Discover the Coastal Grandma Decor trend: a chic and comfortable fashion sense for your home inspired by our antique home in Coastal Maine.
Bloggers’ Best Summer Home Tour 22
Welcome to the “Bloggers’ Best Summer Home Tour 22,” hosted by my friend Kelly over at The Tattered Pew. Thirty inspiring bloggers are opening up their homes to you, along with amazing summer decorating ideas.
If you are joining me today from Shawna over at Willow Bloom Home, welcome! I just love Shawna’s beautiful modern farmhouse charm from her amazing home in Ottowa, Canada, and how she brings the outdoors inside.
What is a Coastal Grandma?
Influencer Lex Nicoleta coined the term and explains all about the “Coastal Grandma” style in her short video here:
@lexnicoleta Reply to @herathehund KITCHEN TOUR #coastalgrandmother #kitchentour ♬ pennies from heaven lofi remix with super haz – LLusion
It’s basically all about living your best life with a chic yet comfortable fashion sense, and the same is true in coastal grandma decor. The coastal grandmother surrounds herself with all the things she loves.
My Coastal Grandma
My coastal grandma was actually my mother, who lived her best life here in Coastal Maine. Now, her home is ours to enjoy, and I’m excited to share it with you today.
We inherited this home almost three years ago and have been renovating and restyling it ever since. You may visit our Coastal Maine Home Tour to see the before-and-after renovations and follow the blog series In My Mother’s Maine Home, too!
Love of Coastal Maine
Have you ever been to Maine? It’s a beautiful state with an amazing rocky coast, beaches, quaint towns, fishing communities, and always plenty of lobster.
Mainers enjoy swimming in cold ocean water, ok, freezing ocean water… Tretorn sneakers, faded pastel clothing, lobster buoys, and lobster traps in our decor, silver bracelets, antiquing, beachcombing, summer nights on the beach, big hats, and lots of suntan lotion.
And if you live on the ocean, you may also be seen in a sweatshirt in the summertime.
Or cozy up on the beach in the evenings with my favorite blanket, Maine’s Chappy Wrap.
Shop Chappy Wrap Blankets
“This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.”
Coastal Grandma Decor
Coastal grandma decor is a delightful blend of seaside charm and timeless elegance, capturing the essence of a cozy, sun-drenched beach cottage.
Imagine soft, breezy fabrics in shades of white, cream, and pastel blues paired with weathered wooden furniture that tells a story of salty air and endless summers.
This style is all about comfort and nostalgia, with wicker baskets, seashell accents, and vintage maritime treasures adorning the space. Picture a plush sofa adorned with hand-knit throw blankets, a collection of well-loved books on a rustic shelf, and large windows that invite in the soothing sounds of ocean waves.
It’s a space where every detail, from the light, airy curtains to the gentle flicker of candles in hurricane lamps, evokes the simple, serene pleasures of coastal living.
Coastal Grandma Decor Maine Home Tour
Welcome to my mother’s Maine home, restored and refinished. I hope you enjoy your visit.
This home was recently featured in Country Sampler Magazine’s 40-year anniversary edition. See more in this Magazine Photo Shoot: Country Sampler post.
Lobster Bake Table Settings
Backyard lobster bakes are always a must when in Coastal Maine. I have so many authentic Maine lobster tables, all in coastal grandma-style, using my mother’s vintage lobster utensils to complete thrifted place settings.
Lobster is a messy summer tradition for sure, but it’s so worth it!!
Visit some of these posts and get inspired for your own coastal grandma decor table settings for both indoors and outdoors this summer season.
Outdoor Vintage Beverage Table
I found this Charming Antique Table and Chairs for Two while Thrifting with the Gals a couple of years ago.
And I love using it outdoors as The Cutest Little Outdoor Beverage Table.
Enhanced with collected glassware, a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers from the backyard, an infused water station, and a candle for ambiance.
You may also enjoy How We Restored our Aged Cedar Shake Siding and Beautiful Essex Green Coastal House Trim posts.
Easy Summer Hostess Style
Early last week, I hosted my friend Molly from Molly in Maine here at our home.
Everything Dawn had just gifted me this handcrafted Faux Berry Mousseline Tarte, and I created this welcoming dessert table for Molly’s visit, all staying within the coastal grandma decor style.
But don’t worry, we had other snacks to munch on, too…
I have wanted one of these “fakery bakeries” for some time now, and I’m so excited to display it in our dining room and kitchen throughout the summer.
