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Alec Hemer

27 Coastal Kitchen Ideas to Get Beach House Style Even If You're Landlocked

These cook spaces bring loads of seaside style—no waterfront property required!

By Amy MitchellPublished: Sep 19, 2024

Bring on the lobster bakes and boils (and the sandy feet and wet bathing suits)! These beachy kitchens are here for it all—and they look darn good, too. From light and airy to color- and character-filled, we’ve gathered up the very best coastal kitchen ideas from California to Maine.

Besides sitting seaside, what makes a coastal kitchen so special? Let’s start with color. Many coastal kitchens echo the shoreline’s palette of sand, sea, and sky, creating a calming, sophisticated, and just plain pretty place to gather. Spirited, more casual beach cottage kitchen designs let bold colors shine brighter with fun accessories, islands painted in a poppy beach house color palette, and clever coastal kitchen backsplash ideas. And it’s no surprise that blue coastal kitchen ideas, from barely there sky hues on walls to cabinets painted a deep ocean blue, show up as a common coastal theme.

Color aside, a white coastal kitchen that incorporates farmhouse kitchen staples like warm wood accents, salvaged finds, and cool coastal kitchen lighting ideas is a consummate classic, whether your house is on the water or not. In fact, it’s easy to incorporate beach-themed kitchen decorating ideas for an easy, breezy style wherever you live. Read on to find out how!

Here are more ways to create the coastal kitchen of your dreams:

(Ship) Shape It Up For a Nautical Look

a navy and white kitchen with a wood floor and wood ceiling

David A. Land

With its deep marine blue cabinets and sloped red cedar ceiling reminiscent of a boat, this small kitchen on Cape Cod is truly ship shape. To bring even more nautical vibes, homeowners Steve Ballerini and Colin Bohrer added handcrafted unlacquered brass pendants hung with rope.

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Add Patina With Salvaged Wood

a white and wood coastal kitchen that uses salvage materials like a brass light and wood beams

Tria Giovan

In this tiny Hamptons kitchen, a brass pendant (salvaged from a shipyard!) and the home’s enviable wood wall (salvaged from a ship!) add instant character to the cozy space. Other budget-friendly updates include repainting the orange-y wood lower cabinets a clean white, installing simple stainless-steel shelves, and swapping faux granite countertops with butcher block from Ikea.

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Frame the View

a kitchen with wood paneling and a view of the ocean outside the window

Gridley and Graves

What better way to clean up after a lobster bake than with this view! In this Boothbay Harbor, Maine, cottage, casement windows above the kitchen window frame the water view like a real-life seaside landscape. In fact, seascapes happen to be one of homeowner Mary Barrett’s many collectibles. Others include playful finds, like the souvenir plates hanging on the paneled walls. “I always have my eye out for all things nautical—sea captain bookends, seagull pencil sharpeners, you name it,” she says.

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Pick “Better-With-Time” Materials

modern farmhouse kitchen with rustic wood cabinetry and wood shelves

Max Kim-Bee

When it came time to tackle the space-starved kitchen in their Southwest Harbor, Maine, fixer-upper, homeowners Alison and Michael Brewer opted for a layered mix of materials—reclaimed wood cabinets and shelves, galvanized metal countertops, a soapstone sink, and unlacquered brass hardware. The best thing about the materials, says Michael, is that “nothing is too precious. Everything about the kitchen is designed to take wear and tear. The more wear, the better it will look.”

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Hang Lighting With Rope

modern white eat in kitchen with mismatched green chairs

Karyn Millet

An often-used coastal design element, jute rope in this kitchen is a subtle nod to the home’s California location. The long length of thick jute rope makes it look like the rewired vintage pendant fixture (that hangs directly from a junction box) is casually draped from beam to beam. Bifold windows above the kitchen sink fully connect the indoors and out.

Get the Look:
Jute Pendant Light: Jute Rope Electrical Cord Kit from Amazon
Cabinetry Paint Color: Ripe Olive by Sherwin-Williams
Chair Paint Color: Avocado by Sherwin-Williams

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Add Instant Character With Cool Lighting

a kitchen with a sailboat on the counter and mostly decorated in warm whites

Max Kim-Bee

To add instant character to this newly renovated Bridgehampton kitchen, the homeowners swapped run-of-the-mill pendants for salvaged light fixtures. This trio of industrial pulley-style pendants makes for cool task lighting above the island and is loaded with personality. In the corner, a sailboat model adds color and graphic interest.

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Bring In Mismatch Pieces

a kick back kind of cottage marthas vineyard retreat homeowners phoebe cole smith and mike smith kitchen

DANE TASHIMA

In this Martha’s Vineyard beach cottage, mismatched pieces solidify the quaint aesthetic. “Most of the furniture here was inherited one way or another,” says homeowner Phoebe Cole-Smith of the motley crew of finds throughout, including her grandparents’ painted antique table that serves as a quirky work space.

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Keep the Backgrounds Light

gray galley kitchen with blue and white runner on wood floors

Alec Hemer

When renovating his Castine, Maine, summer home, designer Loi Thai kept the existing kitchen’s footprint intact, but traded out the dark and dated 1960s elements in favor of white shiplap walls, light gray cabinets, satin nickel hardware, and a classic apron sink. Crisp blue-and-white accessories echo the waterside location.

