The Difference Between Hamptons & Coastal Style Homes

Are you looking for inspiration for your first home? If you’ve already had a Google and don’t know where to start when it comes to picking a style, we don’t blame you. Industrial, Bohemian, Minimalist, Farmhouse, Traditional… these are only a handful of the many, many styles that are available to choose from. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to focus on two styles that are easily confused and often mistaken for one – Coastal and Hamptons.

Recently, there has been an increase in Australian homes that reflect the Coastal and Hamptons styles. This can be put down to our warm climate and relaxed lifestyle; as most major cities are based along the coast of Australia, many homes are not located far from the beach. While the Hamptons and Coastal styles share some common features and you may find yourself tossing up between the two, they also have some distinguishing elements. In this blog, we’ll take you through each style and make some suggestions to get you started on your design journey.

Hamptons

Put simply, the Hamptons style takes inspiration from a relaxed, beach house, but with the addition of premium pieces and finishes. Recognised as the more ‘luxurious’ of the two styles, Hamptons is known for its elegant décor, such as soft, button back couches or sophisticated lamps. When picking out your décor, there is ample inspiration to be found online. If large, luxurious furniture is outside of your budget, you can find more affordable statement pieces online that will nevertheless suit your theme. For example, these may include a jute rug, button back cushions or a linen throw.

Dulux summarises the Hamptons colour scheme as being made up of whites and soft neutrals, combined with cooler blues, greens and greys. Make white your base colour and add depth by introducing different neutrals (such as almond or taupe) and splashes of your cooler colours. Hamptons-style homes are also generally characterised by good quality, deep timber that is used in floorboards, skirtings and even balustrades.

Hamptons is recognised by its classical, clean lines, so weatherboard-style cladding is often seen. Again, we would stick to white as your base colour and create contrast by using cooler colours for your front door, window shutters/ frames or balcony railings. Inside your home, go with classic, shaker-style cabinetry in your kitchen, bathrooms and laundry. This type of cabinetry is recognised for its recessed, square panels and is typical of Hamptons-style homes.

Lastly, Hamptons is all about clean, uncluttered spaces with an abundance of natural light. Even if you don’t have a large space to work with, an open plan design and large windows can make your home feel brighter and more spacious. Introduce beautiful flowers such as roses or peonies to add a touch of beauty and elegance.

Coastal

A Coastal-style home is essentially a more relaxed, casual version of a Hamptons-style home. Like Hamptons, Coastal homes are characterised by soft neutrals and whites, while flooring and large furniture is generally made from light wood, such as teak,
oak or maple. Splashes of colour are often added to the home through décor. For example, some people may introduce blues around the home to maintain the beachy vibe (think colours that resemble the ocean, sand and sky), while others may add even brighter colours in the form of prints, flowers or plants.

Natural textures are a big part of the Coastal style. You can be creative in the textures that you choose and how you implement them. Rope, seagrass, sisal, shell, wicker and rattan are amongst the more popular textures, and are often seen in rugs, lamps, coffee tables, cabinets and more. These textures can be mixed and matched to create depth and character, and their lightweight nature means pieces should be easy to move around if you’re cleaning or redecorating.

Like Hamptons, Coastal homes are usually open plan, with plenty of natural light. The goal is to connect the interior of your home with the outdoors, making your space feel open and tranquil. We recommend either white shutters or bamboo blinds for your windows, which will add to the beachy feel when kept both open and closed (something that vertical or roller blinds will struggle to achieve). Also, have a look online for ideas for budget-friendly DIY decorations that you can create for your home, like table centrepieces made from shells you’ve collected, a rattan vase or a beach themed picture frame.

Choosing between Hamptons and Coastal

How you design and decorate your home is a very personal choice that may take a long time to make. We recommend researching both the Coastal and Hamptons styles (thank you, Pinterest) and making the decision based on the atmosphere and feel you’d like to achieve. If you’re not too fussed about having a single, defined style (interior designers, look away), you may even choose to pull inspiration from both. This should be possible without interrupting the flow of your home, given the colour palettes and textures these two styles share.