You may see more in this Table Ready Fakery Bakery post.
Shop Coastal Grandma Decor Cake Stands
Patriotic Summer Touches
Summer hasn’t quite arrived here in Maine just yet, so we are still gearing up for the hustle and bustle of Coastal Maine’s busiest season, kicking off annually on the July 4th weekend.
Here are some unique ways to celebrate the summer’s Patriotic holidays in coastal grandma decor style:
You may also find inspiration in the post Quilt Jackets: The Trendy Vintage Fashion.
A Coastal Grandmother Loves Her Dogs
A coastal grandmother always has a dog by her side. At least, that’s how I view her. A love of dogs on the couch, in the bed, and riding in the car by her side.
Large dogs, small dogs, all dogs!
This is Ella, our Bernese Mountain Dog, on one of her many Cozy Couch Moments in our coastal grandma decor-style living room.
You may also enjoy these Nautical Decor Ideas: Vintage Vibe Corner and A Bernese Mountain Dog & The Gift of a Whale posts.
And this was my mother’s basset hound, Boozer, in her convertible at the Nubble Lighthouse sometime before I was even born. I hope you’re getting a feel for the Coastal Grandmother…
You may enjoy reading about our family’s Coastal Maine Heritage – Embracing My Roots, too.
Coastal Grandmother Heirlooms
Coastal Grandmothers love to stay busy. They are social, community-involved, and family-oriented.
I treasure the heirloom quilts today that my mother made alongside all of her dear lifelong friends.
You may also enjoy Vintage Vibe Aesthetics to Treasure.
coastal grandma handmade quilts
Today, these heirloom quilts are displayed in the guest bedroom on the first floor of our home.
Coastal grandma braided rugs in decor
You may also enjoy these How to Fold and Display Heirloom Quilts and 12 Cottage Vintage Guest Bedroom Ideas To Inspire posts.
My mother also loved making braided rugs, which are now displayed on the newly refinished soft pine floors throughout the home. See more in the post, Mother’s Day Reflections on Braiding Rugs.
Tennis anyone?
You may also enjoy this License Plate DIY: Hat Rack and Wall Decor, which I made for this room from vanity license plates I found in my father’s old shed.
I recently found this video of my mother, around 1975, playing tennis with her dear friend Judy Seedner at their home on the ocean in York Beach, Maine. A home I spent a great deal of my childhood with my best friend at the time, Jenny Seedner. The best of #coastalgrandmothers!
A Summer Table Setting
Collected vintage McCoy, blue and white dishes, pewter goblets, colored glassware, and more to beautify our coastal grandma decor dining room table for summer. See more in this Silverware Pouches to Elevate Your Every Day Table post.
7 Old Galvanized Bucket Planter Ideas
Don’t you just love this galvanized red bucket?
I picked it up last year while out Thrifting with the Gals, and I had forgotten all about it!
Geraniums remind me so much of a Coastal Grandmother as I reflect on the days when my mother would ride out to their gift shop at the Nubble Lighthouse daily to water the red geranium window boxes.
You may also enjoy the post, White Petunias Antique Arrangement Ideas.
Check out these Galvanized Flower Buckets: 7 DIY Floral Designs that I recently shared.
You may also enjoy these Red Geranium Time-Honored Window Flower Boxes.
A Coastal Grandmother’s Charm Bracelet
Do you remember when charm bracelets were so popular, and then there were the Pandora bracelets?
I think every Coastal Grandma I know has had a precious charm bracelet.
And at the end of last summer, I found this long-lost charm bracelet that was my mother’s, and I wrote and shared all about it in this post, Embracing Summer’s End.
Start Your Own Charm Bracelet Tradition
Antiquing and Thrifting
Now, not all coastal grandmothers love to go antiquing and thrifting, but mine sure did. And I do, too! Join me every month here on the blog for a round-up of all my coastal thrifting this summer in the series Thrifting with the Gals.
Or daily over on Instagram with my sidekick, Ella!
Take Our Coastal Grandma Decor Video Home Tour of Earlier this Spring
A Vintage Affair
If you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Please share in the comments below. And be sure to share this blog post link with your friends who are also vintage enthusiasts.
Do you have a flair for all things vintage, too? I would love to see and feature you in our Reader’s Showcase Series. A place for you to share and be recognized for your talents and passion for all things thrifting, vintage, and antique decor-related inspired by your time here with Dabbling & Decorating. Email me at annck@dabblinganddecorating.com
Next up on today’s Bloggers’ Best Summer Home Tour 22 is Michelle from Thistlekey Lane. And you are going to be so impressed. I adore Michelle’s beautiful and simple summer decorating ideas. We’ve been on many of these blog hops together, and she’s definitely a favorite!
