Fresh Take: 9 Twists on Nautical Style

Pardon the pun, but a lot of nautical-inspired designs really go overboard. You know you’ve seen it — a room that incorporates red, white and blue, nautical flags, multiple sailboat models, anchors, ship wheels on the wall. Unless you’re wearing a sailor suit and swabbing the floor, you feel out of place. Nurseries, playrooms, family rooms and children’s rooms are great spots to go full speed ahead with a nautical theme. But for a calmer, updated approach to your living spaces, consider stripping nautical down to its basic elements and giving it a tweak or two. The results will be an updated room with the crisp, classic elements that make nautical style so great.

Mix brass, wood and deep blue. This combination of materials and color is wonderful, especially when mitigated by a sea of white.


Mix expected and unexpected textures. Grass cloth is a soft surprise next to a crisp white shuttered door; a black and white geometric floor plays off the graphic vintage cruise ship poster.


Turn the color wheel a click or two. Swap in cream and tan for white, and orange for red, while keeping the traditional nautical navy. Orange and blue are complementary colors on the color wheel and create a striking combination that nods to nautical without screaming, “Ahoy, mateys!”


Explore more sea-inspired colors beyond red, white and blue. The beautiful seafoam green of these walls came straight from the clipper ship painting.


Limit yourself to one or two overtly themed nautical throw pillows. You’re going to have to pick a favorite or two, and that’s it. Perhaps just an anchor, as you see here, or one whale and one ship’s wheel. Then mix them with nonnautical patterns — think batik, tribal, floral, plaid, geometric and ikat.


This rule goes for other accents as well. The anchor light here packs a playful punch. With it placed between two porthole windows, the theme quota is met.


Rope-framed, porthole-size mirrors add just the right touch of nautical style to this crisp home office.


Choose sailboat images in black and white or sepia. Black and white photography lends a more modern look.


Embrace the versatile style of marine lights. These caged fixtures incorporate a range of metal finishes, from shiny to burnished, brass to chrome. They work with all sorts of styles, from traditional to industrial modern and everything in between.


Borrow boat hardware. These ring-pull latches lend a shipshape feel to the cabinetry at Thom Filicia’s lake house. Note the marine sconces on either side as well.


Throw an overtly nautical room a curveball with an unexpected print. If you’re looking to tone down a themed room just a little bit, make one big change. This children’s bunk room feels like the hull of a ship with its portholes, red, white and blue striped window treatment, lovely teakwood and sailboat model. However, the oversized koi fish fabric throws things off just the right amount.

URL: Fresh Take: 9 Twists on Nautical Style http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26178.html