Coastal Grandmother or Coastal Grandmillenial?

"Coastal Grandmother" rages on as the trend of Summer 2022. Of course, it doesn't hurt that we are all currently obsessed with the latest AD feature on Nancy Meyer's home that was recently redecorated by Mark D. Sikes.

I'm not a trend follower but as I posted here and here, I've been a coastal grandmother for decades. Here's the thing about the trend (and I'd like to add "chic" to the moniker CG to up it's game a touch!) - making a shift to coastal grandmother does not require a huge investment in decor items or a complete redo of a room. It's all about an appreciation for enjoying life's little pleasures.

A lot of the home decor style aspect of coastal grandmother takes it's cue from Nancy Meyers films or Ina Garten's cooking and lifestyle posts.  Now, we all know these are homes and spaces created with larger budgets than many of us have, but because the look is simpler than Grandmillenial and other styles it's easier to recreate the look. Or just add a few touches of CG to your home for a little bit of Summery flair. Perhaps we might coin the term "Coastal Grandmillenial Chic" for those of us who are a little more colorful or collected in our decor preference?

What can you do with things you have on hand or items that are inexpensive and easy to find? Here are some quick and easy tips!!

Do you have... baskets? Yes, then pile them up to use in the kitchen. Fill them with lemons or limes to use in refreshing summer drinks or to make your daily water a little more exciting! If you don't have baskets they are easily collected from a thrift sore for as little as 25 cents! Grab a few. Look for rattan or wicker place mats while you are there too. Natural fiber accessories are key to this look. But you don't have to go crazy - just add as little or as much as you like. 

Fresh flowers are such a beautiful coastal grandmother touch. You don't need expensive flowers or fancy vases. You can pick flowers from your yard (or the roadside) and place them in something as simple as a clear vase or drinking glass even. 

Vases are always in abundance at the thrift store for a dollar if you don't have anything at home already. Dot them around the house - kitchen counter, sofa table, bedside table.

You can splurge on grocery store flowers or a small fern (place in a little basket) to add a touch of life to a room. Potted herbs are a great choice too because they are pretty, aromatic and useful. 

What's a coastal grandmother without a few seashells?? Just grab those shells you've collected on previous beach trips and pile them in a bowl on the coffee table or the middle of the dining table. They don't have to be museum specimens! Just show off their natural beauty. Don't have any sea shells that you collected personally? I found bags of seashells at the dollar store and Goodwill. You don't need sign that say "Beach" or kitschy coastal items. A few shells, a piece of driftwood or other natural finds are just the right touch. 

Lamps and candles are a nice CG touch as well - adding atmosphere to the porch, kitchen or living areas in ways that overhead lighting can't do.

 I'm really enjoying a citronella + vetiver candle from Bath and Body Works because it smells good and keeps mosquitos away. I'm using it on my screened porch just in case one sneaks in. I also love candles from Candlefish in Charleston SC. I prefer to use only white candles in my home and Candlefish creates white candles in hundreds of scents - you can even create your own signature scent. I've never done it because I love so many of the ones they have in their library of scents!

So, are you strictly a Coastal Grandmother by definition using minimal color like Nancy Meyers or do you think you're a little more "Coastal Grandmillenial Chic" (using my new terminology!) like I am? All of the items below are things that I use in my summery decor and some are items I use year round - natural materials, a mixture of textures and metals, a touch of coastal decor and shells, plants and/or flowers and definitely blue and white. 

My Personal Style Has a Name!!

When people ask me what my home decor "style" is I never know what to answer. I'm a bit like a mutt - a little bit traditional, not quite grandmillenial, eclectic is pretty broad, I am definitely influenced by my Charleston and southern roots... so what is this mish mash I have going on at home?

I'm not on Tik Tok (apparently I'm in the minority) but they have given my "look" a name! 

It started out with a focus on the fashion influence but they have included home style in this as well. I mean, who doesn't watch Nancy Meyer's homes for the interiors?? We all have a favorite! So what is this style that's created a buzz...

I first saw this on the Today Show's IG:

And from Yahoo- More about this trend/style coined on Tik Tok:

COASTAL GRANDMOTHER!!

 But you don't have to be a grandmother. Or live at the beach!

This article by The Spruce is comprehensive and nails the essence of "Coastal Grandmother:"

If you're wondering what exactly the coastal grandmother style entails, we're here to give you the rundown. In sum, it's all about the little luxuries, including fresh flowers, scented candles, special antique pieces, and a bowl of lemons ever-present on the kitchen counter, of course.  via The Spruce

(I brought several of these back from the Bahamas. A little girl and her brother dive for them to sell the conch meat in them. The shells were for extra money. 

My bags weighed a ton. The shells were a deal - my overage for bags was not!!)

I'm thinking about coining the style term "Coastal Grandmother Chic" because, while I'm not claiming to be chic by any stretch, I don't want anything frumpy to be imagined either :)

I love the fashion and home decor looks behind this aesthetic. 

Lots of natural textures and white.

 I love that combo but I have to add in blue and white chinoiserie pieces to my 

"coastal grandmother (chic)" vibe. 

I'm not a trend follower but this Tik Tok trend has put a name to the aesthetic I've used for years - small pleasures, flowers and fruit, natural fibers, lots of white, rattan, wicker, seashells that I leave out year round and comfortably celebrating the every day.

Are you a Coastal Grandmother?