Coastal Farmhouse
February 24, 2026
Have you ever considered the possibility that someone in the middle of America who lives on a farm may enjoy the coastal decor as much as someone who lives on the coast? They can choose to decorate in any way they wish but decide that the ocean is their "jam" and want to have starfish, pastel colors and palm trees as their decor. How do you reconcile the two? Let's figure this out together.
Let's start with what the two have in common. They can both use pastels: browns for the farmhouse look can be pastel, as can the coastal decor's sun-bleached brown, or sand tones. Both can use soft blues: in a farmhouse look, it may be in pale tiles on the kitchen backsplash or the carpet in the bedroom; same with the coastal look. In farmhouse decor, you can use off-whites for an older look on pie safes, bedframes, or walls; coastal decor uses it on sofas, kitchens, or tables (of course with the sanded "age" spots). So, they have colors in common.
Shapes? Do they have any shapes in common? Farmhouses are infamous for having a star somewhere on them (especially in the "Lone Star State", Texas), they have round shapes in antique tools, barn lights, baskets, etc.; coastal has sand dollars, coconuts, etc. Circular shapes are common to both decors. Use that big star on the wall and put a shelf underneath it with a basket of starfish or a cabinet with starfish knobs below it.
Fabrics are shared between the two decors: a heavy cotton or canvas in off-white, soft plaids -- blues, especially -- and solids, dots, or wavey add to both decors, and work well within each. Also, light-weight fabrics can work well in both for tablecloths, bed linens, curtains, etc., as long as the pattern or color works and depending upon how you choose to use the fabrics.
So, can we combine them? Of course you can! Let's see how you can do it.
Start with the color of the wall. In this instance let's start with a soft brown (tan) wall something similar to sand or a sun-bleached farm fence. In the coastal farmhouse house we're decorating, we put both a set of round baskets and some seashells on the wall. We put a barn light on the wall at either end of the off-white couch that goes with both styles. Alternatively, you can use pair of table lamps. The flooring can be a light colored wood and the area rug a light color as well.
So far, they fit together perfectly. Let's explore further.
Shapes are similar, if not the same. In coastal, we can use ducks/geese and in farmhouse we can use ducks and geese. We can use baskets in coastal and we can use baskets in farmhouse. The same things can be used for both decors. We can use the same ideas for a full wall in both styles but make it specifically as mixed style (coastal farmhouse) via putting a tall basket on the mantle in the picture, or maybe an antique toy tractor, as well as a bleached piece of driftwood and a piece of white coral. It goes together because of the rest of the room and the colors involved.
Fabrics are similar in how they go together. If you have a sofa cover, it should be sturdy for both styles, color coordinated for both styles and should fit well, but be comfortable for both. A nice lined pattern, or a plaid work well. If you have a tan wall, a blue plaid table cloth is going to fit nicely. Don’t be afraid of the possibilities for fabrics; experiment a little, and if you’re shocked that it works, so will your friends and family be.
Coastal… Farmhouse? Yes. It works. Yes, you can. Yes, there are more possibilities for you. Be creative and if you like coastal farmhouse, go for it. There are more options that we may explore together so let’s see what we can come up with next.
As always, if Costello Coastal Knobs can help you decorate your straight Coastal décor, or your mixed Coastal décor (Coastal Farmhouse, or perhaps Coastal Minimalist; whatever), contact us and we will try to help!
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