Styling a Kitchen with Coastal Design Flair

Now that you’ve studied the nitty-gritty construction of the kitchen at the Sea Loft ~ if you haven’t, have a look here ~ it’s time to take a look at the fun stuff – the styling of a kitchen with coastal design flair! Without the sprinkles, kitchens can be a bit cold… hard surfaces, straight, harsh lines, and stainless steel, these features don’t always elicit the casual and comfortable vibes that you want in a home. That’s where the “fluff” comes in:

• Natural Accents
• Lighting
• Bar Stools
• Bar Essentials

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All about the Natural Accents

We love wood accessories in kitchens! We also love functional decor – a must in a small space like the Sea Loft. One of our absolute favorite ways to soften a kitchen is to prop up a few unique wood boards along the wall. This immediately brings warmth to the space while also being extremely useful. We use cutting boards every day, whether it’s for actual cutting purposes or displaying snacks for friends, they are a staple in our kitchen and serve some serious double-duty. You can also bring in additional natural elements with baskets like this one or this one – great for holding fruit, grouping spices, etc.

Kitchens are also a fine home for some greenery. You can bring in the plant vibes with a small herb garden (again with the multi-use decor), a hanging plant, an orchid, really any greenery fits right into the kitchen space. Again, this brings in some natural softness to the space. However, we do caution on going overboard – you do still need some counter space for prep!

One of the funnest and our personal fave is to utilize fruits in your decor. This can be done through a simple bowl of citrus, or, you can bring in some texture with pineapples. You can also switch it up from season to season with whatever fruit is available at the time, display your farmers market haul, give guests a hint at what might be in their fruit salad at the beach.. the options are endless!

A Coastal Peninsula / Kitchen Island

Our kitchen island is technically a peninsula since it is attached to the wall on one side, but the styling decisions are similar with either. One way to make a huge impact with your kitchen island is through lighting. Your pendant lights are a great way to make a styling statement in your kitchen. You can bring in a natural material to soften, mimic the cabinet hardware, make a statement etc. We opted for these glass pendant lights to create minimal visual impact while still adding a bit of nautical flair. 

Your seating at the island is also crucial ~ Especially here at the Sea Loft as it’s our only place to sit and eat (except the beach of course). With our small footprint our bar stools also double for extra seating for guests in the living room. With that in mind we went with backless stools (our stools also come in a higher height and multiple colors to fit any kitchen situation) so that we could easily transition from facing the kitchen to facing the living room without needing to pick up and move the whole chair. We also like that they fit snuggly under the countertop, so they do not draw a lot of attention when not in use ~ they fit right in!

Cookbooks

The kitchen is so fun to style because many of the items can serve a dual purpose. Styling with cookbooks is almost a no-brainer in the kitchen. First of all, they’re super useful. Second, they’re usually absolutely beautiful and can give you some good inspo when you’re lacking food creativity while looking nice at all other times. And third, it’s really easy to throw a stack of books in an underutilized corner or displayed on a shelf and call it “styled”. Simple and easy – that’s how we like it. Some of our favorite books to style with include: Tiki Modern Tropical Cocktails, Platters and Boards, and Beach Cocktails.

Coastal Bar Essentials

By now you know we’re big fans of the bar cart. Bringing a bar cart into the kitchen is a great way to add style and more storage. Bar accessories tend to be fun and pretty so they can add a lot to a space quite easily. Alcohol bottles are also quite appealing to the eye and are fun to put on display. Styling the bar cart with a few select bottles, special glasses (we LOVE these ones), maybe a martini shaker and some greenery can be a fun accent to any kitchen space!

We also outfitted one of our upper cabinets into a makeshift bar, and we must say, we get excited whenever we open the cabinet! Most of this is because Dad installed trick lighting that automatically comes on whenever the cabinet door is opened. Our little hidden bar is pretty sexy complete with glass shelving and a mirrored back displaying all of our favorite libations for any season!

When we think of kitchens, we usually leave it to the fixed items to bring the style – cabinets, countertops, etc. We often get so overwhelmed picking finishes that we forget to add the frosting. But, those of us cake lovers know, the frosting is the best part! 

For additional coastal interior design inspo, take a look at our other favorite spaces at the Sea Loft:  The Design of a Modern Coastal Bedroom, Creating a Relaxed Beach Inspired Living Room, How to Style a Beach Spa Bathroom & Elements of Styling a Modern Coastal Interior

Photography by Rafael Bautista, Ali Beck Photography and Shelby Abkin