Bloggers’ Best Summer Home Tours
I am joining some of my blogging friends this week for the Bloggers’ Best Summer Home Tours. Thirty talented and creative women will open their homes up for you to tour all week. You can visit each summer home tour by clicking the links below.
Monday’s Tours
The Tattered Pew / Cottage On Bunker Hill / She Gave It A Go
Cottage In The Mitten / Stonegable / My Wee Abode
Tuesday’s Tours
Thistle Key Lane / Midwest Life & Style / White Lilac Farmhouse
My Thrift Store Addiction / Willow Bloom Home Blog / Dabbling and Decorating
Wednesday’s Tours
Bricks ‘n Blooms /Amy Sadler Designs / Peacock Ridge Farm
White Arrows Home / Pasha Is Home / The Ponds Farmhouse
Thursday’s Tours
Simply2Moms / Country Peony / Southern Home and Hospitality
Shiplap and Shells / Eleanor Rose Home / Cloches and Lavender
Friday’s Tours
Le Cultivateur / Lora Bloomquist Create & Ponder / Noting Grace
My Family Thyme / Vintage and Grace Living / County Road 407
This Coastal Grandmother Summer Decor is perfect for your mother’s home. It features stylish Coastal accents in a cheerful and inviting color scheme. The pieces are easy to assemble and look great when finished.
Thank you for your kind words😃
I love your style so much!!! Your home is so beautiful!!! Everything looks so fresh and cozy for summer! I love it!!
Ann, your mom’s home definitely nails the coastal grandmother style! I love your collected style on that tablescape too. Everything is so lovely and welcoming. Happy to be touring with you. Enjoy your summer!
Thank you so much Kate😃
Hi Ann! Loved the home tour! What color is the trim in the bedroom on the first floor? I am considering painting all of my walls white and the trim a blueish gray. Cheers!
Hi Peg, thank you so much. The color is beautiful we love it. However, it’s a formula, not just a named color. If you drop me an email at annck@dabblinganddecorating.com I’ll gladly email you the formula.
Your home fits the Coastal Grandmother style to the tee, Ann! The quilts your mom made are such a treasure. Old quilts are beautiful but when they have meaning to the owner, that makes them really special. I love your home – both of them! Your style is so casual and comfortable and welcoming! Pinned!
Thank you so much Cindy, I really appreciate it!
What a wonderful home & great memories. The quilts are so beautiful. So glad to join you on this Summer Home tour.
Thank you Cynthia!
It’s a wonderful home and some great memories. Your mother had a wonderful place to live and her quilts were just beautiful.
Thank you kindly Marlene!
Maine is one of my very favorite places…I need my feet under your table for that lobster…oh, my! I may truly fit into the coastal grandmother category…quilts, charm bracelets and geraniums are all favorites! Thank you for sharing your beautiful home!
Thank you Leslie, I’m so grateful that you stopped by today!
Your dining table is so quaint! And I always love when Ella makes an appearance! You capture my favorite way to style family treasures and accomplish it so beautifully!
Thank you kindly Jennifer!
I’m so in love with this post! It’s so special and such a fun way to look at your collections and entertaining.
Thank you so much Kristin😃
Ann your home is always beautiful. So many cozy pieces. You have such a wonderful vintage collection.
Send some of your shops to NJ. Love seeing Ella’s too!
I wish I could Cindy, I understand you don’t have a lot there. Well if it makes you feel better, we hardly have any big box stores in Vermont…
Ann, this is such a fun post! I love reading about the coastal grandmother style and seeing your mother’s lovely home. Such a treat! I hope to make it to Maine someday and go antiquing! 😊
Thank you Michelle. I always love seeing your beautiful posts too😘
I loved this blog post! The vintage tablecloth with lobsters was so beautiful. I am in New England as well. We are on the south coast of Massachusetts!
Heidi thank you so much. I’m so glad you stopped by👏🏻👏🏻
You are living the dream girlfriend! Love your authentic coastal grandmother style and all the treasures. I’ve never been to Maine but it’s on my bucket list! It sounds so fun and your tour makes me think I’ve already been. Love it all!
Thank you so much Cindy😘
Ann, everything about your home is lovely! I enjoy everything you share. What treasures you have from the home to the quilts and braided rugs. Such a beautiful coastal tour! Pinned and so nice sharing a hop with you!!💙
Thank you so much, Kim!
