Coastal Interiors Don't Have to Be Beige: How to Decorate With Color
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When you think of a coastal interior, what comes to mind?
For a long time, the answer seemed to be almost predictable: white walls, beige linen, light wood, soft blue and perhaps a few pieces of dried grass thrown in a corner.
Everything calm, natural and carefully toned down.
And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with that style, I don't think coastal living has to look like that at all.
In fact, some of my favourite coastal spaces are the complete opposite. They have color, vintage furniture, bold artwork, unexpected combinations and a little bit of that carefree feeling you get from spending an entire summer near the ocean.
Because to me, coastal isn't really a color palette. It's a way of living.
Coastal doesn't mean beige.
Living near the coast has never made me think of beige.
I think of bright afternoon light, colorful surfboards leaning against walls, old signs, striped towels, vintage cars, red swimsuits, faded pink buildings and other colors you find in places that have been exposed to the sun for years.
There is something imperfect and playful about coastal life that gets lost when everything is reduced to the same neutral palette.
That's also what I love about photographing coastal places. I'm constantly looking for those combinations of color and light that you wouldn't necessarily put together yourself. A faded wall next to a bright blue sky. Warm terracotta against the ocean. A pop of red in an otherwise quiet scene.
Those contrasts are what make a photograph feel alive.
And I think the same is true for an interior.
So start with the feeling, not the "coastal" checklist
If you want your home to feel coastal, you don't need to start by buying a rattan chair and a beige rug.
Instead, think about what you actually love about being near the ocean.
Maybe it's the feeling of endless summer. Maybe it's the freedom, the sunlight, the relaxed pace of the day or coming home after a day outside with sandy feet and salty hair.
That feeling can be translated into an interior in so many different ways.
You could use warm yellow or bright blue instead of pale beige. Add a deep red or faded pink. Choose vintage pieces with a little wear rather than everything looking brand new. Bring in playful patterns or a piece of colorful photography that reminds you of somewhere you've travelled.
Because the goal isn't to make your home look like a beach house.
It's to make it feel like a home.
Color doesn't have to mean chaos
If you're used to neutral interiors, adding color can feel intimidating. There's a fear that one bold piece will suddenly make the whole room feel busy.
But it doesn't have to mean using everything at once.
A room can have a strong base and still have plenty of personality. You might keep your walls relatively simple and introduce color through artwork, a vintage chair, textiles or smaller objects. Or you can go the other way and let one strong color become part of the architecture of the room.
The key is repetition.
If you have a bold red in your artwork, for example, you don't necessarily need everything else to be red. A small detail somewhere else in the room can be enough to make it feel intentional.
And sometimes the best combinations are the ones that aren't perfectly coordinated.
Let your artwork bring the colour in.
This is one of the reasons I love using photography in colorful interiors.
A photograph doesn't have to be neutral to feel timeless. In fact, a strong image can be the starting point for the entire room.
Imagine a photograph with warm sunlight, deep ocean blue and a small flash of red. You could pull one of those colors into a cushion or a vintage chair, while letting the rest of the room stay relatively simple.
Suddenly the artwork isn't something you've added at the end because there was an empty wall.
It's part of the story of the room.
That's how I think about the photographs I create for Sunside Stories.
I'm drawn to coastal places because of their colors, light and atmosphere, but also because of the feeling behind them. I want the images to bring some of that energy into a home, whether that home is five minutes from the ocean or nowhere near it.
A coastal home should feel lived in
Because that's what I associate with coastal living.
Not perfection.
Freedom.
And if you want to bring that feeling into your home, you don't need to make everything beige and white. You can use color, pattern, vintage pieces and bold photography to create a space that feels warm, personal and full of life.
Your home doesn't have to look like everyone else's version of coastal.
It can look like yours.
Find out if you can find your new pop of color on the wall in our full collection!