Designer POV: Accessories for a Chic Coastal Home

Creating a coastal chic look in your home doesn’t have to be challenging. As an interior design firm with a focus on creating elevated coastal spaces, one of the most important aspects of our work with clients includes selecting the best accessories to give homes a classy and timeless coastal appeal. With the right accessories, the serene vibe of the beach can be recreated in your living space, making every day feel like a coastal breeze. We’ve gathered our top must-have accessories that embody the coastal chic aesthetic, ensuring your home feels like a classy coastal home no matter where it’s located. 

Why Add Coastal Accessories

If you love the idea of your home evoking some of the same feelings of being at the shoreline, you may want to consider layering in coastal accessories. Combined with the right furniture elements and architectural details, the accessories layer can help to create visual interest and a cozy look. Subtlety in this step can elevate your coastal home and give it the peaceful feeling that promotes comfortable gathering and warmth. This step involves careful care with each of our design projects because it is so important to effectively convey the home’s personality and feeling.

The Right Kind of Coastal Accessories

When you think of coastal home decor, you may automatically think of seashells, lighthouses, sailboats or anchors. There are many ways to incorporate coastal style using accessories that may remind you of the beach. The key to elevated coastal style is not to go too literal with the accessories. By utilizing the right coastal accessories you can still convey a coastal vibe, but without compromising a classy chic style. 

Top Ten Accessories to Infuse Coastal Charm

1. Soft, Breezy Linens 

There’s nothing that screams coastal chic interiors quite like soft, breezy linens. These fabrics not only capture the casual, laid-back vibe of the beach but also ensure your space feels light and airy. They are perfect for your whole home. Linen fabrics are a mainstay for our interior design clients.

Consider swapping out dark textiles for the throw pillows in your living room for lighter options in shades like white, cream, or soft blues. Sheer or light-filtering curtains that gently billow in the breeze can transform any room into a coastal decor haven. Linen is also a great option for bedding as it offers comfort and a relaxed feel, inviting a sense of peace and serenity into your bedrooms.

2. Rustic Wooden Elements 

Incorporating rustic wooden elements into your home decor is a surefire way to achieve the coastal chic look. At CASS Design Co., almost every project contains at least one rustic wood element.

Using raw wood tones on a console table or dining room table can give a space a coastal and casual feel. Think natural frames, reclaimed wood accent furniture, or even a whitewashed wooden coffee table. These pieces not only add texture and warmth but also carry the essence of the seaside into your home. Weathered wood mirrors or picture frames can act as focal points in any room, reflecting the natural beauty of coastal landscapes.

3. Nautical Stripes and Patterns 

Nautical stripes and patterns are iconic in coastal chic interiors, bringing a traditional seafaring charm to your home. Whether it’s throw blankets, accent pillows, bedding sets, or an area rug, incorporating these designs can add a dynamic visual interest. Consider classic blue and white stripes for a crisp, clean look, or mix in some beachy colors like sandy beige and seafoam green for a subdued feel.

At CASS Design Co., we like to use a mix of wide and narrow stripes in a vertical and horizontal orientation. By varying the stripes, it adds visual interest. Stripes automatically give a coastal feel to any space.

4. Coral Accents or Seashells 

What better way to capture the essence of the ocean than with seashells and coral accents? These natural treasures can be elegantly displayed in glass jars, used as bookends, decorative bowls, or even incorporated into artwork. Not only do they serve as beautiful decor, but they also bring a piece of the seaside into your living space, creating a tangible connection to the coast that you can enjoy every day. They make perfect home accessories sprinkled in here and there throughout your coastal home. 

Seaside shapes are also a fun accent for textiles and wallpapers. You may find sailboats, oyster shells, or coral shapes on some of the wallpaper and pillow fabrics throughout our designs, as these are a great way to convey a more bold look but still keep it chic and timeless.

5. Coastal Inspired Lighting Fixtures

Lighting plays a key role in setting the ambiance of a coastal chic home. Opt for marine-inspired lighting fixtures like lanterns, pendant lights made with rope accents, or lamps that incorporate rattan. These coastal lighting elements not only illuminate your space but also contribute to the overall theme, bringing in a touch of the coast.

You will see overhead lights, lamps and sconces with of a touch of rattan, seagrass, and jute in many of our favorite room designs, as these subtle coastal elements warm up any space.

6. Ocean-Inspired Artwork 

Wall art is a wonderful way to express the coastal chic theme throughout your home. Look for pieces that depict serene beach landscapes, nautical scenes, or marine animals. Opt for calming colors like blues, greens, and sandy neutrals to maintain a tranquil atmosphere. Using these pieces for your wall decor can transform your space, making it feel as if every day is a day at the shore.

7. Jute or Sisal Rugs 

Area rugs made from natural fibers like jute, sisal, and seagrass are essential for adding texture and warmth to your coastal chic home. These materials are not only durable but also convey a sense of beachside comfort and rustic charm. A large, woven rug in the living area can anchor your furniture and bring the whole room together, while smaller runners in hallways or kitchens can add a cozy, lived-in feel.

8. White and Blue Decor Elements 

The blue, neutral and white color palette is a defining feature of coastal chic interiors. White, beige and blue tones are quintessential colors that mimic the tranquility of a sandy beach meeting crystal blue waters. These colors work beautifully together, creating a fresh, open feel that’s reminiscent of a breezy day at the beach. One easy way to incorporate this color palette is to use a neutral backdrop with blue decor elements. Blue and white ginger jars and vintage dishes blend beautifully in a coastal color palette and can also evoke a timeless appeal. You can also layer in blue accent furniture, pillows, candles and books to layer in a subtle coastal vibe. 

9. Coastal Style Plants 

Bringing in indoor plants that evoke coastal flora is a great way to inject life and color into your home while sticking to the coastal theme. Plants like palms, ferns, or even succulents can mimic the lush landscapes found along coastlines. They not only purify the air but also add a vibrant, natural element to your interiors, enhancing the coastal vibe. A few of our favorites are philodendron, tropical ferns and sedum.

10. Rattan or Natural Woven Furniture 

Furniture made from natural materials like wicker and rattan is not only sustainable but also perfectly aligns with the coastal chic aesthetic. These pieces offer a lightweight, airy feel that’s ideal for creating an inviting outdoor-inspired living area. Whether it’s a rattan end table, accent chair in the corner of the room or a wicker basket for storage, these elements add a touch of nature and casual elegance. You can even use rattan to give kitchen and dining spaces a coastal touch with a cane or woven dining chair. 

A Little Goes a Long Way to Create a Balanced Look

Infusing some of these coastal accessories will not only add a coastal touch, but will give the spaces in your home more visual interest. When you are not too literal with the coastal accessories you add into your home decor, you elevate the overall look. At the same time, these accessories are reminiscent of the beach and the serenity of being at the shore, and creating that same feeling in your home. 

Create a Calm & Serene Environment in Your Home 

The overall goal of the design of your home is the way it makes you feel. If being at the coast is that peace for you, then incorporating coastal elements into your home can give you that same calm and peaceful feeling. Here at CASS Design Co., we love creating calm and serene spaces for clients, so be sure to let us know if you are interested in working together. We will always share ideas and inspiration, as well. Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our take on coastal style and we are happy to help others create a home that is a breath of fresh air.