Elements of Styling a Modern Coastal Interior
When beginning to style a new space, it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to choosing the interior furniture. You want to choose furniture that is unique, but cohesive, cohesive, but not all the same. This can get confusing and difficult to manage. We highly suggest some sort of vision board, digital or physical, that can give you a really good feel for the vibes you’re going for. When selecting furnishings, look back at the board frequently to make sure you’re following your desired path. You can also find guidance in the different elements of interior design. Here, we’ll walk you through the various elements and the ways they apply to modern coastal interior design:
- Space
- Line
- Form / Shape
- Texture
- Pattern
- Color
- Light
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Space
Space refers to the overall area that you have to work with. This can be one room, or, in our case of an open floor plan, multiple rooms in one sightline. When working with a space plan you really walk the line and need to find the balance between too little and too much. Too little and you can lose the cozy, home vibes that we generally crave in a residential space. Too much and you can start to feel cramped and crowded. Creating “zones” in an open floor plan can help to break up the large expanse into designated areas. An easy way to create a zone is with an area rug that helps to designate a space like a living room, sitting area, etc.
Line
Lines are so much fun because there are so many different types. You can have curved or straight, thick or thin. Lines can be incorporated through furniture shapes, construction materials, fabrics, decorative elements etc. Curved lines tend to elicit a more casual, fun feeling as evidenced in our rattan bar cart. At the Sea Loft, we also incorporated lines in the Tongue and Groove treatment on the ceiling, these straight, uniform lines are balanced out by the circular hanging Bamboo Light Fixture creating a relaxed feel to the space. Stripes are also a great way to incorporate lines through fabric (and we can’t think of a better way to bring in the nautical feels).
Form / Shape
Shapes can be an easy way to add interest. You can stick with one type of shape throughout your space to make a statement, or switch it up to create balance. The most common shapes used in interior design are angular or rounded. Angular shapes are rectangle or square like cabinetry, countertops, etc and are strong. These strong elements can be softened with round shapes which create a more relaxed feeling. For example, our headboard and artwork above it are both rectangular shapes so to soften we brought in a round/interestingly shaped pendant lights on either side of the bed and a round mirror on another wall. In the kitchen we softened the angular cabinetry and large appliances with a round basket and curved appliances like our Smeg toaster.
Texture
Texture is so important in interior design – especially when working with a neutral palette like we were at the Sea Loft. Texture creates layers and depth in a space and can be brought in with linens, hardware, and materials. We used a lot of rattan and natural fibers in our space in an attempt to create a casual and relaxed feel – check out our bamboo chandelier or our rope-wrapped surfboard! Wood elements also add warmth to a space as evidenced by the olive wood boards we styled on the nightstands and the wooden cutting boards we stacked along the wall in the kitchen. Linen fabric is an amazing way to bring in casual feelings (and who doesn’t LOVE the feeling of linen). Linen bedding is fantastic for this! We have a lot of relaxed materials in the space in an effort to balance out the more contemporary finishes of the kitchen, the countertops (*hint marble is a visual texture – ours is very subtle). One texture we utilized that really brought in modern feels is the glass railing on the loft. The smooth texture of the glass brings in a high-end, contemporary vibe that is immediately balanced by the plant baskets, soft linens, natural fiber light fixtures and rope surfboard.
Pattern
Just like line, pattern is so fun to play with in a space. One pattern that we love that combines both elements (pattern and line) is stripes. Stripes can be thin, thick, subtle or bold and are pure gold for Coastal vibes. Another pattern that we incorporated frequently throughout the Sea Loft is indigo. The deep blue and playful wavy patterns are perfect for a beach space.
Color
Color might be one of the largest influences on how you feel in a space. In order to evoke a sense of airiness we opted to utilize a lot of white in the space making it feel light and bright. We then utilize accent colors in the more replaceable pieces to connect the space and make it feel cohesive. Our favorite part about this is that when we’re ready for a new vibe, we can very easily switch out the pillows, throws and other accent pieces to completely change up the look with minimal investment.
Light
Ahhh how much do we love light? The more natural, sunlight the better when it comes to interior design. Again, this makes the space feel brighter and airier and therefore larger. If you don’t have tons of natural light flooding in, there are a few simple tricks that can help to get you more of that light! Mirrors are a great accessory to use that not only look great, but are wonderful with bouncing light around and reflecting it to areas that may be lacking. Don’t be afraid of light fixtures either. These can not only serve as a great source of light, but can also be treated as art pieces that can help to elicit a certain feeling in a space. For example, our bamboo light fixture immediately relaxes the space as you walk in.
For further details on how we incorporated these elements into the rooms at the Sea Loft, take a look at: Creating the Perfect Beach House. The Design and Styling of a Modern Coastal Bedroom, Styling a Kitchen with Coastal Design Flair & Designing a Relaxed Beach Inspired Living Room
Photography by Rafael Bautista & Ali Beck Photography