20 Coastal Kitchen Ideas to Make Mealtime a Breeze

Not to be confused with kitschy, dated nautical-themed interiors that feature "Gone to the Beach" signs or anchors masquerading as wall decor, the best coastal style is a refined take on the escapist fantasy of what it feels like to live in a beach house.

A coastal decor scheme is characterized by a limited palette of soft colors reminiscent of sand and sea and natural materials like weathered wood and rattan. Coastal design works especially well in airy, open-plan rooms that maximize natural light, creating breezy, crowd-pleasing spaces with a timeless appeal and a fresh, current feel.

Check out these effortlessly chic coastal-inspired kitchens that offer elevated style and feel-good beach vibes to inspire your kitchen makeover.

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Go to Nantucket

Rae Duncan Interior Design

This Nantucket kitchen by Chicago-based Rae Duncan Interior Design has deep blue-gray cabinetry, dark wood floors, and weathered wood bar stools that create a moody New England coastal feel. Patterned white tiles adds subtle wave-like movement to the kitchen backsplash. Creamy white countertops and pendant lights function like whitecaps in a blue sea, creating a comfortable, timeless atmosphere.

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Brighten It Up

Design by Joselyn Rendon Interiors

Joselyn Rendon Interiors transformed a dark and dated Murrieta, CA kitchen into a bright and happy kitchen oasis with West Coast appeal. Shades of white and cream on the walls lighten up the space, while vibrant blue lower cabinets provide color and interest. Wood flooring in a weathered gray finish adds another coastal note that recalls driftwood. Natural elements like woven rattan stools and window treatments add warmth and earthiness to the feel-good design.

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Glam It Up

Design by Decus Interiors / Photo by Felix Forest

This elevated coastal kitchen designed by award-winning Australian firm Decus Interiors is located in a 1940s seaside apartment owned by a Sydney-based fashion blogger and her partner. Rather than your standard coastal palette of whites and blues, this stunning interior has a breezy, sandswept feel achieved by mixing materials in pale, golden tones, like washed plywood and Calacatta marble with gold veining. Simple wood stools and touches of gleaming metal on lighting and the light-reflecting backsplash lends the airy open space a touch of polish and glamour.

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Mix Navy + Gray

Bright Bazaar

Blogger Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar created a modern take on coastal style in his renovated beach house kitchen with a palette of intense navy blue and soft cool grays that gives it a calming and homey appeal. Natural rope bar stools, pale European oak floors, white shiplap walls, pale blue-gray subway tile, a brass faucet, and hexagon-shaped hardware knobs are some of the well chosen details that give the modest space polish and cohesion. A peninsula defined by a pair of bronze and brass pendant lights creates a comfortable eat-in kitchen space perfect for everyday living.

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Add Sailor Stripes

AGK Design Studio

Audrey G. Kennedy of AGK Design Studio specializes in coastal designs. In this easygoing coastal kitchen, tall lifeguard-style folding chairs with blue-and-white sailor stripe fabric are a fun nod to the beach. The rest of the kitchen is light, bright, and all-white, with touches of gold-toned metal to add warmth. While the kitchen is quite spacious, this is the kind of coastal look you can emulate in a smaller space to similar effect.

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Stay Classic

SUK Design Group

This Southampton, NY coastal kitchen from NYC-based SUK Design Group highlights the literal view of the coast from its bank of windows by keeping things understated and timeless. Classic glass-front cabinetry is painted in crisp white to match the walls and ceiling for a seamless look. A gleaming white subway tile backsplash reflects light from the adjacent windows. A pair of brass and opaque glass globe pendant lights anchor the cozy island without obstructing views.

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Add French Country Vibes

AGK Design Studio / Photo by Andrew Burns

This coastal kitchen from Audrey G. Kennedy of AGK Design Studio shows how easily you can change the tone of a neutral coastal space depending on your selection of bar stools. Here, comfortable, upholstered French-style seating invites lingering over meals and conversation. It adds a slightly more formal note to the kitchen space, with its classic white cabinetry, vintage-style industrial pendant lighting, and built-in wine fridge and wine rack.

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Keep It Airy

Christina Kim Interior Design

This airy Sea Girt, NJ kitchen from Christina Kim Interior Design has white walls, ceilings, and kitchen cabinets that include glass-front detailing that matches the paned kitchen windows. A generous kitchen island in white wood and stone is surrounded by contemporary pale wood bar stools that complement natural hardwood floors. A gleaming white subway tile backsplash and mixed metals on appliances, hardware and lighting create a fresh, updated classic feel for this spacious kitchen.

