What to do when a home built in 2009 no longer reflects how its owners want to live? This family partnered with Decorilla to reimagine their first floor through contemporary coastal interior design, trading dark walls and dated finishes for a palette drawn from sand and sea.
The Challenge: Contemporary Coastal Interior Design & Decor
The client approached Decorilla seeking a complete transformation of their home with refined contemporary coastal interior design. Their existing spaces felt dated and dark, no longer matching the clean, minimal aesthetic they envisioned. As the first phase of a large makeover, this project required establishing a cohesive foundation that would carry through the entire home. Their brief was substantial, requiring a designer who could:
Designer tasks:
- Replace dated finishes with a bright, neutral palette
- Design a linear fireplace to accommodate wall-mounted TV placement
- Source contemporary coastal furniture from the clients’ preferred retailers
- Establish cohesive flooring and paint selections throughout
- Fully renovate the kitchen with a new layout
- Update the powder room with improved lighting and storage
- Transform the master bedroom into a layered retreat
- Add hanging space and refresh finishes in the laundry room
- Design a welcoming garage entryway that flows with adjacent spaces
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Design Inspiration: Contemporary Coastal Interiors
The clients gathered dozens of images that helped clarify their vision of a contemporary coastal interior. A consistent material language, mainly neutral with pops of subdued earthy or pastel colors, connected almost all these references. Light-toned hardwood appeared in nearly every save, paired with linen upholstery in sand or ivory tones. Open floor plans illustrated the configuration that would support how they actually live. Coffered ceilings and exposed beams also appeared repeatedly in their selections, suggesting an interest in architectural detail.
Functionally, these references showed exactly what the clients wanted to change. Wide sectionals anchored by low wooden coffee tables offered the kind of generous, relaxed seating their current layout lacked. Glass pendant lights over kitchen islands replaced the fixtures they had grown tired of seeing. Most importantly, these coastal contemporary living room references gave the clients a clear sense of proportion, and how much furnishing would leave the rooms space to breathe.
Initial Concepts: Finding the Right Designer
The Decorilla team identified two professionals for this project, both with strong track records in contemporary coastal interior design. Wanda P. proposed a direction rooted in warm wood tones and heavily textured fabrics, layering jute and bouclé against creamy plaster walls. Organic shapes dominated her moodboard with rounded furniture silhouettes set against ceramic accessories in muted terracotta.
Casey went lighter. Pale oak and soft ivory linens formed the backbone of her contemporary coastal interiors concept, with coffered ceilings and streamlined furniture sharpening each composition. She also emphasized clean sightlines and architectural contrast.
The clients chose Casey’s direction. Her proposal captured the model-home clarity they strived to describe in their brief, and the restrained palette felt closer to their vision. In their first message back to Casey, the clients made this enthusiasm clear: “Thanks so much, Casey! We think you understood our vision very well. It’s looking great—can I just have it all now? Haha. Can’t wait to see the updated 3D!”
Results Revealed: Contemporary Coastal Interior Design
“We love the overall look and feel, and we are on the right track!” – Casey’s first rendering justified their expectations, and the same enthusiasm carried through each round of revisions.
This new contemporary coastal interior design took shape around a restrained palette. Casey preserved the existing crown moulding as requested, integrating it into a freshly painted ceiling that now reads as part of the architecture. The design addressed every room in the brief, maintaining cohesion in palette, materials, flooring, and paint choices.
- Coastal Contemporary Living Room
- Breezy Dining Room
- Kitchen Design Overhaul
- Coastal Bedroom Design
- Functional Laundry
- Powder Room
- Garage Entry & Hallway
Coastal Contemporary Living Room
The coastal contemporary living room anchors the entire project. The clients had asked for spaces that feel like a model home, and this room delivers that quality through careful editing where every piece earns its place. Casey reorganized the furniture around a new linear fireplace, positioning the seating to face both the flame and the large sliding glass doors. A sputnik-style chandelier with glass globes replaced the dated ceiling fan, and floating oak shelves flank the fireplace on both sides.
The fan was not the only issue to address. Dark gray walls in the existing interior absorbed the limited morning light, and a traditional white mantel with an oversized clock dominated the fireplace wall without balance. The original black leather sectional faced away from the windows, blocking sightlines to the backyard. Casey’s redesign reversed this orientation entirely. Light now travels from the sliding doors across pale hardwood floors and lands on the white built-in cabinetry and lightweight seating.