Always so fun touring your homes, Ann. They both are gorgeous and I love how you incorporated the Coast Grandmother aspect in your tour! Always love touring with you!
Thank you so much Julie💙
Ann, Your Mom was a talented woman…between the quilting, making rugs, and her tennis skills! Gosh, that was fun watching the video…it brings me back! Beautifully written piece! Oh, and I just found my charm bracelet this week in a little jewelry bag!
No way, that’s awesome. The charm bracelets jingle a lot but I love them! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Jennifer. See you next weekend!
This is such a fun blog post to read Ann. Your mother was the perfect “coastal grandmother kind-of-gal”! I love this style. I think I knew it was a style deep down inside when I used to watch Diane Keaton movies with the cute houses. Maine is definitely on my bucket list. It looks like a wonderful place to be in the summer.
You would love Maine Kim. It’s a lot like Washington honestly. Washington and Oregon’s coast always remind me of Maine.
Thanks for teaching me about this style, Ann! Enjoyed seeing pics & the video of your mom; what a treasure. Love seeing your Maine home decorated in vintage style:)
Thank you so much Lora😘
So pretty, Ann. I adore everything about your summer home and the way you’ve incorporated unique vintage finds. I’ve never been to Maine, but it is on my husband and my’s bucket list of places we’d like to visit. The way you describe it makes it sound so wonderful. I can’t wait to go. So glad to be touring with you this week. Pinned!
Thank you so much Jen. I hope you get to Maine someday you’d love it💙💙💙
Well, in my heart I am a coastal grandmother–I live just outside Augusta, Maine. But I grew up in NH and York Beach reamins my favoirte place in the world–it was my teenaged stomping grounds! I enjoy being a grandmother although I am not as good at it as my grandmother and mother! I agirate for day trips to Rockland, Camden, and Belfast as well as trips to Popham for a real beach on a regular basis! Can’t wait to get my energy and ambition back from having Covid to get out thrifting again!
My teenage stopping ground too. Thank you so much for stopping by😉💙
Ann,
I love all the history you have in your Maine home and what a perfect way to honor your mother’s lifestyle. She would be the poster child for Coastal Grandmothers.
Thank you Rachel💙💙
I forgot to add…in love with all of the beautiful quilts! Love them all!!!!
💙💙💙
Ann, I may just fall into that Coastal Grandma Style. Especially when you talk about always having a dog by your side. My little French Bulldog, Piper rides with my in my VW Bug Convertible with little googles on. LOL You home is beautiful with all the coastal touches. I love the beautiful vintage finds incorporated into your rooms too. We are traveling to Maine in September and looking so forward to it.
That is so funny Tammy what a picture that must be. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Maine💙
It was so fun learning more about the concept of a “coastal grandmother,” Ann! My mother has a similar charm bracelet that always brings back so many memories whenever I see her wearing it. I love all your decorating details, but especially those heirloom quilts. As we are in the middle of 90-100 degree temperatures this week and into next, I have to laugh to think that it isn’t even summery up in Maine yet! Happy Summer!
I can’t even imagine that kind of heat Anne. I’m sitting on the beach now with 55 degree waters in front of me😂
Ann, I’m really inspired by your summer home tour and the whole Coastal Grandmother theming. I love how you’ve incorporated vintage and meaningful elements into your decor. The quilt is so gorgeous! After this tour, I think I need to go digging through my photo collection.
I’m so glad Shawna. It was going down memory lane and the summer here in Maine is filled with so many wonderful memories. I need to pull together some more I think🙏
Ann I loved learning more about the coastal grandmother style! But of course I loved seeing peeks of your home as well. Also, so jealous that you got to host Molly! If I could hang out with you both that would be a treat. Happy Summer!
I get see Molly every now and then. And we catch up on so much. Thanks as always Kelly🙏
Oh my goodness, Ann. Your home is so inviting. The perfect coastal grandmother style. Hugs and blessings to you.
Thank you so much Renae🙏🏻
Ann,
This is all so LOVELY! I am digging this style and you nailed it. Thank you for all the wonderful decor ideas.
Happy Summer!
xoxo,
Brendt
I’m so glad you enjoyed it
Brendt😃
Hi Ann!
So many beautiful coastal vibes in your mother’s lovely home! Pinned! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
Thank you so much Cecilia🙌🏻
So pretty ann! I love that vintage table cloth with the lobster plates.
Thank you Stacy🦞