43 Elegant Coastal Decor Ideas for a Sophisticated Seaside Home

Elegant coastal decor employs the sights, colors, and textures of coastal locales and fills your home with a sense of place and beauty. If you love being at the water’s edge, you can use elegant coastal style to bring the feeling of the seaside, lakefront, or river to your home no matter where you live. You won’t find block printed fabric linens like these anywhere else: our handcrafted linens are unique coastal decor at its finest.

Defining coastal chic style & elegant coastal decor

Decor that conjures up coastal imagery evokes nostalgic feelings, which explains why elegant coastal home decor and beach house style are so popular! To create this look, rely on bright whites, sandy taupes, and watery hues.

Coastal patterns might include stripes, waves, or florals, and natural finishes look right at home here. Trinkets like oars or seashells add charm and whimsy, but use these accents sparingly to keep things chic.

Type of coastal style decorating

While coastal style dwells within the same family of other seashore-related looks, there are some distinct differences:

• Beachy style (think tropical island style) encompasses bright colors reminiscent of a sunset and may feature themes like palm trees, star fish, or oversized florals.
• Nautical style is a classically preppy take on coastal style driven by all things related to boating: anchors, stripes, and red, white, and blue palette feature prominently here.
• Coastal cottage style, also known as American coastal style, is a casual interpretation of coastal decorating. Shabby chic and country farmhouse looks, with their pale or pastel colors, mingle with warm whites, weathered wood, and nautical touches. 

We offer room by room suggestions for elegant coastal home decor in this guide. Read on for more inspiration on how to style an elegant coastal home.

Effortlessly easy coastal bedding

Coastal style home decor promotes relaxation and peacefulness. A bedroom oasis is a space worth retreating to, and elegant coastal bedding creates that retreat quickly and easily. Our coastal duvet covers are reversible, so you can easily switch up the look of your beach bedroom decor for the seasons.

On the other hand, our lightweight beach bedspreads are great for beach house bedding–you can even use them as picnic blankets! All of our bedding collections are printed on 100% cotton, guaranteeing many years of soft breathable comfort.

Don’t forget the pillows! Mix or match, the more, the better.

A bed frame made of rattan and raffia adds the natural element of coastal-inspired decor that’s needed in a room, while a dresser in a natural whitewashed finish adds more coastal charm.

Styling coastal bathrooms

Coastal bathroom decor can bring a calm, collected feeling to the bath. You can’t help but relax and soak in the ambiance! Start with one of our coastal shower curtains for a coastal statement.

Include a coastal bath rug and accessories like a rope lotion dispenser and hand towels in linen. All of these natural textures work together to create that coastal vibe.

Light and airy elegant coastal living rooms

A coastal living room feels bright, open, and effortlessly elegant. Even if you live inland, you’ll feel like you dwell in a waterfront home year-round when fill your space with natural textures, light silhouettes, and serene colors.

Start with coastal curtains. Our collections of coastal window treatments include full-length panels in a range of sizes along with coastal valances and cafe curtains.

Another way to add coastal chic, beach house flair to your space is with throw pillows. They’re an easy way to update your decor. Our navy pillows and beach house pillows have found their ways to sofas and side chairs from coast to coast!

Furniture that’s airy yet elegant will bring the coastal look together. Rattan and linen is a timeless combination, as shown in the accent chair. A beautiful coffee table made of seagrass is another great option. And you can’t forget to complement the furniture with coastal living room lighting. 

Decorating the perfect beach dining room with elegant coastal decor

Decorate a coastal dining room or use beachy kitchen decor and you’ll feel like you’re on vacation at every meal.

Elegant nautical table linens

American coastal style table linens

Beach house kitchen table decor

Tropical island style tablecloths

Use a rustic, charming dining room table to set the scene. Place it on top of jute rug and decorate the room with coastal wall decor for a finishing touch.

Our coastal collections

We find peace, beauty, and relaxation at the waterside, and this shows up in our block print linen collections. From beach house decor to lake house curtains and coastal bedding, we offer a wide range of fair-trade, designer linens to dress your coastal chic home.

Click on any of the below coastal decor linens to order a swatch. You can also visit the corresponding collection pages from there.

Elegant coastal decor transforms a home’s interior into a light and breezy retreat. Whether you want to incorporate this style into one room or the whole place, Saffron Marigold is the place to start.