Longing for the beach doesn’t have to remain a faraway dream. Coastal decor can just as easily come to home spaces in any location from urban settings to remote country spaces. Coastal is distinctive with its relaxed feel, color choices and wicker furniture styles that may not exactly fit with every home’s architectural character. On the other hand, this beach-based style can turn a corner or nook into a private getaway, find its niche in a single room or explode throughout a home with the ease of an ocean breeze.
The Sun is Always Shining
Coastal style plays with the colors of blue skies and frothy waves rolling across sandy beaches. Fabric choices for window treatments may be lighter, gauzier and always ready to allow breezes to flow through. Sunrooms are natural starting places for this cheerful look, but any room is an excellent candidate for updating.
Three main coastal styles will give any decorator options to create a welcome and relaxed environment. Among these, wicker pieces can be major players or used as accessories.
Atlantic Coastal
Also known as American Coastal styling, the look for many evokes childhood memories of summer vacations to the beach, perhaps a trip to the Atlantic City Boardwalk or an extended stay in a rented cottage along the Nantucket shore. Colors are often simple and solid, comprised of red, white and blue in patriotic stripes and patterns. Wicker chairs with nautical themes are nearly always present, making this style an appealing option for youth or guest bedrooms.
Vintage whitewashed wicker furniture is an excellent choice for living areas and sunrooms. Pieces that look as if they have been recently discovered in an abandoned attic and updated with vivid fabric cushions are easy to find recreated in new seating choices and matching tables.
Pacific Coastal
Island relaxation arrives along with Pacific Coastal decor. Think Polynesia or a remote Fijian village by the sea surrounded by lush greenery, the most colorful birds and pristine beaches. While thatch roofs may be out of the question, rattan and bamboo frames in their natural state are the perfect choices for an inland retreat with island style. Modular furnishings with woven panels, wide track arms, low backs and exposed wood feet are also popular with this look. Colors are bright and patterns are vivid in detail, typically with tropical leaves and flowers as predominant images. Large wicker planters filled with tall exotic plants should give any space a final touch.
Mediterranean Coastal
White is the predominant color in coastal decor with a Mediterranean bent, followed by splashes of bold bright hues in yellow, terracotta and aqua. Styling can range from casual to formal while mosaics may play a big part on surfaces or as wall accents. With an expansive coastline spanning several countries, there is added flexibility in accessorizing. Think Greek, follow the glitz of Monaco, choose an Italian theme or a more festive Spanish palette.
Solid colors in cushions for wicker furniture will brighten Mediterranean-themed indoor and outdoor spaces. As an alternative, choose among the bolder finishes available for wicker pieces, and combine them with white or complementing colors for fabrics.
Turning a home into a vacation retreat is up to individual interpretation and taste. Always popular and ever changing in direction, the coastal look is one that can adapt to almost any space. With American, Pacific or Mediterranean color and style choices, wicker will find its rightful place, blending in with accent pieces and overall styling.
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