What are Coastal Outdoor Spaces? The Coastal Look is a popular trend and a traditional style for outdoor living spaces, which evokes a nautical feel often associated with shore living, the beach, harbor views, lakeside properties, river communities, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, fishing, sailing, pleasure cruising and a water-oriented lifestyle. We can incorporate this look into any project, large or small. When we consult, design, and build Coastal style outdoor living spaces for our clients, we take into account their personal tastes and marry them with industry-standard best practices.
How to create the Coastal Look
Landscape design, architecture, and color are key elements when creating Coastal Outdoor Spaces. The Coastal style is so popular there is an entire magazine devoted to it called Coastal Living. Cook dinner for your family on the convenient built-in patio grill next to your deck. Sit back with a cocktail in your bug-free screened gazebo. Gaze at the waterfront from your wooden pavilion while reclining in soft cushioned chairs – as if you are in the Caribbean.
In order to achieve this style, consider these 12 design and build options
1. Keep an open airy feel that allows for scenic views
2. Light colors – whites, blues, grays, light natural wood, neutral colors. Strategically placed bright colors can help create a Caribbean feel.
3. Traditional nautical materials: stainless steel, cable railings, wood, and maintenance-free materials that have a natural wood look.
4. Link your spaces together with flowing and meandering walkways of gray-blue slate.
5. Mimic the traditional look of seaside architecture like lighthouses, coast guard stations, and beach and harbor homes with open porches that allow for long views of the ocean.
6. Maintenance-free beach grass in landscaping to allow for open views.
7. Plenty of deck and patio space for outdoor sofas and chairs with comfortable cushions and coffee tables with nautical decor.
8. Materials and furniture should be durable so they could handle the weather of an ocean front living space, even if your home is miles from the water.
9. Create space for tables of food and drink and consider adding a sturdy built-in bar or grill.
10. Include areas of shade with pavilions, gazebos, arbors and pergolas.
11. Build an outdoor shower near an entrance to your home, next to the deck or patio.
12. Glass deck railings to preserve your view.
Coastal Design and Build Examples
Brandon Stewart has been in the outdoor living industry in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Maryland for over 20 years and is an expert in the Coastal Look. He has designed, built, and managed projects on properties ranging from cottages to corporate offices to waterfront mansions. Coastal Outdoor Spaces is more than just a deck and fence builder. We take a holistic approach when consulting on our client’s projects, taking into account their ideas and goals when presenting designs.
