How to Get the Serena & Lily Look (Whether or Not You Shop at Serena & Lily)

It’s hard not to love the Serena & Lily look. It’s bright and airy, chic and coastal, and basically the perfect way to make your home look like a paradise you’d never want to leave. If you’re looking to design your home a la Serena & Lily, but can’t quite shell out (coastal pun, right there) for a floor-to-ceiling S&L makeover, you can still recreate the brand’s signature style while incorporating picks from other stores, as long as you know the colors, textures and details to look for.

Here, I’ll share what those are, and where you can shop for pieces that complement S&L style.

Contents hide

1 Understanding the Serena & Lily Look

1.1 Brand signatures

1.2 Patterns

1.3 Textures & Finishes

1.4 Colors

1.5 Furniture Details

2 Where to Shop for the Serena & Lily Look

Understanding the Serena & Lily Look

Serena & Lily style is undeniably coastal. From the color palette inspired by the sand and sea, to the plentiful natural materials like rattan and bamboo, to the focus on beautiful outdoor furniture, the Serena & Lily brand is rooted in its gorgeous by-the-sea aesthetic.

However, the Serena & Lily look isn’t your average coastal design. It’s got something extra chic and aspirational about it. This stems from the subtle modern and bohemian influences in the design, which are inspired by the brand’s California roots. These influences add both a sense of restraint (mostly in the color palettes) and whimsy (seen in the silhouettes and details of the furniture and decor) that work together to create the overall Serena & Lily aesthetic.

Here’s an S&L inspired bedroom moodboard I made, but only the throw pillow on the bed is S&L. You can shop this look here.

Brand signatures

Serena & Lily has some signature details that help define the aesthetic, which are helpful to understand so you can recognize and incorporate these details when you’re decorating your space.

These signature details include:

Patterns

Block prints
Stripes
Palm prints and botanicals
Gingham

Textures & Finishes

Rattan
Cotton
Linen
Bamboo
Brushed brass
Polished nickel
Pale, bleached and whitewashed wood tones

Note the details: Scalloped bedding, a rattan nightstand, a pale-wood bed, a crisp color palette of white and soft blue.

Colors

Blues: Navy, French, Sky
Greens: Moss, Chartreuse, Kelly
Neutrals: Crisp white, beige, some chocolate brown
Yellows, Pinks (to a lesser extent)

Furniture Details

Scalloped edging
Slipcovers
Woven details, on everything from rugs, to decor, to throw pillows
Bone-inlay details
Riviera-inspired furnishings

Where to Shop for the Serena & Lily Look

If you can afford it, Serena & Lily is obviously the best place to get the signature look. But it’s expensive, and most of us (myself included), can’t afford to decorate our whole homes in Serena & Lily.

A good alternative? Purchase what you can from S&L (go for statement pieces or things you can’t find anywhere else), and then look to more affordable brands for the rest.

I have an entire blog post dedicated to stores and brands like Serena & Lily, so head there next if you’re looking for an in-depth list of where to shop!