate a second bedroom, creating an instant holiday mood for your guests.

Coastal décor definitely reflects a specific region and mindset, from the moody grays of the Eastern Seaboard to the vibrant, tropical flavored colors of California’s Pacific Coast. Coastal style bedroom furniture is truly eclectic: it can take on the appearance of cottage country chic, the flowing lines and intricate, decorative accents of traditional design or anything in between. The style emphasis isn’t as important as feeling as though everyday you’re waking up at the beach. Coastal style is a blend of nautical themes, colors and materials culminating in a look that is casual, relaxed and fresh, creating a year-round vacation for the soul. And it’s easy to bring coastal living into your bedroom with these few simple design ideas.

Paint by Nature

Coastal style palettes range from vibrant hues like the Lexington Long Cove Middleton Night Stand to earth-toned colors, depending on which coast it takes its inspiration from. Marine blues, sky blues, sandy creams and beiges, sea greens, turquoise and white are common colors for furniture, walls, bedding and accessories. Lighter colors are favored over darker ones but pieces with medium to dark wood finishes are often used as accents or focal points to create visual interest. Painted finishes such as white, lemon and cream, bring a sunny day spent by the ocean into your home, while creating a relaxed environment. Since there are such a range of coastal style palettes, choose one; to give your bedroom a cohesive and tranquil feel, mix and match from different coastal palettes carefully.

Organic Elements

When designing a coastal style bedroom, select natural or organic materials for the furniture pieces in the room. Wood is a good place to start. Bamboo, teak, wicker and rattan are other popular materials for coastal style bedroom furniture. The Home Styles Queen Cabana Banana Natural Woven Bed in Cocoa Finish is certainly an ideal way of bringing a relaxed coastal mood into the bedroom.

Coastal Style Design Elements

Nautical stripes, anchors, shells, coastal birds and starfish are time-tested motifs for accessories and furniture decoration. Tropical flowers and trees are common patterns for bedding and fabrics. As demonstrated by the Stanley Coastal Living Louvered TV Door Deck, shutter or louvered detailing is a popular accent for anything from beds to nightstands to armoires.

The overall appearance of a coastal style bedroom should be relaxed and comfortable. Nothing makes a bed more inviting than a variety of pillows in different shapes and fabrics.

Window treatments should be made of lighter weight fabrics.

Going coastal can be as simple as pairing a dark woven mirror with a lighter contrasting dresser.

Accessorize with care; spreading your shell collection and other nautical-themed knickknacks around the room can make it appear small and even cluttered or cramped.

For that timeless, lived-in appeal, choose furniture that has a distressed, “worn” or antique look.

Because coastal style can be eclectic, furniture pieces might vary in size and proportion. When purchasing pieces for your coastal style bedroom, make sure that they match one another in scale.

Coastal style can be as casual or as sophisticated as you want it to be. Choose the mood for your bedroom that’s right for you.

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