Coastal Grandmother Decorating Tips

Mix old and new

When it comes to decorating our home, there are so many considerations! Often, we have the feeling that we just need to throw everything out and start over. Fortunately, that is not the idea behind the Coastal Grandmother home. Many times, there are antiques mixed with more modern furniture, and almost always, pieces that have been passed down through the generations.

Since the Coastal Grandmother home is ocean and beach inspired, we can just pick some neutral pieces and colors and start there. I had never heard of the term “Coastal Grandmother” when I moved to my condo three years ago. I just wanted a fresh start and a new look. I chose white muslin slip covered furniture because that is what I have in the beach house, and I knew how easy it is to care for. You can just take the slip covers off and wash them whenever you need to, and that is important with kids and dogs!

Start with Neutrals

If you start with neutrals i.e. white, off white, cream, beige, brown, gray blue or gray, you can make the pieces you do already have work with it. I sold all my furniture with my house, so I only brought my mother’s wash stand, my mother-in-law’s wash stand and my grandfather’s oak clock with me.

Once my couch, chair and ottoman were delivered (3 months later), I could start to develop a plan. I had already painted the condo a soft gray. I had chosen a grayed-blue for the throw pillows on my sofa, so that was the accent color I started with. I stuck with different shades of white and cream for the rest of the furniture, a cane back chair and dining room chairs. I liked the modern farmhouse look that has become popular so I chose two wicker side chairs and a trestle dining room table. Since the great room, dining area and kitchen are all open, it was fairly easy to just carry the theme throughout. Since only the accessories are an actual color, it would be simple to change the whole look just by changing the accessory colors.

I have found the simplest way to change the look of furniture and make it blend with a

modern look is to paint it white! I know there are schools of thought that say you should never paint an antique piece of furniture, but I don’t adhere to that theory. I painted my mother’s washstand white and added a Delftware lamp, and viola, it became very coastal and modern.When my sister passed, and I inherited my mother’s small antique coffee table, I painted it white also, left the wood trim around the edge and antiqued the base. I couldn’t use a large coffee table because of the ottoman with my main chair. My mom’s little coffee table was the perfect size, and I love seeing it in my home every day.

I personally love white cabinets in the kitchen, and that was the first thing I did in the beach house was to paint everything white! It immediately creates a coastal feel to any dwelling, not to mention a light and bright atmosphere. If you have colored cabinets, you can create the same feel by painting the kitchen walls white.Add some white subway tile, and you have a much more modern look. The most economical way to change the look of a house is to start with paint! The second thing would be to add neutral basic furniture and then choose your accessory color. You can work all the rest of your furniture around these basic pieces.

My daughter was so unhappy with the dining room in her otherwise lovely home. It has only one standard size window and tended to look dark. She searched everywhere for a new dining room suite but could not find anything she liked more than what she already had. I suggested she paint the walls an off white and change the dark rug she had for a lighter one. I then chose a neutral linen drape (from Pottery Barn) for the window, extending it on both sides and the rod on top to make the window appear larger and give the room balance. I hung a wreath in the window and added small wreaths with burlap ribbon to her china cabinet. That, and a few accessories for the table, created an entirely different look to the room. She now loves her dining room, and it was a really simple makeover.

The thing that makes a house a home is to use pieces that you love and that have meaning to you and your family. I love to find creative ways to display collectibles. Many times, it just takes a little “thinking outside the box” to freshen up your home and give it a new facelift.

I am not a fan of second hand upholstered furniture (you never know what might be hiding in the upholstery), but everything else is fair game! You can get some absolute steals at second hand stores, sand them down and paint or antique them! I pretty well furnished my beach house this way. I would actually rather have an old, solid wood piece of furniture that I can redo than a cheaper, particle board ,new one.

If you are not the creative type, there are numerous websites that will give you ideas galore i.e. Pinterest, Houzz, HGTV, Better Homes, Magnolia Homes etc. So, grab a bucket of paint and get started!