Come see my beautiful and affordable coastal decor and learn my styling tips for decorating a coastal cottage inspired bedroom.
This post is sponsored by Christmas Tree Shops. All opinions regarding the cute and affordable decor are my own.
Where to Shop for Affordable Coastal Decor
For so many of us, big bodies of water hold a special and calming place in our hearts. Growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Atlantic Ocean, I have always had an appreciation for coastal decor. In fact, some of my earliest viral blog posts back in 2010 involved coastal decor, some of which was even purchased at Christmas Tree Shops!
In case you’re unfamiliar with Christmas Tree Shops, allow me to quickly introduce you! First and foremost, don’t let the name fool you. Christmas Tree Shops is an every season home decor, furniture, and gifts store containing a treasure trove of fabulous and unique products at thrilling prices. Their goal is to help you affordably celebrate every season, every occasion, in every part of the home. Christmas Tree Shops product selection rotates frequently, making it a fun place to regularly shop!
I recently went into the store to check out their new Coral Cove collection which is perfect for my fellow beach and lake lovers. Whether you are furnishing your new Airbnb or wanting to refresh a bedroom or bathroom, you’ll find a wide variety of coastal inspired bath and bedding decor.
What to Buy for a Coastal Cottage Inspired Bedroom
We have lived in our South Carolina home for almost five years and the guest bedroom has looked a tad unfinished during this time. I wanted to refresh the space to feel calm, cozy, and soothing with a coastal cottage vibe. My budget for my entire bedroom refresh was $200, and I spent $191. Here is what I purchased to accomplish this look:
- Coral Cove Queen Reversible Quilt with 2 Standard Shams
- Coral Cove Blue Coral Print Queen Sheet Set
- 2 Denim Stripe Toss Pillows
- Quilted Cozy Toss Pillow
- 2 Coral Cove Tassel Lamps with Linen Shades
- 2 Framed Coastal Inspired Artwork
- 3 Sea Glass Inspired Bud Vases
- 1 Nautical Glass Float Inspired String Light
Bedroom Styling Tip 1: How to Mix and Match Patterns on Your Bed
If you want to style your bed like a pro, follow these tips!
Choose a simple color palette.
A tight color palette instantly elevates a space, soothes the eye, and is easy to work with. Blue and white is a fail-safe, classic coastal combination that transcends trends.
Choose no more than three patterns.
When choosing your bedding, a large scale, small scale, and stripe pattern work well together with a balance of some solids. I love to use affordable white bedding to break up my patterns and give the bed some needed negative space for the eye to rest.
Create visual balance.
The Coral Cove quilt and shams provide a large scale pattern complimented by the sweet small scale pattern of the blue coral print sheets. The denim striped pillows add the perfect and subtle striped pattern to the mix. I like to add visual balance to bedding patterns with a solid white duvet cover that I already had on hand. By breaking up the patterns with some solids, my Christmas Tree Shops finds are the star of the show without overpowering the bed.
Bedroom Styling Tip 2: How to Create Styled Vignettes
A vignette in decorating is simply a grouping of decorative objects that creates a pleasing focal point and conveys a story. Any decorative objects purposefully placed on a shelf, coffee table, nightstand or end table is a vignette. For small tabletop surfaces, keeping things simple is best! You want a pleasing, clutter-free vignette, leaving enough room on the nightstands for your guests’ personal affects.
To create a vignette on your nightstand, start with your lamp as your grounding focal point. Next, add a vase of flowers or greenery, followed by just a few small decorative objects in between. I have an extensive seashell collection from all of my years living at the beach, so I added a few of my favorite shells to each table.
The vases on the nightstands were acquired from prior shopping trips at Christmas Tree Shops. My Christmas Tree Shops also currently offers man-made seashells, nautical rope doorstops, sea-glass inspired floats, and small decorative signs that are perfect for shelf and tabletop decorating.
Bedroom Styling Tip 3: Pay Attention to the Small Finishing Details
Good design is in the details! Now that your bedding and nightstands are complete, it’s time to add just a few finishing touches to the space. I want my coastal cottage bedroom to evoke the essence of the coast without appearing overly contrived or themed. A good rule of thumb to follow to achieve this end is to only use one or two worded items in a space. Using too many word art decor in the form of signs, pillows, and pieces of word art can create a busy look. Instead use word art sparingly and strategically for the biggest impact!
This cozy pillow from the Coral Cove collection at Christmas Tree Shops completely won me over and is the perfect accessory for my corner chair! The nubs and texture of the pillow evoke a cozy feeling, and the quilted blue and white button art spelling out cozy just make me smile. It has a cottage feel without being overly themed.
Likewise, the sea-glass inspired bud vases placed in the windowsill are a subtle yet lovely way to evoke the feeling of the sea. They came in a package of three, and I just clipped some tea olive branches from the yard to place in the vases.
One last decorative and romantic touch I added to the room was a string of nautical-float inspired string lights. Typically, I would reserve decorating with indoor string lights for kid and teen bedrooms; however, I knew that this simple touch would add some cozy, coastal atmosphere to the space. The soft glow of the lights on the headboard creates the perfect cozy ambiance I was hoping to achieve!
Thanks so much for stopping by today to see my coastal cottage bedroom refresh! You can learn more about the Christmas Tree Shops products I used in my post today and sign up to receive $10 off your purchase of $50 or more by clicking here.