A Heartful Home: {31 Days of Coastal Style} Elements of a Coastal Kitchen

A coastal-style kitchen is one area of the home that DOESN'T require starfish, coral, or even driftwood, to feel beachy! Here are a few ingredients of a kitchen that says "coastal" to me:

1) White (or light-colored) cabinets

Source: BHG

To me, white cabinetry (or at least light-colored) is one of the "musts" for a beach cottage look! This is the one thing that I don't have in our new apartment, however. :/ Not that I don't love the clean-lined rustic-wood style cabinets that I inherited (that are chock full of cool slide-outs), but it's not my "dream white kitchen" (silly, I know... First World problems!) But just this last week I found out that I might be getting my dream kitchen sooner than I thought! My father-in-law found a full set of the most gorgeous white kitchen cabinets that someone's tearing out of their house (and replacing with a $100,000 kitchen! *gulp*)... so this winter I just might be getting my dream kitchen, thanks to my amazing Superman hubby! Wooo-hooooo!!!!

2) Shiny accents

Source: Country Living

Sleek, silvery cabinet handles and pulls add a touch of shine that's reminiscent of glistening sand and waves! I'm already on the hunt for just the right hardware for my soon-to-be-real dream kitchen! I'm thinking chrome or brushed nickel cup pulls for the drawers, and for the doors maybe bar handles, like the ones above and below...

Source: Aureasf Home

A glossy tile backsplash is also a gorgeous accent that's perfect for a coastal kitchen. This one reminds me of mother-of-pearl!

3) Unique light fixtures

Source: BHG

I big fat puffy <3 everything about this kitchen, but those massive chrome pendants simply take my breath away! This last summer I found a similar pair of Restoration Hardware-look-alike pendants at a rummage sale (you'll never guess how much I paid for them!) that will definitely be going in my dream kitchen!