We all want to get away, even if it’s just mentally during a meal. A coastal-inspired dining room can make you feel like you’re having lunch at your seaside cottage while you’re still landlocked.   

You don’t need sand between your toes (or a massive seashell collection) to make a room feel walking distance to sand and surf. It’s about nailing the casual and effortlessly cool aesthetic synonymous with California living to get a coastal dining room of your own.

Coastal Dining Room Color Palette 

First item of business to nail the sun-bleached, weathered vibes of a beachside dining room is to stick with a light, bright, and neutral color palette. Crisp whites cue preppy, sailing style while layered textures and patterns keeps things balanced and visually interesting. Add in neutral shades, like sandy browns and sea-glassy greens, for more of a shoreside feel.

At the same time, a dining room doesn’t have to be bathed in whites to feel coastal. Another classic color combo for a seaside aesthetic is neutrals and blues, particularly when it includes a hint of nautical-inspired stripes. These tones evoke the palette of the Pacific, with sandy shores and azure waves. Blue accents can range in shade, from pale hues, to navies, and even dark denims.

Ready to create a coast dining room for your own mental retreat? Borrow these key elements in creating coastal design for a laidback dining experience without ever getting on a plane. 

1. Bring in the navy

Navy blue is a staple of costal dining room color schemes. It’s nautical and chic, and the minimal aesthetic feels relaxed but also elegant. Adding navy blue to an all-white space is a foolproof way to bring the coastal. 

2. Add shiplap

Here is another example of using classic navy to create an understated coastal dining room. The upholstered chairs anchoring the ends of the table act as a grounding element in the space and round out the laid back color scheme. Shiplap, exposed beams, and rattan pendant lights finish the look. 

3. Go Parisian chic

Rattan is a go-to material for crafting a coastal dining room, and these classic Parisian bistro chairs are just the ticket. They’re durable without skimping on style. 

4. Layer shades of white

The mixture of creams here is a fail-proof way of setting a coastal dining room scene. It feels light and airy, and introduces a sense of movement from one shade to the next, a lot like the environments that coastal dining rooms seek to mimic.  

5. Lean into wood tones

When crafting a coastal dining room, a good rule of thumb is to take inspiration from the materials you’d find in a seaside environment. The wood-on-wood-on-wood in this space feels calming and natural, like you’re sitting next to a rippling lake or river.  

6. Go traditional

This stunning dining room melds traditional design elements with coastal accents, creating a sophisticated yet relaxed space. We love how a fun antelope rug plays off the more elevated vibe of gilded light fixtures and a tall-standing cabinet.  

7. All about linen

The relaxed linen side chairs, fresh greenery, and playful artwork help to establish this as a coastal dining room. The sliding glass doors framed in green and slight breeze overhead certainly don’t hurt either. 

8. Add farmhouse details

Light white tones and a fringed jute rug: the perfect pairing in a coastal dining room. We love how the slight stripe on the rug plays off the stripes of the woven planter. The space is finished with classic wooden dining chairs and a farmhouse-style dining table for hint of rustic. 

9. Bring in cane

The natural cane backs and arms of these dining chairs are a staple seen in many coastal dining rooms. They’re refined in their intricate construction, but the material itself is laid back and organic.  

10. Mix design styles

A wooden beaded chandelier and shiplap — need we say more? This airy coastal dining room expertly mixes design styles with ease, from the traditional dining chairs to the farmhouse-inspired shiplap.  

11. Enter shades of blue

For a more literal take on coastal design, this breezy dining room layers shades of blue, from light blue on the walls to navy blue in the patterned rug. The wooden dining table and chair legs lend the perfect touch of warmth.

12. Embrace the natural

Aside from the color palette, it’s the styling elements and smaller furniture pieces that define this space as a coastal dining room. Light fixtures in neutral colors, an organic, woven basket, and sheer linen curtains feel of-the-earth and relaxed, just like water-side living.

13. Go light oak everything

Light oak furniture is a staple in coastal design, and this dining table and chair pairing fits the bill. Paired with light linen curtains and waterside art prints, this coastal dining room is just the ticket for relaxed dinners at home.  

14. Add accent wallpaper

Rattan? Check. Jute? Check. Light, natural wood? Check. Add in an accent wall of easy, breezy wallpaper and you have yourself a relaxed coastal dining room. 

15. Go edgy with modern black

The classic aesthetic of the black windsor chairs establishes an interesting modern-coastal look in this dining room. The bold hue is carried through to the curio cabinet and picture frames for an edgy modern accent.  

16. Embrace slipcovers 

Linen slipcovered chairs and a set of windows framed in breezy linen drapes create a subtle, coastal-inspired atmosphere, while the dark wood dining set adds a hint of rustic charm.  

17. Go minimal

We love how this space employs an incredibly minimal color palette, varying in tones only with shades of brown and white. A relaxed banquette seating nook is a tell-tale element of a coastal dining room. 

18. Play with pattern

A rich, nautical blue strikes again, this time carried through the room’s seating, rug, and art. Though the dining table and chairs are quite traditional, they’re softened by a playful, beaded chandelier overhead and patterned rug. 

From coastal dining room ideas to perfecting room flow, our designers are chock-full of expert tips. Start with our style quiz to work with a design pro one-on-one.