I recently read an article in House Beautiful defining the essential elements of California coastal interior design. It’s a style that’s popular and often widely interpreted; however, it definitely has its own specific characteristics. The author of the article did a great job of listing the essential elements in order to achieve this look. I have always been a fan of coastal style, and I tended to incorporate it into my home even before we had a home close to the beach. Needless to say, it was really fun to use the items that I already had when furnishing our new home by the beach!
However, I’ve always felt that even if you don’t live near water you can still incorporate the overall casual feel. Above is a picture of the living room in our former home in the Bay Area. Many of the items in the picture (including our sweet dog Belle!) have been incorporated in our San Diego home. In the picture below you can see that the same watercolor prints, a long-ago Marshall’s find, work well under our stairs above our bar storage cabinet.
Many companies like Pottery Barn and Serena & Lily sell furnishings that are appropriate for a beach house or a home inland, so it’s a style that works well no matter where you live.
Coastal Style Elements
Elements of California Coastal style according to House Beautiful~
White Walls
The coastal aesthetic has a clean, simple feeling. White walls create a calm, light-filled space. One of the things that immediately attracted me to our San Diego home were the clean white walls. They are the color Snowbound by Sherwin Williams and they really help bring in the bright sunshine from outside without being blindingly white, which is important in a warm climate like San Diego. It has a hint of warmth in it but is fairly neutral and it coordinates well with blues, greens and browns.
Earth-tone Color Palettes
Colors found in nature reign supreme here. The article also suggests incorporating blues and greens in to bring the colors of nature and water indoors. We used art and accessories to add these accent colors to our home. Our home is a good example of modern California coastal style.
Various Wood Tones
Having all matching wood tones is too formal for coastal style. Mixing different wood tones gives a more casual vibe, and lends itself to a collected-over-time feel. For example, the flooring in our place is rough-hewn wood in a darker tone. The dark brown contrasts well with the white walls, with the added benefit of hiding some dirt and sand (although dog hair still shows unfortunately!) It also contrasts well with the lighter tones of our furniture.
Mix of Old and New
This style is layered and mismatched, mixing old and new. It’s about repurposing items, blending styles and finishes.
Organic Accessories
To me this is the key to pulling this look together. Hand-made pottery and natural woods, along with things found in nature like stone, shell and natural fibers, are all elements to incorporate. I feel that the best examples of this style incorporate these materials without being too obvious. Too many shells, driftwood items, things made from rope, etc. can swing the style too nautical instead of coastal.
Update: Our New Home!
Since posting this some big things have happened! We sold our original beach place and bought a place with a gorgeous water view. We are so excited to move in! I can’t wait to share our new spaces with all of you!
More Inspiration
If you want to explore more examples of this style, check out this home on Homeworthy. It’s California coastal perfection San Diego style!
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There’s nothing that warms a blogger’s heart than a comment in the comments section! I love to hear from you! What are your thoughts about California coastal style? Do you love it or is it not for you? Let me know below!
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