Archive for the Category »Beach Decor «

Nautical Gifts

Author: JP Mar 08

Do you have a friend who is into boating, or all things nautical?  Nautical gifts would be a great idea for that friend for any occasion.  I’m not talking sea shells here, or a little wooden boat that you picked up in a trinket shop while on vacation. I’m talking to kind of gifts you put some thought into.

There are some great unique nautical gifts out there.  You just have to search beyond the obvious.  For example if it is a guy who you are buying for, what about nautical jewelry, such as cuff links?  There are some great nautical cuff links out there that look sharp.  If it is a guy who likes to or has to wear suits for work, then the cuff links are something he can use practically every day.  A few of my favorite cufflinks that I have come across are a pair of port and starboard cufflinks, port is red and starboard is green just like the lights on a boat, a pair of battleship cuff links and sail boat cuff links.  If it a is a woman you are buying nautical gifts for, you can always find some nice nautical earrings or nautical pendants.  Nautical jewelry can be found for just about every person.

If the person you are buying the nautical gift for is a sailor or owns a boat, what about getting them something practical that they can use such as a sextant, a compass or a telescope?  All three usually come in high polished brass and some even have oak boxes to store them in.  Pretty nifty if you ask me.

Another great idea is a frame or chart of nautical knots.  I personally have framed nautical knots hanging on my wall, and it certainly makes for a great talking piece with friends.  In staying with that idea, there are a great mix of gifts all in one, such as a ship’s wheel, with knot accents around it that happens to also be a table clock.  It just goes to show you that when it comes to nautical gifts, it can get very creative.

Nautical wall art is another way you can go.  There is the obvious oil painting of ships and the ocean, but you can also find some great metal wall art sculptures that would fit a nautical theme too.  Or you can find room dividers with some beautiful prints of sailboats and the open water.  Personally out of all the ideas I have come up with here, I like the wall sculptures the most.  I have a few on my wall, and I love them.  You don’t have to get too crazy on prices either,  two of the ones I have I found for under $30, but there are some really wonderful ones all the way up to the $400’s too. 

So, the next time you want to get a cool nautical gift for your ocean loving friend, think a little beyond just the everyday sea shell or magnet in the shape of a boat.  There are a lot of great ideas out there and I’m sure your friend will appreciate the effort you put into finding the perfect nautical gift.

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Beach Bedding

Author: JP Mar 03

Most experts will tell you that the one of the best ways to get a good night sleep to design your bedroom in a comfortable relaxing way.  One of the best ways to do that it so add a beach décor theme to the bedroom.  As I’ve stated before, most people, when decorating in this fashion will add soothing colors to the walls such as light blues, greens, and grays.  If you going to go the distance you might as well add some beach bedding to the picture.

There are several manufactures out there that make beach style bedding.  Some more expensive then others.  However, there are certainly enough styles to choose from for anyone’s budget.  Beach themed bedding adds to the ambiance of the room, and can help in your efforts to product a relaxed, calm feeling to the one room in the house that needs that the most.

I’m going to touch on a few manufactures that make beach bedding.  I do not have the room to show you everything out there, but when this post is over you will get the idea. Again, like most beach décor, you will find simple prints along with prints that add a bit of pop, but in the end still give the bed a welcomed feeling.

One of the biggest manufactures that comes to mind is Tommy Bahama.  They are probably one of the top companies out there that offer beach themed bedding.  Now, you will probably find that their beach bedding runs around the top of the price range for sheets and comforters, but if you look at the right stores, you will sometimes find some great deals.  Tommy Bahama, as the name shows, will give you prints that are more of an island feel. 

The second manufacturer is Nautica.  Nautica offers a lot of  great beach bedding in great colors.  What makes them stand out is their use of straight clean lines.  You will find that Tommy Bahama is more about the print where as Nautica shows off their colors with clean lines.  Nautica bedding helps give your room a non-cluttered look and as their name represents, takes their cue from a more nautical feel.  I personally have Nautica bedding, and I like the crisp feel it gives to my room. Nautica can also run on the high price range for their newer releases, however, designs from last year can be had and decent prices at several online stores.

Another great manufacture is Harbor House.  Their beach themed bedding is a mix of prints and clean lines, and happens to be cheaper than both Tommy Bahama and Nautica.  Their use of color is also different.  You won’t see the use of orange or brown as much as Tommy Bahama and the colors are more of  lighter shades of blues and greens compared to Nautica.  Harbor House works well with more of a cottage feel, or Cape Cod feel.

The next two, Roxy and Dean Miller Surf both have a surfer feel to their bedding.  The reason I put them together is, Roxy beach bedding is more geared for women/girls and Dean Miller Surf beach bedding is more for men/boys.  Both have a nice beach/surf feel to them, with Roxy leaning towards lighter colors. 