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Play with Pattern

AGK Design Studio

In this Southern California coastal kitchen from AGK Design Studio, a palette of blue-grays and tones of white and pale hardwood flooring set the coastal theme. Chunky wooden pendant lights above the island add a rustic chic element. Woven wicker bar stools in a herringbone pattern play on traditional sailor stripes, and an icy blue kitchen backsplash echoes the herringbone pattern to add visual interest.

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Add a Breakfast Nook

White Sands Design Build

The breakfast nook in this Southern Californian coastal farmhouse kitchen from White Sands Design Build has built-in banquette seating upholstered and outfitted in shades of blue, while a stained wood table and a pair of black Scandinavian-style chairs add contrast with the white walls.

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Add Some Bling

Design by Desiree Burns Interiors

Boston-based Desiree Burns Interiors created a "modern coastal glam" aesthetic in this Newport, RI home located mere minutes from the beach. "The design plan was to achieve a cozy beach vibe," Burns says, "but with a modern-glam twist. A more sophisticated feel than you usually get from a beach pad." Touches of black on pendant lights hung over the peninsula and on the kitchen backsplash add contrast and sophistication. Gleaming gold-toned metallic bar stools and a crystal chandelier hung from the high point of the tall ceilings adds a touch of bling.

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Keep It Light

Christina Kim Interior Design / Photo by Raquel Langworthy

This airy cabana kitchen from Manasquan, New Jersey-based Christina Kim Interior Design has white cabinetry and appliances, with fresh mint green accents such as a painted metal stool and a painted ceiling that hints at a shoreline palette without being too obvious. Outside there are stools to pull up to the counter outside the kitchen window, creating a carefree indoor-outdoor feel.

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Mix with Modern Farmhouse

Design by Cathie Hong Interiors / Margaret Austin Photo

Interior designer Cathie Hong of Cathie Hong Interiors describes this San Jose, CA kitchen decor as a hybrid between modern and rustic farmhouse. But the shades of blue, warm wood elements, abundant natural light, and airy, uncluttered feel gives it a subtle coastal vibe that's simple to replicate in any space.

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Add Elegance

Kingston Lafferty Design / Photo by Ruth Maria Murphy

This elegant contemporary open-plan kitchen designed by Dublin-based Kingston Lafferty Design uses an understated palette of whites and subtle blues that could work as a sophisticated take on coastal design. Glossy white kitchen cabinetry reflects light and creates a spacious feel, while the streamlined color palette creates a serene, soothing, and timeless oasis effect.

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Keep It Simple

Design by Desiree Burns Interiors

Desiree Burns Interiors created a subtle coastal feel in this condo, with a shiny white-on-white palette, brass hardware, quartz countertops, and a penny tile feature wall. Sheepskin adds coziness to the bar stools and rattan pendant lights add a natural element.

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Mix Materials

Rae Duncan Interior Design

This spacious contemporary coastal kitchen from Chicago-based Rae Duncan Interior Design was designed to harmonize with a view of the Gold Coast outside the windows. Shades of blue, gray, and white, plus plenty of pale, natural woods, leather, and stone, reinforces the connection between indoors and out.

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Stay Minimal

Tyler Karu Design + Interiors / Photo by Erin Little

This minimalist coastal Maine kitchen from Tyler Karu Design + Interiors features white vertical shiplap walls and wrap-around upper and lower cabinetry in a soothing medium-toned blue. Pale wood bar stools and silver and glass bubble pendant lights complete the low key feel of the airy space, and naked windows let the natural light pour in.

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Go All-White

Design by Maite Granda

If your kitchen is located on the actual coast and the view outside your window is dominated by the big blue, try going for a minimalist all-white palette, like this Florida kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda.

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Add Some Nautical Art

Design by Becca Interiors

The roomy breakfast nook in this neutral-toned Southampton, NY surf retreat kitchen from Becca Interiors has a large wooden farm table and antique chairs that give it a timeless homey feel. The white shiplap walls above the banquette seating are decorated with a gallery wall of fun nautical-themed paintings that reinforce the coastal theme.

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Keep It Crisp

Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Tessa Neustadt

Emily Henderson Design created a crisp coastal feel in this bright modern kitchen using a palette of cool white and navy blue that complements rustic hardwood floors and painted ceiling beams. Gold-toned accents add a sunny note.