Going Coastal: Top 3 Tips for Embracing A Coastal Lifestyle, Year-Round

One of the common misconceptions behind embracing a coastal lifestyle within your home is that you must incorporate nautical decor and accents throughout your space, and adhere to a strictly navy and white color palette; we are here to say that that ideology is outdated and simply not true! As much as we do love a solid navy and light and bright color palette, employing a coastal aesthetic within your home and your lifestyle is so much more than anchors, starfish and a cool-tone color palette.

To build on that notion, while many see coastal living as the ideal way to live from May through September, embracing a coastal lifestyle is just as relevant in the off-season times as it is in the warmer months. The reason why being that coastal living is not just the accessories you decorate your home with or owning a house footsteps from the beach; coastal living is the mindset of ease and relaxation, the way in which you can move throughout your space with fluidity, and of course, the incorporation of timeless pieces that transition with your home through the seasons.

No matter if you live in coastal New England or nowhere even remotely near a large body of water, we promise that employing a coastal aesthetic in your home can be done from just about anywhere—here are our top three tips for beginning to do just that:

1. Do Neutral Right: As we mentioned above, coastal colors certainly do not translate to strictly nautical reds, whites and blues. To have both a light and airy as well as oceanside-feel in your space, we recommend neutral colors and tones for the dominant shades. This neutrality will breathe relaxation and a sense of everlasting freshness to your home! From there, you can use accessories, wall decor and other small accents in a select few deeper and more contrasting shades such as an almond hue, blues of various types or even pale pinks and dusty greys to add color.

2. Try Not to take “Coastal” Too Literal: There is absolutely no need to fill your house with dried starfish, fake coral, or seashells of every shape and size. In simpler terms, embracing a coastal lifestyle within your home doesn’t mean you have to have elements directly from the beach or ocean as your only accents and accessories. In this sense, the term coastal should be viewed as a feeling and emotion that is evoked upon walking into a space, versus actual items. That emotion can be brought out through color, art, and simplistic design, which brings us to our last point…

3. When in Doubt, Keep it Simple: When you think about the beach or the shore, there aren’t many elements that make up the scene; there’s the ocean, the shoreline, shells, rocks and perhaps a horizon. Very few things make up this peaceful picture, free of clutter and chaos. Think back to this idea when furnishing and decorating for a coastal space—don’t go overboard with vibrancy, pattern and too many trinkets. As many have said before, there is so much beauty in simplicity.

Even if you look out your window and no ocean or shoreline is in sight, or if your a beach-side resident and are wondering what you can do to keep the coastal feel alive beyond September, starting with these simple tips will certainly have you on your way. More questions about coastal living and the light and airy aesthetic?

Reach out to us on Instagram! We’d love to hear from you.

Cheers, The Mackenzie + Company Team