Dip a Toe Into Modern Nautical Style
Leave the fishing nets and the wooden sea captain to the clam shacks. Create a beautiful, modern nautical room without a single anchor
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/
Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More »
As with any theme, it is important not to go overboard with nautical. Ha! Get it? Overboard.
Ahem, anyway. I love nautical stuff: ropes, navy blue, stripes, wool, canvas, buoys and lanterns. But too much of a good thing and it can look like you are opening a Long John Silver's. So hint at it with materials, accessories, colors and even textures. You don't need a ship in a bottle or a chainsaw sculpture of a salty old captain to convey your love of the water. Go easy, go modern, and your house can be as fresh as a sea breeze.
OK, no more corny seafaring puns. Just 17 lovely examples of modern nautical done right.
Ahem, anyway. I love nautical stuff: ropes, navy blue, stripes, wool, canvas, buoys and lanterns. But too much of a good thing and it can look like you are opening a Long John Silver's. So hint at it with materials, accessories, colors and even textures. You don't need a ship in a bottle or a chainsaw sculpture of a salty old captain to convey your love of the water. Go easy, go modern, and your house can be as fresh as a sea breeze.
OK, no more corny seafaring puns. Just 17 lovely examples of modern nautical done right.
Just look at this understated cutie. A single octopus pillow and a row of ship's instruments in an open, white room create a nautical feel without being too obvious about it.
| |
| Some navy blue, a few stripes, an adorable framed vintage bathing suit and a little ship on a shelf. Oh, there's definitely a theme here, but it's not cloying. (I would get rid of that lighthouse, however — too much.) |
This nursery manages to have a theme but to remain calm about it. A single sailboat and that steering wheel on the unexpectedly orange chair are just the right hints. We get it. It's lovely.
| |
| Obviously this nautical theme benefits from its location and view. But that ship's lamp is a very nice touch too. |
by CWB Architects
»
I love this. Nothing about it is obviously nautical, but that simple cream and navy striped wool blanket is enough to send me right to seafaring heaven.
It's the painting that does it. Don't you agree? I would maybe add a single rope knot or glass float to complete the tableau.
The rope banister is certainly clever, but what I really love are the stenciled numbers on the steps. They remind me of steamer trunks.
by Joel Snayd
»
This bedroom manages to achieve that clanging, down-by-the-dock feeling with a navy throw rug and rope pulls on the canvas curtains. It's all about materials; there's not an anchor or a spyglass in sight.
by Joel Snayd
»
Notice the rope and canvas curtains. These, along with a few vintage beach-theme trinkets and mirrors shaped like portholes, achieve perfect modern nautical balance.
A knot doorstop. It's nautical, but it's not too "Ahoy, matey!"
A knotted doorstop does not have to be a doorstop at all it. It can be a bookend or a giant paper weight, or just something pretty and boaty to add to a vignette.
Vintage (or made-to-look-vintage) glass fishing floats are beautiful in their own right. And with a few other touches — here a rope knot and some lanterns — they can help create an authentic vintage nautical look.
|
by Cristi Holcombe
»
|
| One simple glass float is worth a million sea chanties. |
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the judicious use of anchors.
I love this display of found ocean objects. It's modern and authentic all at once.
A dinner bell worthy of a captain. I could get used to calling the troops with this brass beauty.
Ideabook published on May 11, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Modern Furniture
I'm loving these pieces right now! For some it's "beach season" for me it's a way of life!
http://www.shadesoflight.com/scallop-shell-wall-sconce.html
http://www.shadesoflight.com/nautical-rope-and-glass-ball-table-lamp.html
http://www.shadesoflight.com/starfish-hand-tufted-rug-3-colors-eta-6-12.html