"Coastal" gets treated as one look, usually navy, white and a rope. But a harbor in Maine, a village on the Amalfi coast, a Gulf beach and a gray Pacific cove look nothing alike. For 2027, the direction to watch is coastal prints that pick a specific shoreline and commit.
This post covers coastal interiors and fashion. If you are after boats, anchors and signal flags, see the nautical patterns category instead.
Coast one: New England, weathered and crisp
Gray shingles, white trim, faded red buoys and a lot of rope. The print language is clean and tailored.
- #1F3A5F navy
- #5E7C99 faded harbor blue
- #E8E2D2 sailcloth
- #A8433A buoy red (accent)
- #8B7E6A driftwood
Motifs: narrow and wide stripes, small boat silhouettes, rope-knot borders, scallop shells. Products: striped bedding, slipcovers, cardigans, canvas totes. The stripe side is covered in our stripe forecast, and the navy and white patterns category is the natural starting point.
Coast two: Mediterranean, sun-baked and tiled
Whitewashed walls, terracotta roofs, blue shutters, lemon trees. The print language is ceramic-tile and linen.
- #FFFFFF whitewash
- #2D6A9F Aegean blue
- #C26A3E terracotta
- #E9C46A lemon
- #4F7942 olive leaf
Motifs: tile-inspired medallions, lemon branches, olive sprigs, hand-painted ceramic borders. Products: tablecloths, cushions, kaftans, ceramics, kitchen textiles. See our fruit forecast for citrus, and tile and ceramic pattern trends for the tile-print side.
Coast three: Gulf and tropical, bright but softened
Palms, pastel stucco, shells and pink-gold sunsets. The brightness is lower than a tropical resort cliché.
- #7AD0C8 shallow-water aqua
- #F6E7C6 sand
- #F4A6A0 coral
- #3E8E7E palm green
- #FFF7E6 shell white
Motifs: palm fronds, shells, hibiscus, flamingos in muted tones. Products: swimwear, beach towels, outdoor cushions, bathroom textiles. See the tropical pattern design guide, and the ocean patterns category for water and wave motifs.
Coast four: cold-water Pacific, gray and mineral
Fog, kelp, dark stones and cold surf. This is the least explored coastal look, and probably the most distinctive.
- #2E3B43 deep slate
- #5C7480 fog blue
- #9BA9A4 sea fog green-gray
- #D6D1C4 pebble
- #3F4B36 kelp
Motifs: kelp fronds, pebble repeats, tide-line stripes, abstract wave contours. Products: wool throws, linen bedding, wallpaper, ceramics. It pairs naturally with wabi-sabi imperfection; see our wabi-sabi pattern trend piece.
Common coastal motifs, redrawn
| Motif | Dated version | Fresher version |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor | Cartoon, outlined in navy | Simplified rope-wrapped silhouette, tonal |
| Shell | Pastel clip art | Linocut scallop and whelk, one ink color |
| Wave | Repeating swirl | Contour lines like a tide chart |
| Fish | Bright, cartoon | Small, silver, scattered in a school |
| Starfish | Orange, five-armed, centered | Muted, varied sizes, partly overlapped |
Weathered over bright
Across all four coasts the common thread is weathering. Think of paint worn by salt air. In print terms:
- 1Replace saturated navy with a navy that has gray in it
- 2Use cream or sailcloth in place of pure white
- 3Add a slight distressed edge or dry-brush texture to stripes
- 4Allow some irregularity in spacing
Scale guide
- Beach and resort fashion: motifs 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm)
- Bedding and cushions: stripes of 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 cm), shells and fish at 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm)
- Wallpaper: contour waves and kelp at 12 inches (30 cm) or more
Pairing with other directions
Coastal stripes pair well with the summer color story. See our summer 2027 color forecast for the golden-hour and night-swim palettes, which map to the Gulf and Pacific coasts above.
Trying a coast
Choose a coast first, then describe it in Describe It: "cold-water Pacific kelp fronds in slate and fog blue, tide-line stripes, linen texture". A seamless tile comes back in about 20 seconds, and new accounts get 5 free credits, enough to try one print for each coast.
Explore related pattern styles
