Learn how to make a pretty DIY Coastal Summer Centerpiece and create easy beach-style table décor in minutes.
Today I'm sharing a beautiful DIY coastal summer centerpiece complete with sand, shells, and all things beachy. If you love coastal farmhouse style, you will love this easy-to-make beach-style table décor. It's chic enough for a beach-themed wedding centerpiece, a beach-themed party, or a casual beach-style table setting outdoors. I've also included coastal décor ideas for decorating every part of your home.
This DIY coastal summer centerpiece looks amazing, indoors or out, and is very simple to create. If you're a crafter, you'll probably have most of the supplies for this DIY already.
Once you've gathered all of the supplies together, you can have this simple coastal-themed centerpiece finished in minutes.
TIP: If you love these nautical decorating ideas, you may also love the beach-themed summer tablescape in this post or these lovely lakehouse decorating ideas.
Table of contents
What is coastal décor?
Before we get down to making our DIY coastal summer centerpiece, let's take a minute to talk about the elements of coastal decor.
Natural fibers, muted, pastel colors, and plenty of white are all elements found in coastal interior decoration.
What image comes to mind when you think about a coastal home? I imagine a white beach house with a wrap-around front porch, natural grasses swaying in a light summer breeze, and a white picket fence.
Light and airy living spaces are typical for coastal-style homes. A front door with lots of glass allows plenty of natural light to flow into the house. Once inside, sheer white curtains blow in a light summer breeze. Ahhhh, please teleport me there right now!
Coastal decorations
The best thing is that you don't have to live in a coastal area to get the beach vibe in your home. There are plenty of ways to use natural materials in your summer decorations.
Coastal décor is all about natural elements like sand, seashells, sea glass, and jute.
How to add coastal decor to your home
Beautiful coastal decorations don't have to break the bank. Here are some of the best ways to add a touch of coastal style to your home:
- Fill a mason jar with sand, and add some seashells and a votive candle. You can add a tea light or votive candles to any glass jars or candle holders.
- An old bottle or glass jar can double as a candle holder for taper candles. Last summer, I used old bottles to create a beautiful summer centerpiece for my dining room table. It was so simple to make, but everyone thought it was such a fantastic idea! It goes to show that sometimes the easiest DIY projects are the best!
- A great way of adding casual décor is by leaning an old mirror or old frames against a wall. Come back in a few weeks to see how I did this in the upcoming summer home tour. I love how mirrors reflect light around rooms.
- Another great idea is to use rope in your decorating. In this week's DIY Coastal Summer Centerpiece, I used jute rope with a diameter of around 2cm. Sometimes, it's hard to get such thick rope at the craft store but you should be able to get it at the hardware store.
- Turn an old mirror into a nautical rope mirror by attaching thick rope around the frame.
- Use baskets, seagrass trays, jute rugs, light wood, and muted color schemes in your home.
- Adirondack, wicker, wooden rocker, and swing chairs will add coastal flair to the front porch.
Make a plan
This year, we are revamping our small garden and Adirondack chairs are on the list of items to buy. First, the porch deck has to be renewed so it might be a while before I get my chairs but they are firmly on the list!
I'm already visualizing lazy Sundays sitting on the porch with a sparkling, glass of ice-cold lemonade in one hand and a good book in the other! I can just see the Mister rolling his eyes, haha, bring it on!
The point is, when you've decided on a style for your home that's different from your current style, you don't have to change everything overnight. If you make a plan of the items you'd like to add, you can refer to it over the course of time to keep you on track.
Inspirational reading
By the way, if you are looking for a great summer read, this is a great book. It's a truly inspirational story set along the southwest coast path in Cornwall, one of my favorite places in the UK. Best of all, it's a true story. If you ever needed proof of the healing power of the natural world, this is it!
★Tip★ Looking for DIY inspiration? Here are ten of my top DIY projects with easy-to-follow tutorials for making them at home.
DIY coastal centerpiece
The DIY coastal summer centerpiece we are making today takes the Mason Jar idea from above and recreates it on a larger scale. It's a simple tutorial for summer décor that will look just as good on the coffee table in the living room as it would as a summer centerpiece for your dining table.
Supplies for making a DIY coastal summer centerpiece
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- Large glass cylinder vase
- Small glass vase
- Rope 2cm thick (just under 1 inch)
- Sand
- Seashells
- Faux starfish décor
- Small branches or driftwood
- Pillar candle
- Dried flowers
- Glue gun and glue sticks
Shop the post
TIP: Add a pop of color. If you prefer vibrant colors, exchange the white candle for a color that suits your color scheme. Shades of beige, blue, turquoise, and sea green also work well in a coastal-themed table centerpiece.
Instructions
- First, add some sand to the bottom of the small glass vase then place the pillar candle inside. Twist the candle around as you press it down into the sand.
- Place the vase and candle inside the large cylinder vase.
- Pour more sand around the small glass vase in the large cylinder vase.
- Fill up the area on top of the sand around the small glass vase with seashells.
- Wrap some rope twice around the top of the large cylinder vase. Tuck in the ends of the rope or use the glue gun to fix them together.
- Place a faux starfish decoration at the front of the vase on top of the shells.
- Tie a smaller piece of string to the rope making a bow.
- Attach a small bouquet of dried flowers to the rope at the front of the glass.
- Use the glue gun to attach some small seashells to the ends of the string.
- Place some small branches or driftwood inside the vase.
Your DIY coastal summer centerpiece is complete.
Alternative decorating idea: Instead of seashells, place some pebbles inside the vase. Top up the cylinder vase with water to just over the top of the pebbles then place some floating candles into the water.
Come back for the summer home tour in a couple of weeks' time to see how I've styled my DIY summer coastal centerpiece on my table.
Conclusion
Summer decorating doesn't get easier than this. With a few simple decorations, you can create a beautiful DIY coastal summer centerpiece for your home. This table décor also looks beautiful as part of a beach-themed wedding and is a great idea for decorating dining tables at a summer party.
How about you? What type of summer décor do you love to create? Would you make a DIY coastal summer centerpiece yourself? Join the conversation and leave a comment below.
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Michelle | Thistle Key Lane says
Jayne your centerpiece is just lovely! I think the addition of branches makes it extra special. Thanks for the inspiration! Pinning!
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks so much, Michelle!