The Best Accessories for Refreshing Your Outdoor Space with Coastal Style

If you love the beach and the ocean, you might want to bring some of that coastal charm to your outdoor space. Whether you have a small outside area or a garden, you can create a relaxing and inviting atmosphere by adding coastal accessories. 

If you are looking for inspiration, carry on reading. 

Coastal Wall Art

One of the easiest ways to add coastal flair to your outdoor space is to add coastal wall art. You can choose from various themes, such as seashells, starfish, coral, fish, boats or lighthouses.

 You can also opt for abstract or realistic designs, depending on your preference. Coastal wall art can be made of metal, wood, resin, or canvas. Bear in mind it needs to withstand outside conditions. 

If professionally created wall art is not your thing, there are other options. Spend the day beachcombing and find your own objects de arte. Both smaller and larger items found on the beach can be turned into coastal art. 

Driftwood always looks great when added to an outside area. Sometimes, it does take time for it to dry out and develop character. But, once driftwood has dried and found its own character, it stays looking good for a long time.

You can place it directly on the deck or on top of a table in its natural state. If you like to go that extra mile, why not add fairy lights to give your outside area a gentle glow?  

Coastal Lighting

Another way to add coastal style to your outdoor space is to use lighting. The choice of lighting which looks great in a coastal style setting is more or less endless. You can choose lanterns, candles, string lights or lamps.

You can also choose from different shapes and colours including shells, fish, buoys, or blue and white. Adding lighting creates a cosy and romantic ambience for your outdoor space. 

A nice centrepiece for a table would be a shining lighthouse. This is something that you can make yourself or buy ready-made. If you can’t find a lighthouse-style lamp, simply buy a lighthouse decoration and add lights yourself. 

Fairy lights work well but there are also many other options including rechargeable LED lights that you can use. Tealight candles also look great. You can even buy candles infused with citronella to keep the bugs away. A great idea when you spend a lot of time outside.

One word of warning. Don’t buy oversized lights and lamps. If the weather changes, you may want to move them inside. Of course, this does not apply to lights that are manufactured to be used on the outside of your home. 

Coastal Textiles

Don’t forget that textiles also belong in outside spaces. When you buy textiles for your outside area, make sure they are easy to look after. You want to be able to wash and freshen them up on a regular basis. 

The best materials for outside spaces are cotton and linens. They are hard-wearing and often fade-resistant. 

Popular textiles to add to an outdoor space are cushions and throws. That being said, there is no reason why you can’t use curtains outside. Hang your curtains in such a way that they frame any arches or entrances you have in your outside space. 

You can go completely over the top here and choose textiles decorated with boats and beach themes. Doing so may look a bit excessive. Less is more is the golden rule when it comes to decor. It is often better to choose colours that make you think of the ocean or the beach. 

The best colour choices are blues, greens and greys. When you want to highlight your coastal theme, add a few cushion covers with distinct maritime themes such as boats, seashells or underwater themes. A couple of cushions decorated with octopus may look great and further emphasise your coastal theme. 

Don’t forget about placemats. In recent years, underplates have been popular but placemats are making a comeback. Choose the right colours to add interest to your coastal-themed outside area. 

Coastal Plants

Although you are aiming for a coastal theme, there is no reason why plants should not have a role to play. You can go as far as creating an undersea jungle using many large plants in one area. 

Alternatively, you can go for larger plants with big leaves to make sure your guests notice them. Swiss cheese plants love to grow outside and don’t mind spending all year outside in areas close to the coast. 

Other green plants that do well outside in coastal areas are umbrella plants and spider plants. Don’t forget that some fruit trees such as lemon, lime and orange plants thrive in pots. 

If you have a larger space available on your outside terrace, you could also consider adding an olive tree to your collection. They live for a long time and become increasingly interesting as they grow and mature. 

Coastal Accessories

No decor theme is complete with accessories. Hanging accessories are a great way of creating interest both visually and soundwise. 

Windchimes are nice but you want to make sure they are not too loud. You don’t want them to drown out any conversation you are having with your friends and family. 

Bamboo chimes make great wind chimes. The sound is gentle and soothing. The gentle tapping of bamboo is a great natural sound when you are dining or entertaining. 

If you don’t like wind chimes, but would still like some hanging accessories, you can add some dream catchers. Perhaps they can catch you some dreams of faraway shores. 

Final Thoughts

These are some of the best accessories for refreshing your outdoor space with coastal style. You can mix and match them according to your taste and budget. 

Don’t forget to add personal touches, such as photos and souvenirs. Accessories can really transform your outside space and turn it into an extra room to spend time in.