Though they say a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, coastal colors on any other coast would not look the same. When you're choosing to decorate your home in seaside décor, the most important thing is to pick a color scheme. But, which one? Many people are not even aware that there is more than one coastal décor color scheme. Though there are actually dozens of coastal color schemes, here we will look at some of the most common. 

East Coast North

East Coast north refers to areas like New England. When you're decorating your home in a beach theme New England style, then you should focus on the gray color scheme. That's not to say everything is gray, but that everything has been mixed with a little tiny bit of gray, even the reds and the blues. Weathered wood with a white finish is a common New England beach theme color scheme finish. 

East Coast South

As you get closer to Florida, you enter what is known as the ‘subtropics’. The subtropics actually have a color scheme all their own. There's much less gray in the subtropics and it is replaced by more vibrant blues, coral pinks, and seafoam greens. Whitewashing was common in the South, so a light white wash over gray weathered wood is considered appropriate. 

Tropics

When you enter the Caribbean and points more South with your beach theme color scheme, then you have officially entered the tropics. The beach closest to the equator has an entirely different beach theme color scheme and feel. The sand here is like fine powdered sugar, the ocean is a deep turquoise. Whitewashing was never very common in the tropics, but exotic woods like teak or mahogany were popular with the upper classes. Aged exotic woods and dazzlingly bright colors look great in this beach theme color scheme. 

West Coast

California and other points on the West Coast enjoy some of the most unusual color schemes of any seaside décor color scheme. Not only does California often use the color scheme of the tropics, their colors have ‘desert sand’ undertones just as East Coast north has a gray undertone. The wood on the West Coast is often gray and weathered, no whitewashing, and is most often not tropical wood. 

Overall, the thing to remember about the color schemes of different coastal regions is that the closer you get to the equator, the brighter and more vibrant the color scheme becomes. You'll notice we did not talk much about African or European beaches here, but they do have a color scheme all their own, and it's beautiful too.