Coastal Kitchen Designs; Ocean Vibes in the Heart of the Home

Some people love the mountains, some love the dusty planes of the desert, and many of us love the beach’s coastal sights, sounds, and smells. They say that where you grew up will imprint on your tastes and likes, which I can agree with. I have friends from Colorado who just can’t leave the mountains; for myself, I don’t like living too far from the coast. East Coast or West Coast, I feel better when I know I can find some salt air without traveling too far. 

So, what’s this got to do with color or interior design? Well, in this article, I wanted to share some suggestions with those who love coastal living or those who would love to enjoy the vibe without actually setting down roots in a coastal town. 

The kitchen is the heart and soul of the home, especially for those who love to cook and entertain. Let’s explore bringing what we love about the coastal style into the kitchen! Coastal kitchen designs are not just for beach shacks on Cape Cod or Malibu; we can all enjoy coastal influence in our kitchens, regardless of the time of year or region!

Coastal Kitchen Designs – What Colors Work Best?

While this may surprise no one, blues are often a favorite choice for creating an ideal coastal kitchen color palette. Coastal kitchen design color palettes, for the most part, are going to be lighter in hue and saturation; the goal is to achieve the care-free feeling of watching the waves crash on the shore on a sunny afternoon, which mostly eliminates heavier, darker, and more “synthetic-feeling” colors. Soft and soothing is the emotional intent of a coastal-inspired kitchen; color arrangements do not create harsh contrasts but flow unto one another. 

Although an airy blue might be the first color to consider, there are many blues to consider, and there are other options to consider without using blues at all. It’s time to explore what is widely considered a coastal color palette and what that means!

Here are some coastal kitchen colors to consider:

• Light aqua (turquoise) 

If there were an opportunity to use aqua or color in the teal family, it would be a coastal kitchen design. The kitchen walls’ light aqua base color immediately creates a friendly, unmistakably coastal vibe. It should be light aqua because too much saturation with this color is overpowering. A light aqua base is reminiscent of the shallow waters off the shoreline or the colors of a tropical vacation you enjoyed and would love to bring into your home! 

• Sky blue

Do you know that point on the horizon where the ocean meets the sky? That’s exactly what color experts will strive to achieve when incorporating sky blue into a coastal kitchen. Not only is sky blue relaxing, but it also creates a layer of blue to contrast with the other blues established in the kitchen. Also, an airy sky blue is dreamy when given plenty of light, such as the light that large eastern-facing kitchen windows glowing with natural light can provide! 

• Light greens

Just like gentle beach grass wafting in the warm breeze or plant life complementing the pale woods, light greens add a dimension of nature to coastal kitchens. Light green alone may not provide coastal vibes, but when paired with other blues, beiges, and cloud whites, it helps fulfill the feeling of sitting oceanside. 

• Beiges (sandy colors) 

Sandy colors can add a neutral quality to the room, complementing the other colors in a coastal-influenced kitchen. Sandy tones like delicate beiges and buffs are perfect for separating the blues and greens from the surrounding environment. Beiges, ranging from very light off-white to slightly yellowed sand or pale terra cottas, will add that same dimension to your kitchen that the shoreline does with the water. Stark whites can be too much of a contrast in this scenario, but beiges, emulating sandy shores create a natural transition that’s easy on the eyes and relaxing to the mind. 

• Light pinks

Faint, dusty, light pinks can create a beachy vibe and specifically recall the sunrise or sunset over the ocean; picture that glorious moment when the sun is sitting on the horizon, and dusk is settling in, the sky is a cascade of pinks, purples, and blues, all delicious colors! The pink light reflects off the ocean waves as if the sky were painting the ocean in its image. Delicate pinks can be soothing and understated and are often the perfect choice for the kitchen. An easygoing color with a sweet ambiance, pink is certainly a color to consider if you spend long hours in your kitchen, the heart of the home!

Coastal Kitchen Designs – Natural Woods and Open Shelving

A much-needed element in coastal kitchen design is natural wood and untreated materials. To successfully replicate that natural feeling of being by the coast, I recommend using light woods that don’t need to be treated to bring out their energy. Think of bamboo or beech wood shelving. Heck, if you’re patient enough, you can collect salt-soaked driftwood and make shelving out of that!  The goal is to keep it feeling natural and not manmade or heavily processed; naturally distressed woods will be your best avenue to capturing that feeling of oceanside splendor.

For accessories and design accents, keep it light! Clutter is the opposite of light, airy and natural, so add minimal pops of color and decor. I suggest filling mason jars with collected sea glass or even bundles of wampum! 

Create Your Oasis

I find the kitchen a relaxing getaway. Cooking and entertaining may be stressful to some, but for me, it’s a therapeutic release, just like the beach! However you intend to fulfill a coastal kitchen design scheme, just make sure it’s your oasis, a place to get away, relax, and collect your mind, body, and soul. 

For some coastal-inspired color arrangements, make sure to check out my Color911 color app! It has color themes of many styles, from Beach House to Comfort Zone, Summer Sage to Breeze, and Luminance, which you can see in the image above. Every color theme is a collection of colors that you can use as your guide to create the coastal vibe you’re looking for. You can even create color palettes from your photo library, a perfect opportunity to use some dreamy beach photos! I hope you’re inspired!

Also, for some more inspired kitchen painting ideas, check out Catchlight Painting’s gallery of kitchen projects featuring the use of bold colors!