With the kids off school and all this lovely sunshine (?!) to enjoy, we’ve decided to head to the coast for some interior inspiration.
The seaside is a place us Brits hold dear in our hearts. As a nation where even the most landlocked locations are only a couple of hours away from the nearest beach, it’s no surprise that we have such a passionate love affair with the coast, which even extends to our bathrooms.
Whilst the nautical theme remains a popular source of inspiration for budding interior designers, this year we're starting to see a slightly more focused variation on this look, which we’re calling Calming Coastal.
What is Calming Coastal?
The coastal look can be quite generic, and you’ll no doubt have spotted plenty of coastal-inspired furnishings when shopping for your home or collected items when on holiday. Using striped wallpaper and lighthouse-shaped ornaments, the look can extend to traditional seaside icons (beach huts, sand castles etc.), or, through the use of marine-inspired greens, blues and boating paraphernalia, it can take on a more nautical appearance.
With this type of style, it's all too easy to go overboard (if you pardon the pun!), which is why this new trend offers a lighter touch.
With Calming Coastal, less is certainly more, and whilst your products, furnishings and accessories should all evoke the feel of the coast, subtlety is key. Your choice of colour scheme is important, as it'll form the canvas upon which you'll paint your coastal landscape, so pick wisely. Light blues and even greys can work well here, but don't introduce harsh patterns or motifs. Propping should be kept to a minimum. A few select pieces, that give a flavour of the sea, will keep your design on an even keel.
Let's take a closer look at our own Calming Coastal bathroom...
A Calming Coastal bathroom
Calming Coastal bathroom products
With the Calming Coastal look, there’s certainly no need to splash out!
Let life simply sail away over the horizon, as you enjoy a long and lazy evening in your very own freestanding bath. We've chosen the Crescent freestanding bath as the boat-like design fits perfectly, plus there's room on board for a fellow shipmate!
There’s something truly bracing about the Calming Coastal look, so you’ll certainly want a shower that enlivens and invigorates both the body and mind. The Tetra bar valve shower system is fully thermostatic, blending your water temperature to perfection, with the choice of an overhead shower and a more focused shower handset.
To ensure your suite isn’t all at sea, choose this matching toilet and basin set from our Oakley range. The back to wall toilet and semi pedestal basin make great use of your wall space, while the modern round shape echoes the curves of the bath.
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Whether it’s taking a paddle in the sea, or simply watching in awe as waves come crashing in, we’re all fascinated by water when we take a trip to the coast. The Flume tap, with its open spout waterfall design, will provide sheer aquatic enjoyment every single day.
Calming Coastal colours & textures
For our Calming Coastal bathroom, we’ve opted for a simple two tone light blue colour scheme, featuring our very own Cloud Spotting and Bluebell paint shades, with a cladding feature wall around the window in darker blue, replicating the sort of wooden decking you'd find at the seaside.
To extend the feel of decking, and create a more sea-and-salt-spray-weathered appearance, you needn't splash the cash on real wood. Krono Xonic Pennsylvania vinyl flooring gives just the right appearance, plus it's really easy to install, hardwearing and simple to clean.
The washed out wooden border around the mirror is a great example of the kind of simple look which will transport you straight back to your childhood holidays.
Ideas for Calming Coastal accessories
As we've mentioned, less really is more when it comes to propping for your Calming Coastal bathroom.
Here are a few ideas for the type of accessory you could choose:
- An antique ship lamp made out of brass
- A lifebuoy placed on your wall as a centrepiece
- A ladder made from reclaimed wood, placed against your wall as storage
- A coil of thick rope placed strategically in the corner (can double up as storage)
- A circular mirror can really evoke the look of a porthole
- A deck chair to complement your colour palette, perfect for towels
- A pair of oars crossed and placed on your wall
Shop the look
Why not "go coastal" with your new bathroom? There's no better time to get started!
