Give Your Decor A Sea Change: Get the Coastal Look

Does your home deserve a sea change? Refresh your décor with these coastal-inspired style tips! Add a touch of paradise to your interiors.

Sigrid Thornton makes a sea change in the Aussie series Seachange of 1998-2000. Pictured here with the dashing William McInnes. Image sourced: abc.net.au.

Marilyn Monroe was right. Some like it hot! And we are such folk. We like our hot even better when it’s taken in a seaside location. There’s something positively reviving about a briny ocean breeze. Especially when it’s enjoyed in the company of a chilled cocktail (or three).

A coastal interior in marine blue and white, using natural woods for contrast. Featuring the Royal Doulton Pacific Bowls, 11cm (Set of 6), available online at Zanui.

The seaside is a space in our collective consciousness that equates to balmy weather, tranquil relaxation and a laissez-faire approach to life… It’s ice creams, sandy sandwiches, and strolling on the esplanade.

It’s beachside fairgrounds and a return to innocence! It’s a sunny haven – a respite.

The Royal Doulton Pacific Plates, 16cm or 23.5cm (Set of 6) in Mediterranean blues and indigos, available online at Zanui.

It’s no wonder we want to capture a little of this ambience and take it home with us. It’s more than a little irresistible. So we’re inviting a trace of its languid charm indoors…

Whether your home is blessed with a harbour breeze and salt-licked windowpanes or you’re living in the burbs or in the thick of the urban jungle, indulging in a little sea change at home is the perfect antidote for mid-summer madness.

Bells Beach Painted Canvas Wall Art from United Artworks, available online at Zanui.

Opting for a coastal aesthetic delivers an air of relaxation to your interiors all year round. It’s refreshing and revitalising and easy to achieve.

We look at how to include beachy motifs, coastal colours and nautical nuances, from Hamptons sophistication to a more casual style.

Gorgeous minty hues paired with blonde timbers and vibrant contemporary colours for a bright and airy aesthetic. Featuring the Jazz Mint 2 Door Sideboard from Interstil, available online at Zanui.

Bright + airy

You don’t have to opt for a taxidermied seagull to make allusions to the beach. Giving your space a lick of white paint will give it that open and airy aesthetic in an instant.

Images sourced L to R: hgtv.com and bloglovin.com.

Most landlords are happy for you to – well – get happy with the paintbrush, if you’re opting for a neutral hue. It’s worth asking.

Lois White Bedside Table from Zanui and Natural Braided Designer Jute Rug from Dash & Albert, available in various sizes online at Zanui.

Sea-shack chic

Rustic is your guide with this gorgeous look. Think reproduction furniture and upcycled pieces sporting distressed patinas. It’s all about timeworn.

Organic textures and distressed patinas make for intriguing visual appeal, essential to this aesthetic. Right: Silas Natural Dining Chairs and Anja Dining Table from Zanui, available online at Zanui. Image left sourced: 

If you’re not one for trawling through antique stores, opt for pieces in the style of… like olde-worlde stools and distressed chests and trunks for that cottage appeal.

 
From L to R: the Pastels collection of dinnerware from Royal Doulton and the Lobster Print Art from Americanflat, available online at Zanui.

The art of artisanal

Prioritise handsome craftsmanship in your selection of pieces – handcrafted woven baskets and arresting artefacts add character to your space. Include a caged pendant light or a lantern with rustic rope for diversity.

From L to R: Jute & Paper Rope Baskets from Soundslike HOME and Whale Cushion from j.elliot HOME, available online at Zanui.

A textured rug helps to anchor your space and your aesthetic. Think jute or a rug in deep blues or both. Layering!

From L to R: Mesmerised Cushion and more from Art Club Concept and the Halifax furniture collection from Nova Solo, available online at Zanui.

Show off nature’s finds

Remember how much fun you had with your shell collection when you were young. Revisit this joy with this aesthetic.

Go hunting for unique displays of nature’s beauty – shells, driftwood, sea anemones, coral… Arrange them in unique combinations on your surfaces and shelves.

Embrace irregular and distinctive organic textures. We love this driftwood cupboard handle (left: sourced decoist.com) and the Apostle Lantern (Set of 4) from Amalfi, available online at Zanui.

Weathered woods, barrels, buoys, and vintage trunks or blanket boxes offer great opportunities to showcase your found items.

Gorgeous pastels pique your coastal aesthetic. Right: Royal Doulton‘s 1815 collection, available online at Zanui, and left: paradise (image sourced: cntraveller.com).

See blue

Mediterranean blue, marine blue, aquamarine, teal and more. Mix these tones with crisp white for striking contrast. Then add in bottle green, grey-green and jade to pique your palette. Add in organic fibres and natural timber hues for earthy warmth.

The teal blues of Bondi beach (image sourced: turbotwister.ru) and the Mercer Denim Blue Armchair and Scarborough Ash Side Table from Zanui paired with jute and natural timbers, available online at Zanui.

Apothecary bottles and antique-looking vases in these shades add a splash of colour to your coffee, side and console tables.

From L to R: Estoke Modern Rug from Rug Republic and Costa Rica Print Art from Americanflat, available online at Zanui.

Vive la vignette

Take notice of your nooks. Work in the underplayed spaces in your home. Add a ship’s ladder in a narrow corner – use it to display shaker boxes and nautical elements atop stacked leather volumes.

Sea-themed accents in your wall art, cushions and lamps also carry through this look in an understated manner. Search out demijohn vases and model yachts, porthole mirrors and lanterns.

From L to R: Summer Cotton Throw from St Albans and Table Grill by Eva Solo, available online at Zanui.

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside… What’s not to love? The luxurious light. The long evenings. That sweet spot when the heat cedes (at least a little) heading into the PM and everything gets a little rosé-tinted.

Why not capture a little of this magic all year long? Go on. Take the plunge. 😀