How to Build a Modern Coastal Kitchen
We’re big cooks (& eaters) in our family so a workable kitchen that flowed with the rest of our modern coastal design was a must for us. Even though we have incredibly quick access to fabulous restaurants and eateries just outside our front door, we still wanted a functional kitchen situation with a beachy flair at the Sea Loft. After all, sometimes you really are just craving that homemade meal! We’re excited to share with you our process and how you can create your own Modern Coastal Kitchen in your home:
- How it Started
- The New Layout
- Color Palette
- Appliances
- Backsplash
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How it Started – Before we went Beachy
When we first stepped into the Sea Loft, the kitchen was less than appetizing with dated appliances, brownish cabinetry and a beautiful gold-veined mirrored backsplash. The cramped U-shape was also hindering the cooking flow leaving no room for multiple cooks in the kitchen. The cabinetry over the peninsula gave extra storage space, but unfortunately cut off the cooks view of the living room further separating the chef from the party. Clearly, this did not suit our coastal kitchen goals or our overall goals for the Sea Loft, so… we changed it! Take a look at the full before / after at our Beach House Reno Post.
The Modern Coastal Kitchen Layout
We chose to open up the kitchen along the entire back wall of the Sea Loft maximizing counter & cabinetry space. This gave us ample upper cabinetry at the back so we did not have to house any above the new peninsula. By extending the kitchen we lost the cramped “dining room” so instead we installed a dining peninsula giving us space to eat and a lot more counter space to prep and cook! Our new peninsula connected on the opposite wall as before facilitating a seamless traffic flow from the front door to the kitchen.
A Coastal Color Palette
Light and bright’s the name of the game at the Sea Loft, so naturally we chose white cabinetry and white countertops with modern, minimal hardware. The white finishes not only add to the brightness of the overall space, but they also let your food shine! At the beach when much of your food items consist of brightly colored fruits and veggies – it’s quite fun to let them really pop against a neutral white countertop. When you get to styling the kitchen, an all white backdrop allows those pieces to shine as well. More on that at our post: Styling a Coastal Kitchen.
Kitchen Appliances
Let’s face it, without appliances, your kitchen wouldn’t function. Period. Although we had a small footprint to work with, we still needed all the kitchen things… A fridge to keep our food cold and our ice frozen, a range to cook the meals, a dishwasher to clean up (yes, you can do this by hand, but we made the executive decision to spend more time at the beach and less time cleaning) and a microwave to heat up leftovers from all the yummy restaurants nearby! Bottom line: Appliances are a big deal! Stainless steel is our go-to, we enjoy the way it reflects light and just feels clean. We chose to go with an LG Appliance package for our space and we couldn’t be happier about it!
We had some fun with the smaller counter-top kitchen appliances incorporating some color with our retro Smeg toaster. We decided to go simple and clean with a white Keurig coffee maker and then get fun with our colorful insulated mug – perfect for an early morning grab and go cup of coffee to sip on the beach watching the sunrise (just saying 🙂 )
Modern Coastal Backsplash
Kitchen backsplashes are such a great way to bring some character into a space. There’s patterned tiles, textured tiles, colorful tiles, modern tiles, you can continue your countertop on the wall to create continuity… there are SO many options. If you’ve never spent hours in a tile showroom oogling at the variety, we highly recommend it! Back to our backsplash at the Sea Loft. We chose to utilize a white wavy textured tile on the backsplash to continue the light and bright while giving a nod to the movement of the ocean.
Now that we have all the surfaces picked and placed, its time to soften this space with some accessories and style. Walk through the styling of a kitchen space in our post Styling a Coastal Kitchen.
Looking for other Coastal Design ideas? Take a look at our other rooms: The Design of a Modern Coastal Bedroom, Creating a Relaxed Beach Inspired Living Room, Styling a Coastal Kitchen, How to Style a Beach Spa Bathroom.or Elements of Styling a Modern Coastal Interior
Photography by: Rafael Bautista & Ali Beck Photography