These contemporary coastal furniture selections balance visual weight throughout the room. Two cognac leather swivel chairs sit perpendicular to the ivory linen sofa, with a solid oak coffee table grounding the arrangement. Behind the sofa, a console table holds a sculptural ceramic lamp and dried botanicals, creating a subtle boundary between the seating area and the circulation path. Most pieces were sourced from the clients’ preferred retailers.
Above the fireplace, ocean photography in a light wood frame serves as the room’s only overt coastal reference. The clients’ Samsung Frame TV will eventually occupy this position, mounted at the height they specified. There are no shell motifs and nautical rope; texture and tone evoke the coast instead.
Our Picks for the Look
Transforming Challenges into Creative Solutions
The clients had flagged one persistent frustration in their brief: the great room felt dark by mid-afternoon. Morning light came through the sliding doors, but the original gray walls and black furniture absorbed it quickly. Casey addressed this through material choices that compound natural light. As a result, by late afternoon, when the original room would grow dim, the new contemporary coastal interior design maintains a steady brightness.
Contemporary Coastal Decor in the Dining Room
The dining room sits between the living area and the hallway, serving as a visual bridge often found in contemporary coastal interiors. Casey wrapped the lower walls in white board-and-batten paneling, a detail that adds architectural texture while keeping the space streamlined. The clients had noted that this room receives very little natural light, so the pale treatment on the walls and ceiling also works to maximize what does come through the French-paned window.
Through the arched opening, the living room’s console table remains visible, confirming the cohesive material language Casey established across the first-floor spaces.
A rectangular oak dining table seats eight comfortably. It’s anchored by upholstered host chairs at each end and woven rope side chairs along the length. The woven chairs introduce an element with a clear seaside flair, yet avoid anything overtly nautical. This contemporary coastal furniture selection continues the same oak tone found in the living room’s coffee table and console.
Overhead, a black sculptural chandelier with frosted globe bulbs replaced the dated fixture the clients had specifically flagged in their brief. Its organic, branching form contrasts with the room’s rectilinear paneling, and the matte black finish echoes the door hardware the clients wanted consistent throughout the home. The fixture hangs at a height that illuminates the table surface while remaining clear of sightlines across the room. In addition, recessed ceiling lights supplement the chandelier for evening use.
Along one wall, a light oak sideboard with cane-paneled doors replaced the old buffet. Abstract coastal artwork in soft greens and neutrals above it continues the subtle ocean reference established in the living room. The vintage-style rug beneath the table grounds the furniture grouping.
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Kitchen Design Overhaul
“Anyone that has seen our kitchen (and the rest of the home) absolutely loves it! But by far the kitchen is a fan favorite!!!!!” – The clients had been clear in their brief: the kitchen needed a complete overhaul. Casey delivered a ground-up redesign that replaced the dated granite, dark cabinetry, and inefficient layout with a contemporary coastal interior design that now functions as the home’s central gathering point. The new kitchen opens directly to the living area through a wide arched passage, maintaining sightlines to the fireplace wall and sliding glass doors beyond.
A large island anchors this room. The farmhouse sink sits in its center, positioned so the cook faces the backyard through floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. Three clear glass globe pendants hang above the work surface. Oak counter stools with woven cane backs line one side of the island, providing casual seating for four.
Floating oak shelves beside the range hood mirror those in the living room. They create both additional display and storage.
The perimeter cabinetry runs floor to ceiling in a warm cream finish with shaker-style doors. Brass pulls in a brushed finish add subtle warmth against the painted wood. At the top of the pantry wall, illuminated open shelving displays white dishware and ceramics, breaking up the solid cabinet fronts.
The range wall features a sculptural plaster hood with an arched profile. The backsplash tile carries a subtle texture and tonal variation, while the same pale hardwood from the living and dining areas continues into the kitchen. An olive tree in a weathered pot stands near the glass doors and reinforces the contemporary coastal decor throughout the house.
Our Picks for the Look
Contemporary Coastal Bedroom Design
The master bedroom occupies a generous footprint, and the clients had struggled to furnish it in a way that felt intentional. The designer addressed this by creating distinct zones within the room.
An upholstered bed in cream linen sits against a white board-and-batten accent wall, flanked by oak nightstands with cane-paneled doors. At its foot, two accent chairs face each other across a small round side table, forming a cozy sitting area.
Looking at its former state reveals how far this room has come. Beige carpet covered the floor, and dark espresso nightstands flanked a tufted headboard against flat taupe walls. Heavy gray curtains covered the windows. The carpet is now replaced with the same hardwood used throughout the home. The walls shifted to a warm off-white, and the paneled accent wall behind the bed added architectural interest.
