The palette
Coastal, standard
Dusty blue as the accent, sand as the warmth, white oak for the wood. The white must be a warm white, not a cool one, or the room goes clinical.
- Wall #EEF2F3
- Dusty blue #8CA3AD
- Sand #DDCFB8
- Warm white #FAF8F4
- Deep teal #3A484D
Note the ratio. Blue should be maybe 15 percent of the room. Coastal rooms that go wrong are usually 50 percent blue, which reads as a themed room rather than a light one.
Coastal, no blue
For dark rooms, or if you want the theme to run past age ten. Same feeling, none of the risk.
- Wall #F7F4EC
- Sand #E0D6C2
- Rope #C3B89F
- Sea green #A9B7A4
- Contrast #484540
The light test, before you buy paint
Blue is the color most affected by which way the window faces, and a nursery usually has one window. Do this before committing:
- Paint an A3 sheet with the sample, two coats, and let it dry fully. Do not judge wet paint.
- Tape it to the wall opposite the window, then to the wall beside the window. The two will not match.
- Look at it at 9am, at 4pm, and at night with the actual bulb you will use.
- If it goes grey or green at any of those, go one step warmer.
| Window faces | What happens to blue | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| North | Cold, grey, flat | Drop the blue to an accent or skip it. Warm the whites. |
| South | Bright and slightly washed out | Go one shade deeper than the chip suggests. |
| East | Fine in the morning, dull after 2pm | Works well. Plan for a warm lamp for the afternoon. |
| West | Goes green-gold in the evening | Pick a blue with a grey base rather than a green one. |
The same test applies to every color in a nursery. It is set out in more detail in the paint color guide.
Coastal versus nautical
| Coastal | Nautical | |
|---|---|---|
| Blues | Dusty, greyed, pale | Navy, primary blue |
| Second color | Sand and warm white | Red and crisp white |
| Motifs | None, or a single shell or wave shape | Anchors, ropes, wheels, sailboats, whales |
| Wood | White oak, driftwood tones | Dark varnished, or painted |
| Reads as | A calm light room | A themed room |
| Works until | Age 8 or later | Age 5 |
Both are fine choices. Just make it on purpose. Most nautical nurseries were meant to be coastal and picked up an anchor cushion on the way.
Five things that make it read coastal
- Unlined or lightly lined linen curtains. Movement and light coming through fabric is most of the theme. If the room needs blackout, put a separate roller blind inside the recess and keep the linen decorative.
- White oak or a driftwood tone. Not orange pine, not dark walnut. This is the single most important material decision.
- A woven pendant light. Rattan, seagrass or paper. It replaces the flush ceiling fixture and costs about $60.
- One stripe. A striped rug or a striped cushion, in sand and white rather than navy and white. One item, not three.
- Matte white or unlacquered brass hardware. Chrome kills it. This theme wants nothing shiny and blue-toned.
Questions people actually ask
How is coastal different from nautical? +
Does coastal work in a dark room? +
What blue should I use? +
Can I do coastal without any blue? +
Keep going
All ten themes compared
Cost to change and how long each one lasts.
Blue nursery
Every blue, and what each one does in your light.
Gender neutral nursery
Coastal is one of the strongest neutral options.
Baby boy nursery ideas
The dusty blue palette applied differently.
Woodland nursery
What to do instead if the room is dark.
Nursery layout planner
Light matters, and so does where the crib sits relative to the window.
