Contemporary Coastal

The Home Of Interiors Contemporary Coastal Trend

This is a simple, contemporary trend encompassing subtle, nautical cues in marine tones to create a fresh coastal feel. Cool, sea blues through to richer, inky blues and green teal tones are prominent in this trend. Ombre and tie dye fabrics depict waves and sea scenes to deliver a floaty, nautical feel. Marine cues are subtle and resemble nautical shapes such as pebbles and coral reef rather than more obvious cues such as lighthouses and beach huts. If you are after a more distinctive coastal look please view our Traditional Coastal Trend.

How to work the trend!

Use a textured wallpaper in a marine or neutral tone. We love Harlequin’s Textured Wallpapers, particularly Chronicle in cloud, denim, elephant or linen and Mansa in sesame, dove or pebble. These wallpapers are subtle so can work well throughout a room. Alternatively you could choose to decorate a feature wall in a subtly patterned design from the Sanderson Port Isaac collection and paint the other walls in a complementing paint colour from the Sanderson or Zoffany paint collection.
White washed floorboards are perfect for a light, fresh look.
A wave curtain in a sheer fabric is perfect for living spaces. We love the Harlequin Atelier Minako voile in marine / ink. Some designs from the Clarke & Clarke Lusso Sheers collection also work well with their soft movement and teal tones. The slim stack back on the wave curtain will enable as much light to flood into the room as possible keeping the room light and airy. If you’ve got a coastal view, the slim stack back will also enable you to make the most of the stunning view!
If ceiling fixing a wave voile, the Silent Gliss 6840 or 6010 tracks are perfect. They are slim and discrete and give a flush fit to the ceiling. For wall fixing, we would recommend the Silent Gliss Metropole in matt white.
If you prefer a curtain pole, a wooden curtain pole equally complements the trend. We particularly like the Jones Seychelles range of poles in the cotton, haze or mist finish or the Laura Ashley Ribbed Ball 35mm wooden pole in cotton white, dark duck egg or midnight. Alternatively, we can paint a Jones 50mm curtain pole to a colour of your choice or a Laura Ashley 40mm pole in any Laura Ashley paint colour.
Linen look fabrics also work well if you prefer a heavier curtain. Fabrics can be blackout lined for bedrooms. The Clarke & Clarke Amalfi fabric has a lovely texture and weave to it and is available in a variety of marine tones. The Clarke & Clarke Eco collection also offers some superb textural designs perfect for adding depth and interest.
For a layered look, a coastal themed roller blind can work well within the window recess, with a curtain or roman blind outside the recess. Blackout roller blinds are a great choice for bedrooms.
Keep furniture light. White or light woods work best to retain a fresh feel.
In bedrooms white bedding such as Laura Ashley’s Shalford or Sutterby work well, accessorised with a marine toned throw and cushions.
Complete the look with a gorgeous rug. We particularly love the fresh Clarke & Clarke Lavico rug in Mineral, reminiscent of rolling waves for a contemporary coastal feel.