New England style has its origins in the south-east of England, which means counties such as Essex, Kent and Sussex. English settlers who arrived to inhabit the mid-Atlantic coastline of the United States in the early part of the seventeenth century established homes that replicated the houses they had left behind. Today, no matter the architectural style of your building, it’s possible to create that New England kind of interior by adding a few simple but clever touches. Here are some tips on how to go about it.

New England features

It’s no surprise that New England style harks back to simpler times and more traditional homes. In many ways interiors then were less cluttered and more restful on the eye. Naturally recreating that type of interior has a calming effect and turns a house or apartment into a home. Basic neutral shades of paint will help you get off to a good start, particularly pastel tints.

Wood plays an important part in this versatile genre, for flooring, internal cladding or paneling, shutters and even wood burning stoves.If you aim for a look that’s cozy and warm in winter but bright and breezy by the beach in summer, then it doesn’t take long to figure out what will work best.

Color me beach beautiful

Coastal color schemes often include navy and white plus patterns that feature stripes. This is a great framework to build on. For example, in your bedroom you might want to add a fiber rug on top of a bare wooden floor, paint interior paneled walls or shutters white and make the most of blue and white striped bedding to ensure the bed is the focal point. In a bathroom, you can use shower fabrics featuring nautical colors of white, red and blue, plus a few accessories made from shells add a nice touch.

Living room

In your living room you could consider opting for a striped rug to brighten up the floor area, while selecting white walls and a deep blue sofa or chairs. This allows you to mirror the color scheme on scatter cushions, shutters, mirror frames and wall artwork, for instance. If you are new to using shutters do take time out to watch shutter video guides from a reputable company, as these will tell you how to install them and make the most of the effect to achieve your New England interior design.

Hallway

Often a tricky area to work around, natural wooden floorboards can be very effective here and almost give you a boathouse feel if they run the length of the space. The occasional striped rug can enhance the appearance of narrower areas and you can make good use of furnishings in wood or wicker to build the seaside effect. If your hallway has wood paneling keep it white and bright and make the most of design accents with a nautical theme, such as brass fishermen lamps.

Natural fibers

Just like the sisal rug in the beach beautiful bedroom, making good use of natural fibers will help you create the New England style you want: from wicker laundry baskets to hand woven bins, even your storage areas will carry through your theme. This element is a direct result of Shaker influence.

Dining New England style

Your dining room is less about the cuisineyou enjoy and more about the surroundings you create to promote a relaxed dining experience for your family and friends. Try keeping the table plain – natural wood or white – and add jaunty striped covers to your dining chairs to lift the mood in the room from formal to comfortable.For overhead lights, wall lights or freestanding lights, lampshades in natural fibers or plain white will complete your look.

Shaker influences

One element of New England design that it’s essential to get to grips with is the sparse decoration and minimalist interiors favored by the Shaker style homes. From handmade baskets to peg rails to simple wooden cabinets, there was no room for decadent ornamentation in those days. Perhaps unsurprisingly however, the puritanical Shaker style has turned out to be timeless and it remains in vogue to this day.

So, if you really want to recreate than New England appeal the key rule is to keep it simple and to make sure you declutter your home ruthlessly. This is quite a therapeutic process, as you might already know, and is highly likely to build up your enthusiasm for your newlook.