Coastal Living

440 440 Velvet

Coastal living means a lot more than just a nautical theme home decor style. It’s not even about a geographic location or a local seafood dish. It’s more of a state of mind where the charm of easy living invokes the very spirit of a free soul. It’s about having personal collections from seashells, pebbles to sand. It’s about owning more beach towels than bath towels (judging from me). 😉 It’s also about having impromptu alfresco casual dinners with friends and family after a day at the beach. Or enrolling your kids for sailing lessons, because it feels like the norm thing to do compared to learning soccer. And as the years go by, your house amasses with seaside collectibles in just about every nook. I for one, had not realized how many I owned until I decided to write this post and took a hard, long look at my house. Gosh, I got plenty already! You see once you get hooked to coastal living, then nothing can break that spell. So today, I’d like to share some coastal living inspiration ideas with you for it might cast a spell on you too.

A white interior with a nautical decorating theme. Love the off white sofa and the striped armchair with accents of blue and red here and there. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture. Blue and white stripes are a classic nautical theme. But this sofa with its blue flower print on the back’s pillows goes to show that florals can also look just dandy in a design scheme like this.
A closer view of the off white sofa with the throw pillows and a model ship in the background. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture. Red accents always look so fine in a nautical decorating theme.
A beautiful armchair in blue and white stripes, filling in this nautical theme space beautifully. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture. Harbor stripe armchair.
Dreamy! A white sitting room with a blue sofa, lots of throw pillows and white shelf racks with beautiful pottery in the background. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture. I just love this…
A blue bedroom with a nautical flair to it. How calming! Image by John Lewis.
Image by John Lewis. A blue bedroom has always a calming effect. Adding a touch of nautical theme decor (like striped bedding) and it will heighten your wanderlust desire.
How beautiful is this dining interior?! All white but with so many blue accents from dinnerware to soft textiles and some greenery to bring life to it all. Image by National Trust.
Image by National Trust Shop. How beautiful is this dining interior?! All those shades of blue…
A beautiful outdoor dining setup looks even more summery with nautical themed dinnerware. Image by John Lewis.
Image by John Lewis. A beautiful outdoor dining setup looks even more summery with nautical themed dinnerware.
My dream beach house. A beautiful off white living room with a nautical decorating theme, with a white L shaped sofa, and a wooden rustic style coffee table looking all so calming. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture.
A white coral decor on the left and a open shell on the right. Both images by M&Co.
Both images by M&Co. On the right: coral reef ornament (GBP 15,00) and on the left: oyster shell ornament (GBP 12.00).
A white pitcher with blue streaks on the left and a three fish sculpture as decor on the right. Both images by National Trust.
Both images by National Trust. Karuma jug on the left (GBP 22.00) and a fish and wood sculpture on the right (GBP 20.00).
A brass lantern on the left and a navy blue cushion with a print of rope knots on the right. Both images by Home Sense.
Both images by Homesense. Brass lantern (GBP 4.99) on the left and a navy blue rectangle pillow on  the right (GBP 16.99).

The color palette: blue and white is the ultimate classic! However, it doesn’t always have to be that way. Sometimes, it’s more about the summer vibe rather than the color palette that can create that salty and breezy flair. Home decor like lanterns and throw pillows as shown above can instantly create the vibe. Interestingly enough, soft textiles like tea towels, bedding, or dinnerware and naturally art images can really enhance the look. (You may want to check Marina Vernicos for her incredible sea photography).

Now, a thing to remember is that you don’t need to have a beach home to have a nautical theme. Similarly, there’s no reason to go overboard with everything nautical. It’s all about balance – as always. 😉

A wall recess in a white - washed wall can look so pretty even with the smallest stuff, like pale blue and yellow soft textiles. Image by George Home.
Image by George Home at ASDA. A wall recess in a white – washed wall can look so pretty even with the smallest stuff, like pale blue and yellow soft textiles.
What a nice detail. A soft blush pink fish print on tea towels hanging from the wooden racks in a kitchen. Image by Anorak.
Image by Anorak.
A beautiful beach towel on a beach chair by a pool. How relaxing is that?! Image by Amara.
Image by Amara.
Something very retro about this vignette. A beautiful blue sideboard near a window with a brass table lamp and a navy blue shade and a large print of a boat over it. Image by Dunelm.
Image by Dunelm. Don’t you just love that sideboard combined with an art print of the Titanic? A nice vignette with a retro and coastal flair to it at the same time. Old maps from coastlines can also work beautifully.
A peak at a beach home from a sitting room with a blue armchair and white round side table and an outdoor dining setup in the terrace outside in the background. Pops of vibrant color have really given a more modern and edgy look at this coastal home. Image by DFS Furniture.
Image by DFS Furniture. A more “pop” approach to coastal living with vibrant color accents.

Coastal living is a lot more than nautical theme home decor. But having said that, decorating with a nautical theme in mind can surely help keep things breezy and summery. And the real value about coastal living and homes with a beach vibe is that inspiration juices keep flowing just like the waves keep coming to the shore. Nothing is stale and stagnant. Nothing is permanent. But it’s damn beautiful just like the sea. As a matter of fact I have a saying about the sea…

A quote that reads: Carry the sea in you everywhere you go, and she will steer you clear from a meaningless life! Original image on the background via Pixabay.
Original image via. Quote by Velvet.

Do you agree? Let me know even if you don’t… I’m always in for a interesting discussion!

Love, xo

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