Cast Away for South Seas Style

While many architects the world over build houses that bring the outside in, in Tahiti it comes quite naturally. South Seas bungalows are, for the most part, built from materials plucked from within a 20-mile radius. That's by necessity in this tropical locale that lies far from any major shipping hub and relies on the great manufacturer and artisan known as Mother Nature.

On a recent trip to Tahiti, I saw some unbelievably cool South Seas bungalows and picked up some style tips that'll transform a room, making it feel like a castaway retreat.

Here is the exterior of a beach bungalow on a tiny island in French Polynesia, at a resort called Ninamu. Manager Chris O'Callaghan built every bungalow himself, using the resources of the island: driftwood staircases, woven pandanus leaf roofs, bamboo support beams. Some ceilings and walls are made of washed-up coral. Ninamu is a poster child for using natural materials. No tree was cut down; no coral reef was harmed.


Inside Ninamu I encountered this room. There's barely a smooth surface in sight. Bamboo joints, wooden planks and exotically woven tropical things are in really unexpected places, like the walls, the roof and furniture inlays.

In more specific terms those woven things are coconut leaves (in local parlance, niau) and pandanus leaves. In the bungalows O'Callaghan has used iron wood, lychee wood, tamanu wood, coconut wood, kohu wood, and treated pine. He says the wood was stained by soaking it in the ocean for three weeks.


Some tips gathered from getaways to bring South Seas style home:

Use natural materials — lots of them. At InterContinental's Le Moana Bora Bora the airiness of the tropics infuses the space. The walls are woven niau, giving the rooms a warm, honey-colored tint.


Love thy bamboo. The furniture is chunky and elemental. Here, again at Ninamu, I saw it in a buffet made of bamboo, and it was a recurring theme in the bungalows.


Be liberal with white. This is a room in an overwater bungalow at Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort. The bed, the drapes and the daybed in white create a breeziness (though, I admit, it could also be the breeze coming through the window in this photo).

The daybed also has large circular legs, like tree trunks, for that raw, elemental just-ripped-out-of-nature feel. This type of furniture is common in Tahiti. It seems to shout, "Honey, I just chopped down a tree outside and made you this chaise. Now, feed me some calories so I can chop more wood." You'll also see that elemental look in Ninamu's room in the beginning of this ideabook.


Forget rule number 3. You don't always need white. There is a color palette. Unlike the Caribbean turquoises, South Seas style is pale yellows, almost honey-like (the woods reflect this), and greens, as well as deep purples and reds of the Gauguin stroke.


This bedroom is in an overwater bungalow at Sofitel Bora Bora Private Island.


Borrow Tahitian patterns. The bed frame (also seen in the previous bedroom photo) is etched with Marquesan tattoo symbols. The bed throw has a hibiscus print. At Le Méridien Tahiti, I also saw fish etched into a glass panel in the bathroom (not shown).


Bring out the warrior. In this kitchen at a villa at Sofitel Bora Bora Private Island is a tiki, an arrow-like sconce, disk-like wooden overhead fixtures and bar stools that mimic rustic handmade drums.


At Le Méridien Tahiti the shape of the coffee table brings to mind a surfboard, but it also feels battle-like.


South Seas–Style Products

Wallpapers, like woven woods, can mimic natural materials. This house in California has natural wall coverings by Schumacher. The pebbles veer more Asian, but the contrast is nice.


Sea grass cloth wallpaper has a subtler thatched look.


Woven Seagrass Pendant - $89.00 » Sea grass is a star on the accessories front. Little touches like this can make your room feel more open to nature and relaxed.


Seagrass Chair - $159.00 » These chairs are woven from sea grass.


This home, aptly called the Bambu home, has bamboo deck furniture. The bamboo is not manufactured but in its raw state. It's got that "I just foraged this from the jungle floor" vibe.


Gauguin Indoor-Outdoor Ceiling Fan With Light by Minka Aire, Beige - $409.95 » I also saw a lot of fans in Tahitian bungalows that look light giant tropical leaves. This one is aptly called the Gauguin ceiling fan, after the artist who lived and painted in Tahiti (and who is buried there, instead of in his homeland of France).


Twig Chandelier, 6-Light Small » Twigs and branches play a large part in South Seas decor. This interesting chandelier would certainly give a lot of texture to a dining room.


Pink and Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Chest of Drawers - GBP 1,295.00 » One of Tahiti's biggest natural resources (after pandanus, bamboo and coconuts) is pearls. A buffet with a pearl inlay can brighten a space.


Elegant Mother-of-Pearl Shell Round Mirror - $1,179.00 » Sofitel Bora Bora Private Island has a mother-of-pearl mirror in the bathroom similar to this one.

More: Find your decorating style

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