Whether a waterfront condo on one of Sarasota’s beaches or a lake house in Michigan, Willow & August Interiors incorporates key design ingredients to create modern coastal interiors that transcend geography.
To create a Modern Coastal Interior, the ingredients are fairly simple, but it starts with the bones of the space.
Depending on the condition of your existing kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, you may be able to refinish, but if the cabinetry is of poor quality or the style too dated, then spend the money and get nice cabinets because in resale, you’ll get every penny back.
Flooring is key, so if you’ve got dated ceramic square tile with lots of grout lines, you can cover (yes cover!) with luxury vinyl plank or “LVP”. If you have carpet, the carpet must go, you need to update because nobody wants carpet in their main living space anymore! If you have existing wood floors, you can refinish in lighter or cooler driftwood tones or use jute or sisal rugs to bring the waterfront vibe to your existing dark wood floors. If you live in warm state like Florida, you can also consider plank tile that looks like wood and therefore removes any concern about moisture and humidity.
Geography comes into play when I’m choosing accessories, artwork, lighting and even flooring material for my clients. In Michigan, my projects tend not to be as contemporary, and everyone loves the look of wood floors. In Sarasota, due to the humidity, sandy feet and dripping bathing suits, most of my clients prefer luxury vinyl plank or tile plank.
MODERN COASTAL DESIGN INGREDIENTS:
KITCHEN AND BATHROOM COUNTERS
Light Quartzite or White Quartz Countertops are key. Going with light counters (white or white + grey or very light grey) will keep your space feeling fresh and bright. Counter tops take up a lot of space in a kitchen, so the lighter the better!! Check out Silestone’s Eternal Bianco Calacatta https://www.silestoneusa.com/color/bianco-calacatta/ or their Iconic White Quartz https://www.silestoneusa.com/color/iconic-white/
KITCHEN AND BATHROOM CABINETRY
Consider white Shaker perimeter cabinets in Sherwin Williams “Extra White”
Also consider the Kitchen Island in a contrasting coastal color such as Benjamin Moore’s “Birds Egg”
Or consider the Kitchen Island in a contrasting color watery blue-green such as Sherwin Williams “Rainwashed”
If you’re not ready to commit to that much color, consider one of my favorite gray tones for your Kitchen Island such as Sherwin Williams “Grayish”. When you go neutral for your backdrop, you can do anything with accent colors, and that is very liberating and timeless!
BACKSPLASH
Your kitchen backsplash is part of the jewelry of the room, so choose carefully! A light-colored backsplash with pretty shapes will keep your kitchen feeling light and airy. There are so many beautiful options out there, working with an Interior Designer gives you access to the entire world of tile, including many that are to-the-trade only, so consider working with an Interior Designer. For the Siesta Key condo pictured below, we used a tile that looks like Abalone shell. The clean lines of the hood add a modern touch and lets the gorgeous backsplash tile shine.
FLOORING
To keep a bright coastal feel in your space, keep the flooring light. If you’re remodeling, consider adding driftwood toned or light French oak plank style floors. If you prefer tile, take a look at the new porcelain tiles that look like Carrara Marble, both works beautifully in most homes. Light floors expand your space and create an ethereal vibe that is the epitome of modern coastal. If you are a waterfront property and expect lots of sandy toes and dripping bathing suits, luxury vinyl plank “LVP” is water friendly and looks like wood. Better yet, in many situations this product can be laid directly over tile, eliminating the need for messy demolition of existing tile floors. LVP cannot go over wood floors.
Lighting can go in a multitude of directions. The wonderful couple I worked with on this project chose small blown glass fixtures to keep their ocean view as unimpeded as possible in their small beachfront condo. I have other projects where we chose larger “statement” light fixtures to define the kitchen. I look at lighting as the jewelry of the room, so have fun with your lighting!
Willow & August Interiors transformed this beachfront Siesta Key condo with new light driftwood plank luxury vinyl plank flooring, white Shaker cabinetry, light quartz counters, beautiful pearlescent backsplash tile, new appliances and vent hood and a pretty mix of watery blue and watery green tones and metallics used sparingly throughout the condo in artwork, accessories and furnishings.
IN SUMMARY
Willow & August Interiors transformed this beachfront Siesta Key condo with new light driftwood plank luxury vinyl plank flooring, white Shaker cabinetry, light quartz counters, beautiful pearlescent backsplash tile, new appliances and vent hood and a pretty mix of watery blue and watery green tones and metallics used sparingly throughout the condo in artwork, accessories and furnishings.
The white leather counter stools we chose keep the peninsula area feeling light and the polished stainless-steel legs bring a little sparkle into the space. Counter stools by Interlude Home https://www.interludehome.com/category/seating/bar-stools/logan-bar-stool-white-145156.html
COASTAL ACCESSORIES + FURNISHINGS
This home on Siesta Key would be equally at home on Lake Michigan too, it’s the accessories that define where your coastal retreat may be geographically.
For example, in the Siesta Key condo we accessorized with white coral, white blow fish and other ocean reference. Further, we added pops of watery blues, aqua and metallics to bring a sparkling, refreshing and tranquil vibe to the condo. If this was one of my Michigan projects, I would swap out the saltwater accessories such as coral and blow fish, for accessories that speak to the “unsalted” waters of Michigan’s lakes and rivers.
Interior Design by Caroline von Weyher, Owner/Designer Willow & August Interiors. All photography the property of Willow & August Interiors, all rights reserved.
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