Beautiful Modern Coastal Design Ideas for Living Rooms

It has been a little while since I gave an update on the living room design ideas here on the blog, and since we’ve had a little bit of progress over the last couple of months, I thought it was about time I showed you something! 😉 Even thought this house is in the mountains of Salt Lake City, I can’t help but want to bring some of our Orange County roots to the living room design.  I have been searching for modern coastal design ideas and describing the overall design plan as Modern Coastal Design, and I’ve had a few email questions about that.  So, I thought it might be helpful to talk about the question that pops up most frequently which is: “What is Modern Coastal Design?” as well as show you some coastal decorating ideas for living rooms.   Updates to our own modern coastal design living room are at the bottom of this post.  This post contains affiliate links.

modern coastal design ideas

WHAT IS MODERN COASTAL DESIGN?

I’m sure you are familiar with traditional coastal interior design ideas and beach style living room furniture, but what is modern coastal design?  Well, the best way I can describe it is as a style of decorating that evokes a feeling of tranquility and comfort.  It is typically a more casual style, a room that feels like a haven from the stresses of everyday life.  It is full of clean lines, uncluttered, and calming.

 

modern coastal design ideas

HOW TO CREATE A MODERN COASTAL DESIGN IN YOUR HOME

Now that we know what modern coastal design is, let’s talk about how to achieve that look in your home.  There are three components to successfully create a modern coastal design without your living room turning into a kitschy vacation beach cottage.

Modern Coastal Color Palette

Paint sets the tone for the room, so choosing a calming color is important.  Neutrals and blues tend to make us feel calm and secure.  Think of the pictures you see of tropical places…a myriad of blue hues, earthy sandy tans and lush greens are what comes to mind.  Work with more muted tones of these colors.  Gray-blues, creams and blue-greens.  Even the accent colors you choose need to be muted colors as well.

modern coastal design ideas

Modern Coastal Furniture

When looking for furniture for your modern coastal design, stick with clean lines over designs like rolled arms and skirted sofas.  This fun accent table was a HomeGoods find.  I love the marble top that is very classic but the shape of the table and the satin brass base adds interest and makes it look more updated.

I picked this sofa for the living room because of it’s clean, yet slightly boho look, which reminded me of the beach.  I added wicker chairs similar to these, that are smaller in scale and the shape is more interesting and cleaner than a lot of wicker chairs.  This coffee table has a more traditional look, but I love the interest that the twisted spindle legs give to the space, and it stays within the color palette since it is a sandy color. You want to look for updated traditional/classic pieces that are functional.

modern coastal design ideas

Modern Coastal Accessories

A modern coastal design look is cleaner as far as accessorizing is concerned too.  Less is more.  Since you are working with a muted color palette it is important to bring in lots of texture to add interest to the room.  Luckily, the beach is all about texture.  Think of things you find in nature…shells, sand, seaweed, rocks, sea glass, palm leaves, etc.  Layer those textures together. This recent HomeGoods find was the perfect addition to my modern coastal accessories collection.  The lamp, marble sculptural piece and books are also all HomeGoods finds.  I love the cane tray with the contrasting colors.  It is a beautiful piece to ground all of my accessories.  Chunky throws, seagrass rugs, wicker furniture, sea glass beads and wood bowls are all good places to start.  Pillows in your muted color palette are a great way to bring in added texture.  Add in some satin brass accents for shine and some pretty art for the walls and you are all set!  Don’t be afraid to mix modern and traditional accents into the space, just be sure to steer clear of kitschy accents.  You can use a giant conch shell as an architectural piece on top of a coffee table, but to achieve a modern look, steer clear of a sign saying “beach this way!” or a pillow with a giant sand dollar on it.

MODERN COASTAL DESIGN IDEAS FOR LIVING ROOMS

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite modern coastal design ideas so you can get a feel for this beautiful design style.

modern coastal design ideas

modern coastal design ideas

via Blackband Design

modern coastal design ideas

via Studio McGee

modern coastal design ideas

via Brooke Wagner Design

modern coastal design ideas

via Pure Salt Interiors

OUR MODERN COASTAL DESIGN LIVING ROOM

If you’ve been following along with our 1987 Fixer Upper remodel, then you might remember this post where I shared the design board for the living room.  I’ve done my best to stick pretty close to those ideas, and here’s where we are so far…

modern coastal design ideas

modern coastal design ideas

modern coastal design ideas

If you were wondering what modern coastal design was, or have been looking for modern coastal design ideas, I hope this post has been a help for you.  Our home is a work in progress and is definitely a labor of love, but I sure enjoy sharing the process with you!

Would you like to see the other rooms in the 1987 Fixer Upper?  You can follow along with the transformation of this home here.

Also, be sure to check out our design galleryfor all kinds of design ideas.

Have you signed up for our newsletter?  Don’t miss out on getting all of the latest from Pink Peppermint Design delivered right to your inbox.   Clickhere to subscribeto our newsletter.  🙂 And, if you’re on Instagram,Facebook, and Pinterest come join me there too.  I love to share tons of daily inspiration.

We still have a VERY long way to go, and things are bound to get moved around throughout the process, but it is exciting to see things starting to come together.  It has been a long time coming to have some rooms in this house that are starting to feel like an actual designed space!  Here is the design board for this room again, so you can follow along with it if you’d like to…click on any item’s image for more information about the product.

Have a great day!

Tammy

Tammy

Creative Director at Pink Peppermint Design
Tammy Mitchell is the founder and creative director of lifestyle blog pinkpeppermintdesign.com. Along with being a homeschooling mom of two kiddos, she is also an in-demand prop and event stylist, photographer, interior and graphic designer. On Pink Peppermint Design, she shares creative DIY projects, easy entertaining and gift ideas, inspiring interiors and events. She lives in Southern California, with her husband and two children.

Living room 2

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