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Pitch Some Retro-Cool Camping Style at Home
Enjoy a summer camp feel the grown-up way: heavy on picturesque picks for the home and backyard, light on sandy sheets and chilly feet
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
After seeing Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson's latest film creation, I found myself with a nostalgic longing for a summer camp experience I never had. It didn't help that Camp Yawgoog, where much of the film was shot, is the very same camp my Eagle Scout husband went to as a boy.
While I can't call up memories of summers at a picturesque New England lakeside camp, I can let its style inspire my home and adventures. Here are 14 ways to spruce up your home (or campsite) with rugged Scout-inspired finds and optimistic mid-'60s style.
While I can't call up memories of summers at a picturesque New England lakeside camp, I can let its style inspire my home and adventures. Here are 14 ways to spruce up your home (or campsite) with rugged Scout-inspired finds and optimistic mid-'60s style.
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Stock up on camp blankets. These classic striped wool blankets can be used in so many ways that you'll never have too many. Use them as bedspreads, throw them in the car for picnics and camping trips, or keep them to warm chilly guests when you host dinner al fresco.
And if you are feeling especially crafty, stitch up a new cover to give an old armchair a fresh look.
And if you are feeling especially crafty, stitch up a new cover to give an old armchair a fresh look.
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Show where the Scoutmaster sleeps. For a slightly more luxurious than usual take on sleeping in the great outdoors, I love the idea of constructing a screened shelter just steps from the backdoor.
You can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, minus the bugs and tent setup drama.
You can enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, minus the bugs and tent setup drama.
by The Land of Nod
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Love your woodland friends. Equally fitting on the sofa in your house or the built-in seat of your vintage Airstream, this little fellow brings campy cheer wherever he goes.
Birds have been used so much in decor in recent years that it's only fair to give the raccoons, squirrels and other fuzzy critters their own turn in the limelight.
Birds have been used so much in decor in recent years that it's only fair to give the raccoons, squirrels and other fuzzy critters their own turn in the limelight.
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Send a postcard. Personalize this postcard pillow with text transcribed from an old postcard, or write a new message for someone you love. Either way, this handmade accent is sure to add a heartfelt note to your home.
by Tamar Schechner
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Add a dash of flower power. The vibrant, optimistic floral prints of '60s bedding can often be found for a few bucks at thrift shops and yard sales. A little goes a long way, so think about adding a few pillowcases rather than an entire set of sheets.
by Jenny Mitchell
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Re-cover chairs with fun prints. Another great use for your vintage '60s fabric finds is to refresh a set of dining chairs. It's fine to mix up the prints and colors; choosing patterns of a similar scale will keep the look cohesive.
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| Collect vintage paintings. Thrift shops, yard sales and online sites like eBay are filled with one-of-a-kind original paintings by amateur artists. Masterpieces they are not, but they have their own unique charm and when collected can make a wonderful statement wall. Try choosing a subject (portraits, mountain scenes etc.) or time period theme to focus your collection. |
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by GPPhotographers
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| Source enamelware for your camp kitchen. There is something incredibly cheerful about the sight of a classic blue-speckled enamel coffeepot on the stovetop. Enamelware may be a traditional part of the camp kit (and it's still fun to bring it camping), but it works equally well in the home kitchen. Try your local Army surplus or outdoor store for inexpensive enamelware. |
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Use picnic tables to feed a crowd. If your summer kitchen seems to be crowded with kids and visitors more often than usual, try adding a picnic table for easier meals. If you have the space, put it right in the kitchen; if not, it works on the patio or deck just as well.
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| Use camp furniture indoors or out. Classic camp folding furniture of an older vintage (think wood frame, not plastic) adds a rustic-chic note to interiors, and can be folded up and toted along when the mood strikes to hit the road. |
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by C.W. Styling
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| Build your own low-key backyard fire pit. Sleek, modern fire bowls have their place, but if you want to re-create the mood of camp at home, a rustic fire pit is what you want. Simple wood planks placed on logs make an easy seating area where friends can hang out and roast marshmallows. How to Make a Stacked Stone Fire Pit |
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| Live it up in an Airstream. These retro trailers have a cult following with good reason. Their sleek lines and streamlined interiors and the mystique of life on the road are an irresistible combination. Take one on the road, then park it in the backyard the rest of the time for use as guest quarters. See tiki decor ideas from this vintage Airstream |
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Embrace rec room style. Painted floors, framed posters and a ping-pong table are all you need to brighten up a basement, a spare room or a garage. Stock a cooler with drinks and a cabinet with board games and puzzles for entertainment old-school style.
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| Find a lake near you. Just because you can't go to summer camp doesn't mean you can't still experience something like it. And let's face it, visiting a lake as an adult is bound to be a much more pleasant experience than the reality of camp when you were a kid. Enjoy it! |
Comments
Lanie Brown I love it! Let's call this old-school, memories-of-some-of-Mom's-and-Grandpa's-stuff style "comfortable camping." I just scored the old dining room set from when I was growing up - and then it moved to Grandma & Grandpa's apartment - and will be having the chairs reupholstered with a contemporary floral fabric I adore.
9 months ago · Like
Rotsen Furniture Love the postcard pillow! Great gift idea!
9 months ago · Like
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Julie Vogel love everything you posted!
9 months ago · Like
Emily Hurley I get so nostalgic for camping. I love the chair recovering idea. We actually started doing the very same thing a few months ago. LOVE it. 
9 months ago · Like
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Anita Roll Murals Really fun post Laura! I really love the raccoon and personalized pillow. Here are a few more to add to the mix. 
9 months ago · Like
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tcufrog We like to camp in the backyard. We pitch a tent in the backyard and go to the local park for a night hike. Dinner is hot dogs and marshmallows cooked on skewers in our outdoor fireplace. The best part is the fact that I get to sleep inside with our toddler who I don't trust to stay in the tent while my husband and older son sleep outside.
9 months ago · Like
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canajuneh I love the Hudson Bay blanket as a chair covering, but these pure wool heirlooms are also quite "scratchy", as I'm told by the grandkids! Any spills might be quite impossible to remove as well. Any ideas for protecting the fabric?
9 months ago · Like
Amanda Simons Loved that movie and love these ideas! Yay for year-round camping!
9 months ago · Like
jerryandsusan Hudson Bay Chair ~ Wool can be scratchy but the better quality the wool, the less scratchy it is. Usually the HB blankets are less scratchy and as a bonus my sister swears by pure wool to relieve arthritis pain, so it would be the go to chair for grandmas. As for keeping it clean that would be a challenge.
9 months ago · Like
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Randy Eddleman I have a wool blanket similar to the one used to cover the chair. My 5 year old daughter refers to it as the "spicy" blanket. Ya gotta love kids!
9 months ago · Like
camperoo That tea kettle isn't blue or enamel ware, it's the GSI Halulite Kettlist, also comes in stainless steel. It is an excellent teakettle for camping but would look ridiculous on most normal stoves as it is tiny. Perfect for the tiny stove in the tiny house it is pictured in though!
8 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Aug. 29, 2012.
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