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 an older home (100 years or older), while the other is in a relatively new house that is less than 30 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 is in linen colors. The countertops in the kitchen are generally 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 includes 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 is either drywall or plank wall covering in white. My go-to door and casing is 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 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-colored 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 if the existing floors have meaningful settlement.
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