4 Easy Ways To Transform Your Coastal Kitchen

The continued popularity of the coastal look has led to a rise in the availability of accessories and furniture in the style. These, alongside light blues, nautical accents, and driftwoods that have been aged (either stained or painted) in a beautiful way are all you need to achieve a welcoming coastal style…here we have some tips on how to transform your kitchen to create an inviting and relaxing space in your home.

Photo: Laurey Glenn

1. Smart, stylised storage

It doesn’t matter if you have a small kitchen: any space can be luxurious, and you can still have the nautical or coastal kitchen that will reflect the style you want. Small kitchens can easily benefit from vertical storage solutions. To this end make sure your kitchen cabinets and units maximise the floor-to-ceiling space and make the most of storage on your worktops or shelving – and if you’re really pushed for space for pots and pans, ceiling racks are also a great solution.

Smart storage space - no matter what the kitchen size (Photo: Carmel Brantley)

Kitchen items and coastal accessories such as baskets, trolleys and bottles look great as well as being practical. White goods like like fridges or dishwashers can be secreted in built-in units so they blend into your kitchen design without being obtrusive - or alternatively, if you have the space, vintage-inspired appliances make a bold (and very fun) statement. ‘White’ goods don’t have to be white, either: light blue and turquoise are nautical, coastal tones that boldly stand out in a clean white kitchen. If you have room, a kitchen island can work as both a style statement as well as more space to use as a worktop or for storage purposes. Open plan kitchens help create a more spacious feel.

Photo: Tria Giovan

2. Beautiful and stylish table linen

An easy way to transform the look of your kitchen without having to re-decorate is simply through the use of different table linens. Why not get hold of a machine washable set of French tablecloths that you can rotate periodically, to keep the look of your kitchen fresh? Four or five different pieces of table linen in your collection that all complement your kitchen’s colour scheme can create the illusion of having a newly decorated room every time someone visits.

Photo: Couleur Nature table linen

3. Tiles and colours

The exciting thing about designing your kitchen is that it can look and feel just how you want it to, with an infinite choice of coastal kitchen ideas, colours and materials at your disposal. Before picking out your kitchen units it’s worth thinking about coastal kitchen colour schemes and what will work together. Neutral colours for kitchen units are popular, but it’s worth bearing in mind that adding contrasting colours and textures with features such as a tiled or mirrored kitchen splashback will immediately change the mood and feel of your space. The shimmer of an aqua-marine tile brings to mind the flash of sun on the sea and pearly shells beneath the waves.

Kitchen flooring offers countless options – terracotta adds warmth and cosiness, lino is great for adding a solid smoothness to uneven floors, and polished wooden floorboards create a nautical, coastal feel.

Granite worktops remain the most popular kitchen ideas for luxury kitchens, but wooden worktops are growing in popularity too. The kitchen sink can be a feature in itself if you choose a piece that has a unique character. The overall kitchen colour scheme and add finishing touches are also important: coastal accessories like coloured utensils, tea towels or table linen (as mentioned earlier) to complete your coastal kitchen design.

4. Coastal style furniture

Once you have your colour scheme, accessories and units in place, to really complete your coastal style kitchen, the right furniture can be the finishing touch you need. A great example are these beautiful solid beech coastal style dining chairs with braided seats that add a nautical note to your home. There are plenty of styles available to suit a coastal theme, from woven seagrass to upholstered sets.

Photo: Matthew Millman

Using our four easy steps to transform your kitchen space into a coastal haven, you should be well on the way to achieving the look and style that you want for your space.