What I have been seeing in the last decade on the decorating and finishes for my
projects in the Seacoast of New Hampshire would likely be classified as “Farmhouse
Coastal Contemporary” and “Coastal Contemporary”.
I would define the “Farmhouse Coastal Contemporary” and “Coastal
Contemporary” as the same in decorating details, but one is set in older home (100 years
or older) while the other is in a relatively new house that is less than thirty years old.
I believe that it is important to understand the subtle decorations and finishes when
discussing projects, because these details affect my design and execution of a project.
Therefore, what is “Farmhouse Coastal Contemporary” and “Coastal Contemporary”?
Both styles have a white palette with subtle nautical colors such as soft blues,
seafoam greens, sandy neutrals, and changing ocean hues. The accent pieces for furniture
are natural materials such as aged barn boards, driftwood, and rustic colors. The furniture
are linen colors. The countertops in the kitchen are generally a Carrara or a low impact
granite with bold veining. Overall, both styles have clean lines with a lot of natural light
entering the interior.
The flooring that I have installed in these applications include Heart pine, Southern
Yellow pine, and white Oak. The flooring is always a plank width of 5” or greater, which
has included random widths also. The finish has also been a natural finish to highlight the
hues of the wood species.
Another typical detail has been a beamed ceiling with aged red pine mixed in with a
wood plank natural or painted white pine. I generally include wafer LED lights in this
application to meet electrical code always with a dimmer.
In terms of wall coverings, it either drywall or plank wall covering in a white. My
go-to door and casing are a vintage flat casing with a bead. I generally make this detail a
four piece, which translates into a handsome piece in my opinion, which could be argued
as a more of a Federalist piece than a coastal, but molded modern trim has the wrong
dimensions and cheapens the finished space. All trim work is painted.
Electrical should have vintage sconces that are either brass color or black. These
lights are more decorative and are mood setting lights. I prefer to install the outlets
embedded into the baseboard, but this can be a challenge in the existing floors have
meaningful settlement.
Please consider American Building & Design for your next remodeling project