7 Ways To Give Your Dining Room A Beach House Look

Take the sweet smell of salty air and the calm of the ocean right into your dining room with these seven ways to give your dining room a beach house look.

#1. Set the scene with open shelving.

A wall of open shelving in your dining room allows you to accent the room with decorative plates, colorful pebbles, glasses filled with seashells, and whatever other nautical nick-knacks you like. Rather than keep fine dining and other serving ware locked away in closed cabinets, take inspiration from the sea and use open shelving as an organized and elegant way to display adornments that speak to your creative theme.

#2. Opt for natural wood finishes on dining room tables and chairs.

Rather than a sleek, ornate dining room set, go for the shabby but chic look with natural or glazed wood in a coastal-inspired color. The simplicity feels classic and homey, reminiscent of furniture you’d find at a family’s shore house. You can even use paint to make the wood appear unfinished, like a vintage and cherished hand-me-down. 

#3. Find subtle ways to incorporate blue into the room.

Blue is a great color foundation when building a room with a beach theme. While painting the walls is effective (and probably the most common way to incorporate the hue of the ocean into your dining room), there are plenty of other avenues you can take as well. Add touches of blue by painting a few of the chairs in your dining room set or have the seats upholstered with colorful cushions. A large painting, or even a blue glass chandelier above the table, can also help bring the beauty of the beach to life in your dining room.

#4. Dress your windows in beach house fashion.

A beach house usually boasts beautiful large windows to let the sunshine pour in. Swap out dark, heavy drapes for light, airy fabrics like linen or sheer cotton. Or skip the curtains and opt for custom plantation shutters in a crisp white, for beach house windows that wow. If plantation shutters are not in your budget, bamboo or natural fiber Roman shades are a cost-friendly option to complete the coastal look.

#5. Swap dining room chairs for comfortable bench seating.

Swap dining room chairs for comfortable bench seating
When you think of time spent at the beach, it’s likely that you imagine kicking back and relaxing. Bring that casual comfort to your dining room by replacing standard dining room seating with a bench. This style is more inviting and softens the formality often associated with a dining room. Benches can be portable or installed against one wall. There are lots of interesting ways you can change up the design of your dining room with a bench while also enhancing your beach theme.

#6. Replace lighting fixtures with outdoor lanterns.

Bring the charm of eating outdoors into your dining room by swapping your standard light fixtures with lanterns. You can space a few hanging lanterns around the room, or above the table to take the place of a chandelier. Alternatively, standing lanterns can be used, placed on shelving or a corner island cart — or even right on the dining room table as a centerpiece surrounded by seashells.

#7. Don’t be afraid to mix and match.

Stay away from being too “matchy-matchy” with a beach theme. Part of the allure of this dining room style is the casual, easygoing atmosphere it creates. A bit of imbalance helps to solidify the welcoming element that is so appealing.  

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