A ceiling fan remains in the new design, but its form has changed entirely. Wood-toned blades in a natural oak complement the room’s contemporary coastal furniture. Layered window treatments filter the morning light with woven roman shades behind the floor-length ivory curtains. This combination also softens glare while making the nine-foot ceilings read taller.
Ceramic table lamps with tapered white bases sit on each nightstand, and a fiddle leaf fig in a ribbed white planter occupies the corner near the window.
The contemporary coastal decor in this room leaves it to the texture to achieve visual interest. A chunky grid-weave area rug in cream and charcoal anchors the bed and seating area. Above the oak dresser, a framed coastal photograph in muted sepia tones echoes the ocean imagery found in the living and dining rooms.
Our Picks for the Look
Functional Laundry Layout
The laundry room had remained untouched since 2009, and the clients flagged both the original paint and cabinet color as overdue for replacement. An L-shaped layout now wraps shaker-style cabinetry in a soft sage green around two walls, with the existing washer and dryer tucked beneath a marble-look quartz counter. A brass hanging rod extends between the upper cabinets, directly addressing the clients’ request for a place to air-dry clothes. The square tile backsplash in warm cream picks up tones from the kitchen’s zellige, maintaining the established contemporary coastal interior design vocabulary in a utilitarian space.
Floating oak shelves line the wall beside the window. A woven rattan flush-mount fixture adds texture overhead, while a bamboo roman shade filters the afternoon light the room receives. Brass cabinet knobs match the hanging rod hardware, tying the details together. The floor features a light terrazzo-look tile that hides dirt and scuffs better than the wood flooring used elsewhere—a practical choice for a high-traffic work area.
Powder Room
The powder room measures just six feet wide, and the clients had described it as small and dark with no natural light. Casey addressed these constraints by keeping the walls a clean off-white and specifying a marble-look porcelain tile that can reflect what ambient light the room receives. The original pedestal sink gave way to a reeded oak vanity with a curved front and three drawers. A round black-framed mirror hangs above the vanity, flanked by slender brass sconces that provide task lighting at face level.
A checkered runner in sage and cream softens the floor and introduces a subtle pattern that ties back to the green cabinetry in the adjacent laundry room. Framed coastal photography continues the contemporary coastal decor thread, connecting even this space to the larger design narrative.
Coastal Contemporary Furniture in the Hallway
The clients felt unsure about how to decorate the garage entryway interior, and the designer responded with two distinct treatments that define each zone. The main foyer features a white board-and-batten accent wall behind a slim oak console table with woven drawer fronts. This section guides straight to the living room. A ceramic table lamp and stacked books sit alongside a sculptural vase, creating a landing spot for daily items.
On the opposite wall, a ribbed textured wallpaper in warm beige provides visual interest, with a large black-framed oval mirror expanding the sense of space.
The adjacent hallway takes a bolder approach with dusty blue walls above white wainscoting. Casey preserved the grey doors the clients wanted to keep, painting them a deep charcoal that reads as intentional against the blue. A brass-framed floor mirror leans against one wall, bouncing light through the narrow passage.
A sputnik-style ceiling fixture in brass and black ties back to the lighting selections in the living and dining rooms, ensuring this transitional space feels connected to the home’s larger design direction.
A cane-fronted credenza anchors the end of the hallway, styled with layered artwork that includes ocean wave photography in the contemporary coastal decor language used elsewhere. The geometric area rug in soft teal picks up tones from the wall color while adding texture underfoot.
Design Details: Sourcing the Perfect Pieces
Decorilla’s 3D visualizations allowed the clients to walk through each room before a single purchase was made. They could see how the oak tones resonated throughout their future space, or whether the proportions felt right for their generous floor plans. This preview stage proved especially valuable for a project of this scope, where decisions in one room affected material choices three spaces away.
Decorilla’s shop with exclusive trade discounts made it possible to source contemporary coastal furniture from the clients’ preferred retailers at prices that kept the project on track. The shopping list and implementation guide organized purchases by room and priority, turning what could have been an overwhelming procurement process into a manageable sequence of steps.
The clients’ final feedback captured their experience: “Yay! We love it—All!!! Thank you again for all of your time and patience with us during the design process. You definitely made this whole renovation a lot easier by helping us organize our spaces and our purchases.” Their response confirmed what the renderings had promised—a cohesive coastal interior design that felt considered in every detail.
Looking for contemporary coastal interior design?
Decorilla’s team of professional designers can help you achieve the same refined, cohesive look, whether you’re renovating a single room or transforming an entire home. Book your Free Online Interior Design Consultation to start your project today!
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