When you are thinking of redecorating your house, one look to consider is West Coast Design. West Coast interior designs are very hot right now because of their emphasis on the natural and environmentally-friendly living spaces. If you are planning on using this aesthetic as an inspiration, here are a few points to remember:
Image: La Citta Vita / Flickr
1. West Coast design, as mentioned, uses a lot of natural materials such as wood and stone, particularly unfinished materials of this type. They tend to be locally sourced, which helps tie interiors with the exteriors. The idea is that rooms in the West Coast design aesthetic do not try to create a formal barrier between the rest of the world and the home (like in an elegant New England sitting room).
2. This style also use a number of influences, such as Indigenous, East Asian and European. For instance, rooms might be designed to have the clean lines of a Japanese sitting room, but feature the more organic shapes and textures of an Aboriginal totem pole. The result is a wholly original style.
3. It embraces the future. West Coast designs aren’t stuck in the past. They often incorporate a lot of steel, concrete and unique lighting features. They are also accepting of new technology: plasma televisions and brushed steel appliances can work well in a West Coast designed-home.
4. The colour palettes are inspired by the natural environment of the West Coast, and involve the use of soft greys, blues and greens – as if the colours were seen through a mist. These colours also respond well to diffuse natural light, which is the most common light on the West Coast. To contrast with this, many designs use the deep, warm browns, reds and greens of the local redwoods.
5. To help emphasize the feeling that the West Coast-designed homes are integrated with their natural environment, rooms are designed to look and feel very spacious. This helps connect the interiors with the exteriors. This usually involves using large windows as the visual focal point of a room, and designing around that, rather than around a television or coffee table.
Hopefully, I’ve given you some ideas to help inspire your next interior decor renewal. Next week, I’ll give you some more pointers.
Heleen Jacobsen
Broker of Record with InfoMarket Group GMAC Real Estate
www.infomarketgroup.com
