By Sukriti Wahi Interiors 02.12.2025

Move Over ‘Coastal Grandma’, This Trend Is Officially Sailing Into 2026

All aboard! This nautical aesthetic is making waves.

Sorry, Coastal Grandmother – it would seem your ship has sailed. Okay, that's not entirely true, we'll always love a cosy cottage-by-the-sea moment – but the latest nautical-inspired interiors trend is a lot less 'Diane Keaton in a Nancy Meyers film’ and a lot more ‘gone fishing’.

Enter: the (aptly named) 'Fisherman Aesthetic'.

“Originally part of Pinterest Predicts 2025 forecast for fashion, the Fisherman Aesthetic began sneaking its way into the zeitgeist a few years ago through crustacean and sardine-centric home décor,” says Briellyn Turton, interior designer and director of Studio Brie.

“The typical 'Coastal' aesthetic is no longer cutting it as people move further away from cookie-cutter and dive into hyper-personalised spaces. The Fisherman Aesthetic offers that.”

Read on for everything there is to know about the rising maritime style – anchors aweigh!

What is the Fisherman Aesthetic about?

“The Fisherman Aesthetic is about a more rugged, coastal look. There is no clean, crisp white à la Coastal Grandmother here. It's about what an authentic coastal interior would look like,” says Turton.

As for what that looks like? Think: weathered and worn materials, muddied and rich colour palettes, and importantly, maritime motifs as opposed to classic 'coastal' décor.

“For example: anchors, sails, photos of big fish and crustacean and sardine-inspired items, instead of decorative shells, coral and driftwood. It's also a very buildable aesthetic – it can be as bold as maximalist as you want it to be,” Turton adds.

How is it different from the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic?

According to Turton, you can think of Coastal Grandmother as your Type A friend (pictured) and Fisherman Aesthetic as your Type B.

“Both are equally comfortable and endearing, but one's is inherently more clean, polished and organised, and the other is laid-back, a bit messy but undeniably authentic to place and purpose,” Turton tells Bed Threads Journal.

How can we bring the Fisherman Aesthetic into our homes?

Want to give your space the nautical treatment? Consider Turton’s top tips for giving it just the right maritime-inspired finesse.

Choose materials with a story to tell

“The quickest way not to achieve the Fisherman Aesthetic is to bring something into your space that looks brand new or 'too good to touch',” Turton advises.

“Timbers should be lightly scuffed, sun-bleached or weathered. Metals should have a patina and seats should look lived in.”

Opt for odd numbers and asymmetry

In short, you cannot even (sorry, had to). In all seriousness, the Fisherman Aesthetic is less balanced and matchy-matchy, and more delightfully worn and askew, particularly in your final layer of styling, according to Turton.

“The Fisherman Aesthetic does not have matching sofa cushions, and those cushions absolutely shouldn't be 'chopped' (manually karate-’chopped’ into shape). The same goes for art. Mixed medium art pieces together on a wall will achieve a 'collected over time' look, as opposed to perfectly framed prints you might see in classic coastal or Coastal Grandmother Aesthetics,” she says.

“Dining chairs should not be in a perfect set – play with six different timber dining chairs around the same table.”

Need some help with this? You can always apply the ‘Rule of Three’.

Clash those patterns

Just like we don’t want your furniture or decorative items to be too perfectly balanced, the same goes for the prints – and the Fisherman Aesthetic loves a good print.

“Clashing patterns are important here, particularly patterns associated with maritime or sailing,” Turton explains.

“For example, stripes, checks, plaid and even maritime flags (triangles, crosses, etc.). If you do want to use floral or botanical patterns, keep them to the bare minimum, and in a muted colour palette.”

Prioritise function and utility

The Fisherman Aesthetic has a certain undone and lived-in quality, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t put functionality at the forefront. When it comes to decor items, focus on the things that are functional over purely aesthetic.

“The Fisherman Aesthetic isn't fussy, nor perfect. Countertops should be barely decorated, only adorned with items functional to the space. For example, a kitchen counter may have a chopping board laid out and ready, with a salt dish placed next to it,” says Turton.

Lean in or give it a miss

This is one of those aesthetics that is hard to achieve in full force if your existing space doesn’t lend itself to that natural seaside feel (apologies to my small inner-city apartment), but you can find aspects of what makes it distinctive – eclectic, undone, functional – and incorporate them in ways that suit your space.

“It's tricky to only dip your toes into this aesthetic and have it be impactful, as this aesthetic is really about reflecting a fisherman’s seaside cottage,” says Turton.

“If you live in a brand-new modern space, think more about this aesthetic’s overarching themes which, at it's core, is really about a personal and eclectic space that feels lived in and collected, authentic to the person that lives there – and use this principle in your home, instead of trying to recreate this aesthetic exactly in an extremely foreign space.”