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Build a New ”Old” Kitchen

coastal kitchen with green cabinetry, blue painted chairs, open shelving, vintage inspired lighting

Read McKendree

With its been-there-forever design, you’d never know this character-filled coastal kitchen is brand-spankin’ new. The large windows frame the picturesque view of the rocky Maine coast, which inspired architect Nate McBride’s cabinet and backsplash green color choices. A mix of wood tones on beams, paneling, floors, and countertops bring timeless appeal.

Give a Nod to Nostalgia

white coastal kitchen with shiplap and a vintage rug

David Land, styling by Raina Kattelson

When homeowners John Wentworth and Jamie Gluck updated their 1940s cedar cottage, their kitchen choices were inspired by other Maine camp houses in the area. The small but mighty kitchen features exposed-hinge cabinetry made of tongue-and-groove pine, zinc countertops, and a showstopping 1950s cast-iron drainboard sink (found by their contractor frozen in the ground under his mom’s barn!).

Get the Look:
Wall, Cabinetry, and Ceiling Paint Color: Snowbound by Sherwin-Williams

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Go With Gorgeous Gray Cabinetry

airy coastal kitchen with cabinets and island painted in silver lining by benjamin moore

Read McKendree

The timeless larder-style cabinetry in this coastal kitchen, designed by Katie Rosenfeld, employs a subtle gray shade that echoes the billowing Maine seas beyond the windows. In between white and light blue, the silvery color fits with the landscape without feeling theme-y.

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: Silver Lining by Benjamin Moore

Update With Simple Swaps

a white beach house kitchen with pops of color

Alec Hemer

To freshen up this charming Martha’s Vineyard beach house kitchen, the homeowners went with some simple swaps. First, they gave the 1950s space a bright coat of white paint, then traded the linoleum countertops with warm and durable butcher block and replaced the upper cabinets with serve-yourself open shelving where they could also display prized collections. A punchy cobalt blue door, chippy turquoise bench, and other sea-green accents jazz up this otherwise all-white coastal kitchen.

Get the Look:
Kitchen Paint Color: 50/50 formula of China White and Linen White, both by Benjamin Moore

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Hang a Mounted Fish

Matt Albiani

To bring coastal character to their Hamptons galley kitchen, homeowners Ron Brand and Matt Albiani of Mate Gallery cast a wide net for one-of-a-kind finds, such as this mounted fish, purchased at a Montauk estate sale. They scored the pair of rattan wall sconces at a roadside stand in Coba, Mexico. A vintage dhurrie rug fills the floor space.

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Shop Small Fixtures and Appliances

a kitchen with navy blue cabinets tucked into the corner of a guesthouse

Maura McEvoy

In this Brunswick, Maine, guest cottage, the homeowners removed part of the second floor to open up the space, tucking in a fully functional (and stylish!) compact kitchen that has all it needs—navy blue lower cabinets, hardworking rich cherry butcher-block countertops, a petite bar sink, and RV-size appliances. The view beyond is the true star of the show.

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Utilize Vertical Space

country kitchen ideas crown molding shelving

Douglas Friedman

In a petite seaside cottage, every inch counts. Make a small space live large by utilizing over-the-door open shelving and clever wall-mounted storage, like designer Ken Fulk did here. Painted floors in a deep ocean blue and tucked-in painted landscapes nod to the seaside location.

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Warm It Up With Wood

Karyn Millet

Create visual interest and warmth in an all-white kitchen by adding contrasting the white with natural wood details, like this California bungalow’s rustic ceiling beams, simple vent hood trim, and barn-inspired X-brace details on the ends of the spacious island. Woven basket pendant lights bring additional beachy texture.

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Incorporate Seaside Imagery

a dusty green kitchen in chatham massachusetts

Miki Duisterhof

A Cape Cod artist custom-carved this one-of-a-kind slate apron-front sink to incorporate Chatham, Massachusetts, local icons: a windmill, whale, lighthouse, and the word “riptide.”

Get the Look:
Cabinetry Paint Color: For similar, Green Crystal by Olympic

Paint the Floors

a white kitchen with white painted wooden floors and pops of blue

Keith Scott Morton

When topped with durable polyurethane, painted hardwood floors are up for anything, even wet and sandy feet! Soft striped throw rugs bring summery color, and the best part—they can be easily taken outside for a quick shakeout or thrown in the wash if needed.

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Have Fun With the Backsplash

a kitchen with light and deep teal paint and a faux wood backsplash

Alec Hemer

In this Breezy Point, New York, beach bungalow, faux bois tiles as the backsplash create a functional focal point. What’s more, the tile design and color is reminiscent of weathered driftwood found on the shore, bringing the outside in.

Wrap It In Shiplap

David Tsay

In her small kitchen, designer Kelley Motschenbacher wrapped a petite vent hood in horizontal shiplap (an understated swap for a bulky metal version). The collection of copper pots warms up this all-white coastal kitchen.

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Amy Mitchell

Managing Editor

Amy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topics—decorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amy’s experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as she’s previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.