Be Inspired By This Stunning Coastal Kitchen
If you are dreaming of warmer weather and trips to the seaside, you might have considered a coastal kitchen design – especially as summer seems a while away! This kitchen, created by one of our customers, shows that a few touches are enough to bring a sunshine feel into your home, whatever the weather.
Paint
Painting your cabinetry in a light pastel colour like a blue or green is an easy and affordable way to add a coastal vibe to your cooking area. This kitchen is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Lulworth Blue, which channels Dorset’s gorgeous Lulworth Cove (shown below). Pastel colours are popular in both traditional and contemporary settings, and this kitchen shows how effective they can be in a more modern setting.
The full-height cabinets help to add extra height and depth, enhancing the breezy, carefree feeling of this beautiful prep space. The large surface area covered by this bright shade creates an incredibly refreshing aesthetic. This kitchen is a happy, warm space and a break from a more conservative and neutral style.
Contrasting worktop
Another aspect of this kitchen that adds to the coastal vibe are the worktops, which offer a striking and eye-catching warmth to the pastel cabinets. Our full-stave oak worktops are a fantastic choice – the wide staves and prime grade provide a truly elegant worktop that is incredibly durable and wear-resistant. With reflective properties and a lovely, almost sandy colour, you could say that the countertop represents a beach alongside the cabinets, which are painted in a shade inspired by the sea.
Holiday cottage touches
There are a few discrete touches in this kitchen that make it feel like a luxurious holiday retreat. The open-plan kitchen/diner design is laid out so that the oak dining table faces the full-height patio doors and out onto the manicured garden. These photos show that the garden is a suntrap and this setup makes the most of the features of the property whilst flooding the are with light. The dining area flows onto the patio outside and makes the space more inviting.
Meanwhile, the statement solid wood wine rack is huge and resembles the type of furnishing one might expect in a luxury holiday cottage. The kitchen is finished off with bright accessories to squeeze summer in wherever possible.
How to achieve a coastal kitchen
Besides the options above, there are a few affordable ways to create a seaside feel. Iridescent tiles offer a stunning shimmer effect, and they work just as well in a small space – like a splashback – and larger areas. Alternatively, a navy and white colour scheme is a timeless and popular theme for yachts, and the look can be enhanced by some nautical-inspired accessories, such as these quaint salt and pepper shakers or plates with subtle anchor motifs.
Another easy way to invite the seaside into your kitchen is to use thick stripes on blinds or bar stools, to replicate deck chairs and sun canopies. If these two options are prohibitively expensive, striped cushions and tea towels will subtly infer a nautical theme.
A coastal theme is fantastic all year round and will make your kitchen feel light and airy. This kitchen shows that achieving this style can be affordable and easy. What would you choose to include in your coastal kitchen?