What is the Coastal Kitchen Design Style?

Coastal kitchen design features a palette of soft, natural colors and materials intended to evoke the feeling of walking along the coast. These kitchens have open floor plans and abundant natural light, allowing for spaciousness. As you decorate your coastal kitchen, focus on unique natural details and a minimalistic feel.

Weathered finishes, attractive metal fixtures, and vintage accents add visual highlights. This trend has a relaxing appeal, leaving you feeling like your kitchen has a touch of seaside charm.

Avoid Artificially “Beachy” Decorative Items

Far too often, when people think about coastal decor, they immediately think of the artificially beachy items that one finds in gift shops. Modern coastal design trends avoid these elements entirely. You won’t find any plaques with beachy puns, fishing nets, or starfish used in this design trend.

Instead, you’ll find a focus on open design and hues found in nature, which combines to create an appealing trend. You’re working to create a room that naturally feels like the beach feels. So avoid theming your kitchen around fish, for example, and instead consider including a few nautical elements as part of the overall decor.

For example, a statement shell works well, or a piece of art with a seaside theme.

Focus on Natural Minimalism

The coastal design style reproduces the sea’s natural minimalism, including distressed wooden elements, ocean tones, and natural lighting. Design choices are clean and uncluttered, with open shelving, storage, and floor plans. Flat surfaces should be left clear to create an open, airy feel. Avoid collections of items on surfaces and shelves. Instead, aim to create visually appealing areas that are airy and minimalistic.

Choose an Open Style

Space in the coastal kitchen should remain open for energy, light, and people to flow easily. There shouldn’t be areas that are closed off or cluttered. Instead, focus on creating spaces to cook, gather, and spend time. Open floor plans, islands, and spaces to move are critical to this design. This makes your kitchen highly accessible and easy to use, which is great if you’re a home chef.

Select Coastal Shades

Coastal design trends focus on the colors of the beach and the ocean. Think navy blues, grays, and whites, with light or weathered wood finishes and brushed brass fixtures. Focus on a simple color palate that allows the eye to relax in the room instead of a more flashy, dramatic look. You aim to create a room that feels like a relaxing day at the beach, not a vibrant beach party, as you select the shades to decorate with this trend.

Opt for Weathered Finishes

The beach is visually striking for its ability to weather various materials - shells, glass, wood, and sand. Including weathered finishes in your coastal kitchen design helps the visual appeal of the beach in your kitchen.

Focus on weathered wooden surfaces, vintage glass, and natural seashells to help bring the outdoors in. Select brushed brass fixtures to complete the look. Avoid wall-to-wall carpeting and focus on hardwood floors with a weathered finish or tile floors with a coastal appeal.

Let the Light Shine In

If possible, include large windows in your coastal kitchen design. This may not be an option in your home, however. If it isn’t, focus on incorporating as much natural light as possible and reflecting the available light. Choose light, airy paint colors, keep the spaces open and airy, and try using large mirrors to help the space appear bigger.

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