BEACHY BASICS

Use these three expert tips to transform your coastal décor.

Coastal décor is so perfect for summer with its sunny days and warm weather.

And even if you don’t live at the coast or in a warm climate, you can still pack charming coastal style into your cottage. Here are three

tips from blogger Emily Sweeten of The Wicker House to replicate the rich coastal vibe she has in her Idaho home.

• START WITH FUNCTION.

“Function is the most important aspect of design,” Emily says. “It’s great that it looks pretty, but it needs to work too.” For example, the basics for a foyer or mudroom are first, a place to sit for removing shoes, and second, a place to hang coats and bags. Emily started with that and then added other details that jazz up the space, from the wainscoting and pillow to the nature-filled cubbies and hanging tags on the peg rack.

• WIDEN YOUR COLOR PALETTE.

Blue hues are the natural coastal color palette, but having a home filled with the same aqua or robin’s-egg blue can get boring. Instead, mix up your palette with different shades of blue, such as Emily did here with navy in her foyer.

The other secret to a great coastal palette is green. “I like to use a lot of blues and greens,” Emily says. “I have plants in all my decorating, so that automatically brings in pops of green.” Think of the changing hues of the ocean. While deep water has a cobalt color, shallow areas near the beach often reflect green tones.

• THINK BEYOND HAWAII.

When we think of coastal style, tropical locations such as Hawaii, the Bahamas and even California come to mind. But so many other areas of the world have a coastline. “We travel a lot to the Oregon coast, and I’m so inspired because there are mountains with pine trees next to the ocean,” Emily says. “You get the best of both worlds.” Even here in her coastal home, Emily added pinecones alongside her air plants and sea shells to diversify the look, which adds a rich natural tone to the scene.