Coastal Casual: 5 Tips for Designing Care Free Spaces

Describing a home’s style as Coastal is ultimately about a feeling rather than a look. Coastal homes are known for their ability to evoke relaxation – with their light-filled rooms and barefoot-friendly floors. They are beautiful, but most of all, they are designed for care-free living. Here are tips for creating spaces that are laid back and organic with a touch of curated sophistication.

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1 | Add subtle nods to the coast without being too literal

I love a funky beach house. I can totally appreciate brightly colored walls and cute “Beach is this way” signs. But for everyday, laid-back living, my neutral-loving heart can’t deny a coastal style that is a little more subtle than that. This became especially apparent to me when we moved to Austin, TX where there was no ocean in sight. We wanted our house to evoke the feelings of laid-back life on the coast without being so overt about it. We didn’t want it to seem caricature or out of place.

To create a space that felt beachy without being too literal, I focused on colors and materials rather than on decorative objects. Lightweight linens, gauzy blankets and naturally weathered or unfinished woods are all wonderfully subtle nods to the coast.

For colors, I chose very muted versions of colors you’d naturally find on the coast. Deep greens, watery blues and sandy warm beiges all feel very natural. And that is the key word here: natural. Colors that are bright and saturated might be beautiful but would likely take away from the relaxed, organic feeling I was going for. Which brings me to tip number 2.

2 | Choose paint in feelings, not colors

It took me a long time to figure this one out. When deciding on paint colors, my first instinct was always to think about the colors that I liked. I’d pick a color, then head to the hardware store to snag any shade of it that I thought would look good on a wall. I ended up with some funky choices that never felt quite right. If I had to guess, I’m probably not alone on that!

However, I think a better approach might be to ignore color at first. Instead of asking “How do I want this room to look?” we could be asking “How do I want this room to feel?” (And this goes for most decor decisions, by the way!) By only focusing on color, I was missing out on the full impact that paint can have in a room.

So how do we do this? Work backwards. Start with your feeling, be it moody, cozy, crisp, energizing and so on. Then pick your tone – either cool or warm – that matches that feeling. Cool colors tend to feel sharper and work well in modern spaces that you want to feel crisp. Warm colors often feel softer and work well in spaces with more aged or natural elements. Now, dark or light? Dark colors can be tricky but often work well in low-light rooms (which sounds counter-intuitive but, it’s true!) Now, you are ready to start thinking about color.

This space by Shift Interiors is modern with clean lines. The cool-toned white walls work well here. It feels like a crisp space where you can get your day started.

3 |Use your everyday items as functional decor

Nothing says “we live at the beach” quite like tossed-about beach towels and sandals flung off right at the door. Not even that “beach is this way” sign can tell the story the way these can. We might not have a beach nearby, but we still use these items for days at the creek or the park. I keep a basket for sandals at the front door and our beach towels on display in the coat closet nearby.

Brad’s surfboard collection is perched up against the wall in our spare bedroom, I always have a giant woven basket of fruit on the kitchen counter and we often keep a linen blanket casually tossed on the couch.

Another great way to achieve this would be to hang or stack hats in an artful arrangement. Turkish towels hung on individual hooks in the bathroom also make for a beautiful, functional display.

4 | Opt for pieces that can be lived in

Some of my best memories growing up in Florida are of the weekends we’d all spend at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. My aunt is an Interior Designer (like a serious one, not just a wannabe like me!) and she designed a beautiful sandcastle of a home on the inter-coastal. Of course, the house itself was a dream, but what I remember loving most was not that it was big and grand, it was that none of it was off limits. Nothing in that house was too precious to be picked up, napped on or walked over in sandy feet. You could hop off the boat in your bathing suit, dip your feet in the pool and head inside for a nap on the sofa without anyone batting an eye.

This is where I first understood that things didn’t have to be either beautiful or functional. In fact, the imperfections that pieces gain from everyday life can often be far more beautiful than anything that is perfectly maintained. The cracks in the leather of the cognac sofa, the faded upholstery on the dining chairs, the patina of a real marble counter-top. It’s all evidence that this is not just a house, it’s a home.

5 | Blur the line between indoor and outdoor living

Of course, it’s no surprise that outdoor spaces are often a focal point in coastal homes. In my childhood home, you were greeted with a view of the back patio and pool as soon as you walked in the front door. In fact, the house was U-shaped and offered a view of the backyard from almost every room. I especially loved cool winter days when we had every door and window open and there was little distinction between inside and out.

The home we’re currently living has huge windows and gets tons of natural light. Unfortunately, even with all those windows, the backyard is only visible from our bedroom and only accessible through one small door off our dining room. We had to find other ways to bring the outside in.

I kept most windows undressed, filled the house with plants and opted for landscape or botanical art whenever I could. I also strategically hung window planters outside some of our windows to bring a little life into view.

And there you have it! Five tips for creating coastal spaces that are laid back yet grown up. How do you bring the coast home?