C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Create a Coastal Entryway
Our entryway of our Sanibel bungalow was gloomy and dark. This did not reflect our sunny, beachy, surroundings of our island home, so it was time for an update. Our coastal entryway update is easy, organized, and can be recreated in any home, even if you don’t live near a beach. If you love the beach like so many other people in the world, use it as inspiration in your own home decor too.
Read on to learn how to create a coastal entryway OR how you can use these ideas throughout your home.
Beachy foyer look
Before purchasing the home in 2020, we knew we had a little work to do, but it was nothing like our previous home renovation. That home needed extensive renovations (think: it was a gut remodel!) but this home merely needed cosmetic updates, as it had last been renovated in 2008. It had few minor necessary fixes too, so we did all those first, and then moved onto the fun stuff.
Get a FULL tour of our entryway in our one minute video below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Our Coastal Entryway Before Renovation
Almost the entire home had been painted in a strange cool purple-gray tone. We painted over it with a Behr paint color called “Weathered White”, which warmed everything up. I often times will decorate a home based on some sort of inspiration, and this time I borrowed my inspiration from my natural environment.
Since the island I live on is very natural, I decided to go further than merely painting and cover the entryway wall with a whitewashed wood.
My husband, hanging the whitewashed shiplap.
We found the exact product I was looking for. We bought a tongue and groove shiplap kit from Home Depot. It was called Cottage White SPF board. After measuring our wall, we estimated we needed two packs, and we were exactly right. My husband has hung lots of shiplap before (including in our current main bedroom and in our last house) so he was able to do the whole wall in one weekend day.
Whitewashed tongue and groove shiplap wall
He hung it with a nail gun, cutting each piece to fit the space using a circular saw. He trimmed out the top edge with some moulding and covered the corner with a piece of corner trim. He filled in the nail holes with spackle, then painted the trim white.
See the full project in a short video format below or view it via our Pinterest page @carolynjbraden!
He replaced the old sconces in our coastal entryway with some gold modern looking ones we purchased via Amazon. I placed a stool under the table for extra seating. I actually use it sometimes when I’m putting on shoes.
I added parasol umbrellas for sunny days
I ordered some parasols from Amazon to keep in a wire basket (from Target)in this area. We have A LOT of sunny days and because I easily burn (I’m a natural redhead with fair skin), these parasols help.
I use parasol umbrellas to help prevent sunburns
These “sun-brellas” could be a great addition to any outdoor event you may be attending like an outdoor wedding. If I hadn’t had tents at my own outdoor wedding, I definitely would have provided these!
Parasol umbrellas are a great outdoor wedding idea
All the decor are pieces I picked up (mostly on sale) from Target, Hobby Lobby, T.J. Maxx, Etsy or on Amazon. I bought them over a year to help spread out the cost for our budget’s sake. The baskets were a T.J. Maxx find and I made sure to measure the space under the coastal console table (a Target find) before purchasing them. They make great shoe storage!
Entryway Table Styling Idea
I added lots of natural elements to our beachy entryway, like some shells I picked up on our local beach and a beautiful feather I found during a walk. I wanted a bowl for our house and car keys, and found the perfect one at T.J. Maxx. It’s petrified wood, which is absolutely gorgeous. I paired it with a small piece of amethyst and a small piece of emerald to represent good fortune. Elements of good fortune are great to keep around the entryway of your home.
The modern wood tapered candle holders are from Amazon and I have some beeswax and bayberry candles in them. Bayberry also brings good fortune.
My favorite quote which is all over our house
I also hung rope covered lucky horseshoes over my front door (not pictured here) and you can see that project by clicking here. I also hung a cinnamon broom by the front door too.
An entryway, in my opinion, can never have too much “good fortune”, as the idea in placing these items near a front door help sweep the good in the door and keep the bad outside.
DIY Rope and Glass Vase
I like to cover things in rope, which seems to add a bit of nautical vibe to anything. I bought this tall sea-glassy colored vase at T.J. Maxx and then used a bit of hot glue and jute rope to cover the upper portion of the vase.
DIY Rope and Glass Entryway Decor
I am still in the progress of collecting enough shells to fill the bottom half of the vase, but that’s the overall plan. You can view another version of this vase that I also added to our guest bedroom by clicking this link.
Johnny Cash loves showing off our coastal entryway
Overall, I’m happy with the way this turned out and even though I may make some changes in the future, I like my coastal entryway for now.
Our pups on their ottoman perch
Our pups, Minnie Pearl and Johnny Cask love the ottoman that sits opposite our entryway table. They use it as a perch for watching us and our cats. They also love our dog station, which is smartly placed right next to the front door.
Johnny Cash next to his dog station
Did you use any of these ideas or have any coastal decor ideas of your own? If so, let us know in the comments below!
If you love this project, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make a Driftwood and Rope Pendant Light
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Little Ways to Get Back To You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.