Transform Your Kitchen: Coastal Remodel Design Tips for a Soothing Oasis

If you’ve decided it’s time to remodel your kitchen, you’ll want to choose carefully. After all, the kitchen is probably the most popular room in your house. You want the room to be an attractive and comfortable place to spend time with family and friends. One option that can help you achieve both of these goals is a coastal oasis design.

Color Scheme

If you are looking to make your kitchen into a soothing oasis, you’ll need to choose your colors carefully. Light and airy colors work best because they reflect the calmness of the beach, ocean, and the surrounding landscape. Colors like sandy beiges, soft blues, creams, and thick whites are good choices. Then, you could use turquoise, sea foam green, or coral for accent colors. Be careful not to choose too many colors.

Some people prefer neutral walls with colorful artwork and sometimes colorful cabinets or tile floors. Another popular choice is to have mostly neutral walls with one accent wall. Blue or green are common choices for an accent wall. Or, if your other walls are colorful, a neutral color like cream can be used for the accent wall.

Materials

Natural materials like bamboo and reclaimed wood make fine cabinets and work well for a coastal look. Additionally, tables and chairs could be made from rattan, further adding to the theme. Also, consider marble and granite, which make sturdy countertops or backsplashes. These materials evoke the rocks found along the coast. Stainless steel appliances blend well with a coastal kitchen while having the advantage of being easy to clean. However, aqua-colored appliances are also a popular choice and work well if your cabinets are cream or white in color.

Light and Airflow

Natural light is an important part of coastal décor, so it is important to maximize it. If you can, installing larger windows or a skylight is ideal. If this is not possible, you can still let in a lot of light with sheer curtains or blinds. Allowing as much light as possible into your kitchen creates a bright and airy atmosphere.

Pendant lights and task lighting can also be used to enhance the natural lighting in the room. Pendant lights are often used in coastal designs and can be obtained in nautical themes. Additionally, task lights can be placed over the sink or an island to add to the coastal look.

Décor

In addition to using certain colors and materials to create a coastal design in your kitchen, a number of items or accents are often added to enhance the look. Here are a few ideas to consider.

• Coastal Accents. There are a number of items you can place in your kitchen to further your coastal design, such as woven seagrass rugs, seashells in a glass bowl, or coastal-themed or coral-inspired artwork. Beach-themed paintings also work well, as do abstract paintings in coastal colors. You could also use driftwood, sea glass, or beach-themed sculptures. Just consider the colors of your wall and choose artwork that creates a contrast.
• Nautical Touches. Nautical-themed objects are another great touch when creating a coastal oasis. Items such as model boats, buoys, wooden ship wheels, and similar sea-themed objects work well.
• Live Plants. Live plants can add natural beauty to your kitchen. You should choose plants that thrive in bright light because you will want a lot of natural light in your coastal kitchen. A fiddle-leaf fig tree is a nice choice, although you will want to keep it in bright, indirect light. A yucca tree also adds to a coastal look. These plants do best by a window.

Additional Tips

Backsplash

Blue and green are popular colors for a backsplash in a coastal kitchen. These colors often combine with tiles patterned to remind one of the beach or sea. White tiles, glass tiles, or even natural ones also work well. Sea glass is a particularly appropriate choice as it is glass that has been weathered by an ocean or lake. However, it can be expensive.

Hardware

Hardware can also be used to enhance the look of your coastal kitchen. Changing your current hardware to oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel can complement your coastal design. Or, you could choose nautical-themed hardware, such as rope pulls or knobs with nautical designs.

Open Shelving

Open shelving can contribute to the airy feel of your kitchen. You can even use materials such as white-washed wood or wicker baskets to keep with your theme. The shelves and baskets can be used to store dishware or display some of your decorations.

Seating Area

If your kitchen is large enough, a breakfast nook can be nice and relaxing. A wooden table with wicker chairs and pendant lighting can help keep your theme. You could also place some nautical objects or artwork in the area. The colors you use should be the same soft blues, creams, sandy beiges, and thick whites used for the rest of your coastal décor.