Florida Beach House Decorating Ideas: Coastal Style Guide for Your Home

Want to transform your Florida home into a laid-back, contemporary space that reminds you of the sandy shores, turquoise waves, and ocean breezes right outside your window?

If so, the Florida beach house interior design scheme is the perfect choice for you! This look blends clean, minimalist spaces with the warm, cozy feel of a coastal cottage to create a seaside design that is both modern and charming. Follow our step-by-step guide below (made by a local Florida interior decorating team!) to transform your Florida home or vacation rental into an inviting, airy hideaway that offers just as much relaxation as Florida’s beautiful beaches.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating the Perfect Coastal Style for Your Florida Beach House

Step #1: Choose a Coastal Color Scheme

Before selecting furniture or accessories, the most important thing to decide when creating your beach house is the color palette. Beach houses tend to have a laid-back, relaxing feel, so choosing neutral shades with some pastel hues mixed in is an excellent way to achieve a contemporary coastal look.

We recommend starting with a neutral backdrop, like white walls, and incorporating some neutral shades for key furniture pieces, like an off-white comforter in the master bedroom or a beige sofa in the family room. Then, to finish the look, add in touches of pastels, like soft blue or green throw pillows, for the perfect coastal feel reminiscent of Florida’s sandy beaches. 

Step #2: Opt for a Minimalist Approach to Furniture

When you think of coastal decor, you might immediately think of your grandma’s beach house filled with hundreds of knickknacks and cliche coastal decor… but that is not what we’re going for here (don’t worry!). For a modern take on a Florida beach house, less is more — we want to minimize clutter to create a beautiful space that achieves the relaxed, laid-back feel of being on a beach vacation!

To do this, focus on incorporating a few purposeful, essential furniture pieces in each room to keep the space from becoming too busy. For example, the living room might include a couch and coffee table, and the bedrooms might feature a bed and side tables. Choose high-quality furniture made from natural fabrics and materials, like teak wood tables, driftwood end tables, linen couches, hardwood flooring, and rattan chairs, to maintain a breezy coastal vibe.

Step #3: Layer in Textures and Patterns

After selecting the key furniture pieces in each room, it’s time to add some textures and patterns with area rugs, comforters, blankets, and throw pillows.

For a beach house, a natural fiber rug (like a seagrass or jute rug) in the living room or master bedroom offers an excellent contrast to smooth wood flooring. Choose a soft, textured natural material, like linen or cotton, for bedspreads and blankets. Throw pillows on the couch or bed are a great place to add patterns or motifs that remind you of coastal living, like blue and white stripes or seashells.

Step #4: Embellish Spaces with Coastal Decor

After arranging all the key furniture pieces, it’s time to choose a couple of accent pieces for each room to tie together the interior design scheme.

For a modern beach house, we love incorporating woven baskets for blankets in the living room, mirrors and picture frames made from weathered wood in the hallways and entryways, and tasteful accessories reminiscent of coastal living, like driftwood or seashells, for bedroom or living room decor.

Related Post: The Best Outdoor Furniture for Florida

Step #5: Enhance Rooms with Proper Lighting

One thing that is essential for your Florida beach house is plenty of natural lighting — after all, it wouldn’t be a day at the beach without plenty of sunshine, right? That said, maximize natural light in each room of your beach house by opting for lightweight, gauzy curtains and keeping them open as much as possible.

However, in rooms where natural light is scarce, incorporate lamps, chandeliers, and pendant lights to illuminate the space. Clear or blue glass lamps are the perfect addition to bedside tables, while a rattan or seashell chandelier is a show-stopping choice for a chic dining room.

Step #6: Create an Inviting Outdoor Oasis

Once you’ve finished styling the inside of your Florida beach house, it’s time to tie the coastal elements into your outdoor spaces as well.

First, spruce up your home’s curb appeal with inviting tropical landscaping and a fresh coat of exterior paint. Off-whites and soft blues are both popular choices for coastal homes in Florida. Then, turn your attention to the backyard. Choose outdoor furniture that reminds you of spending a day at the beach, like a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs, an outdoor kitchen and wet bar, a resort-style pool design, and a hammock on the shaded patio.

Transform Your Florida Beach House Into an Inviting Seaside Getaway with THE STAGING COMPANY

Ready to draw inspiration from the sandy shores outside your window to create a stunning beach home in Florida? If so, our team of interior designers at THE STAGING COMPANY would love to help!

We offer home staging, interior decorating, and vacation rental furnishing for homeowners, home builders, realtors, and investors across Florida — and since we’re local, we know exactly what it takes to achieve the perfect Florida-inspired beach house design. Get an instant quote today, and let’s get started!