Why Everyone's Talking About Coastal Grandma Style (With a Fisherman Twist)

Los Angeles Times

6 days ago

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If you walk into a coastal East Coast home, you'll feel the vibes straight away. That hum of crisp linens, the shimmer of hand-blown glass, a patinated brass tray on a side table. Sun-faded stripes show up in a forgotten corner. These days, rooms worth remembering aren't fixed in the past or chasing what's new. Instead, they find balance in the familiar comfort with the textures of the fisherman's world woven right in. And how are we supposed to label this combined trend? The Coastal Grandma.
What started as a tongue-in-cheek TikTok trend quickly became a legit style movement. One that people who don't use social media apparently recognize. Coined a few years back, the phrase was originally used to describe the effortless aesthetic of Nancy Meyers films and Diane Keaton's kitchen in Something's Gotta Give.
What actually is it? Think breezy button-down shirts, sun hats, and stacks of monogrammed napkins. It's less about age or actual grandmothers and more about the sense of ease you find in a well-loved home. The spaces feel open and filled with light. There's a hint of nostalgia and lots of comfort.
This style caught on because it's approachable. It's not about expensive designer furniture but the things that make a house feel like summer all year: washed linen, a sea breeze, maybe a pie cooling on the counter. People started calling this style the coastal grandma aesthetic, but what they really meant was a home that feels easy…filled with the kind of pieces that make you want to slow down and stay awhile.
Lauren Reveley from Bessette, an interior design collective known for its elevated approach to vintage-inspired, layered spaces, knows the ins and outs. She's drawn to vintage pieces that don't look like they're trying too hard, no matter where she finds them. Nantucket, Newport, the back corner of a flea market. She looks for objects that feel sturdy, with charm and a little bit of a backstory. Sometimes it's a woven blanket or a handmade ceramic bowl. Nothing matches, but everything feels like it belongs.
There's often a blue gingham ribbon tied around napkins, or a collection of old glassware that comes out for 'company.' Rituals matter here, but only the kind that bring people together.
But there's also another current in the water...the fisherman aesthetic. Over the last year, people have started adding in rougher, more textured pieces like rope, netted throws, and faded wood. These touches add character. They ground a room and keep things from getting too sweet or too staged.
Lauren's approach is always about the mix. Maybe she'll pair a faded quilt with a modern sofa, or put a weathered maritime flag in a clean, simple frame. The old sits right next to the new, and that's where the room finds its soul. The best rooms never look decorated. They look lived-in.
There's also a growing love for handcrafted home decor. People want the stories behind the things they bring home, whether it's a handmade pot or a basket that's carried more than one summer's worth of shells. Stoneware, wicker, a hint of iron. These details give depth, but nothing's ever too precious to use.
The magic is in the layering. Some rooms start with a lucky find and gather bits and pieces with time. Reclaimed materials also make their way in. The result is never too perfect, never too deliberate. But it always feels personal.
Lauren's advice? Start with what you truly love. Maybe that's a blue-and-white bowl, a blanket that's been everywhere with you, or a lamp that makes the corner glow just right. Then layer in block-printed napkins or a scalloped placemat. Mix gingham and ticking stripes, weathered wood with a hint of wicker. A room with a hand-thrown vase, a sun-bleached stool, and a stack of monogrammed linens tells its story quietly. You never have to explain why it works because it just does.
If you're ready to start, there's no need to rush. Choose a few favorites and add in glass floats, vintage bottles, or a sturdy bench. Maybe woven storage in the entry, a door with reclaimed wood, or a chair that's earned every one of its scuffs. Sometimes you find things at a garage sale, sometimes on Etsy or Chairish. Let the collection happen naturally.
This kind of home invites you in, not just to look but to settle in and stay. A fisherman's throw lands at the end of the bed. Napkins get used and stained and you're here for it. Textures mix and mingle…linen beside iron, gingham on a window seat. Handcrafted home decor belongs because it fits the way you live.
Homes like these aren't about the latest trend or a perfectly styled room. They're about the way a table feels after years of shared meals, or how a summer towel fades in the sun. As Lauren puts it, 'It's the pieces with charm, character, and history that stand out the most. It should feel like a home, collected over time, not styled in a day.'
Let these things guide you. The best homes, after all, are the ones that keep growing with you.