As you can see, if you are looking to turn your bedroom into a little piece of relaxing vacation then finding some nice beach beading will go a long way to help you complete that feel.

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Nautical Lamps–Table Lamps

Author: JP Mar 02

As promised  this next post on nautical lamps will be about nautical table lamps.  Just like the floor lamps there are many designs and themes you can go with that will blend with your beach décor.  In fact, there are way more choices when it comes to the table lamps. Again, you can go for a loud in-your-face lamp or a subtle lamp that doesn’t call too much attention to itself, but blends well with your theme. 

Due to there being so many choices I will just touch on a few that would look good in the several types of themes for beach décor.  Furthermore, because there are so many to choose from you will definitely be able to find one in any price range.  You can find a nice one for as cheap as $15 to as expensive as $400.  It all depends on what you like and what fits with your décor.

Let’s start with lamps for animal lovers.  A lot of people when setting up their beach décor, choose to go with an ocean animal theme for their accents.  One of the best ways to show that off is with a nautical table lamp that has an animal theme.  A pelican with a sailboat would fit in just nice.  For a more wild, fun look how about a nautical lobster lamp? If you have more of an island theme and still would like to use an animal then a parrot lantern might be the answer.  Now these are just a few selections that are out there, I’ve also come across lamps with seahorses, dolphins, sailfish just to name a few.

If you have more of a nautical boat theme you might want to look at incorporating a nautical anchor themed lamp. Or a nice ship’s wheel lamp.  When in comes t a boat theme there are a lot of great finds out there.  I’ve seen buoy lamps, nautical flag lamps and compass lamps too.
For the people who like subtle there is no shortage of options.  A sage green wood tapered table lamp with a blown glass orb would do well along with a white oval wood  table lamp.  For your lighthouse lovers, there are so many options that the list would take up a whole new post just to show you all of the lighthouse table lamps out there. With so many choices out there, don’t be afraid to incorporate one or two into your décor.  They will make great accent and talking pieces for your guests.

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Nautical Lamps–Floor Lamps

Author: JP Mar 01

Boy I’ll tell you, one of my favorite things to add to my rooms is lighting.  If you have a; beach theme, nautical theme, island theme, tropical theme, well you get the picture, one of the most fun things to add is a few  nautical lamps to the picture.  You can go over the top with a nautical themed lamp or you can do it in a subtle fashion, which ever is your style, there is a nautical lamp for you. So let me show you what types of nautical lamps can be found out there.

Perhaps you are looking for a nautical floor lamp?  I really like using floor lamps in my rooms, sometimes you don’t have an end table for a smaller lamp, or sometimes it just fits better then always having you ceiling lights on.  As I’ve said before when looking for the perfect nautical floor lamp you have to consider what type of beach décor you have and how crazy you want to get with it.  For example if you have a fun beach, surf décor going you can try a lamp like the Big Kahuna floor lamp.  Or maybe this fun Blue Coastal Life Guard Chair is more your beach style?  Either one fits well with a fun beach décor theme, and are great talking pieces. 

 If you have more of a nautical boat theme the you might like the look of this Surveyor’s Tripod Lamp.  It’s a beautiful piece that has a distressed look that is hand painted ivory and red, with brass hardware and wood legs.

If you want a more whimsical look, this Blue Sailboat floor lamp will do the trick.  Subtle and fun all at the same time, and you can find it in brown too.  If you are more into the fish aspect of a nautical theme then how about this Aqua Blue Side Table and Lamp? It’s a wonderful shade of blue, made of iron with fishing reels  as legs and a nice lamp shade with small blue fish going around it.

Now if you have the island palm tree  décor there is something for you too.  This Palm Tree Topper floor lamp would fit in just fine in your room. It’s made of iron and stands about 62 ½ inches tall.  Again subtle but fun.

If you are looking for a more refined look that still adds you your beach décor you can try these two nautical floor lamps.  This one is a Grey Iron Lamp with a Starfish.  It’s made of iron and stands about 64 ½ inches tall.  Or this very simple Piero Floor Lamp.  It has a matte white finish with a marine painted shade.

As you can see from the examples I’ve given you, there is a lot of fun to be had with adding a nautical floor lamp to your room, and no shortages of styles out there for anyone’s taste.

Maybe a floor lamp isn’t what you were looking for?  Maybe you were thinking more of a table lamp style?  Well just like the floor lamps there are a lot of great fun wacky lamps and subtle lamps to be had and in my experience a lot more to choose from them floor lamps.  It really all depends on what your style and tastes are.   I will discuss more about table lamps in my next post.

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Beach Décor

Author: JP Feb 27

So you just got back from a great island, tropical or beach getaway and have decided that island life is for you.  Then you realize you can’t give up your life, pack up everything  and move tomorrow.  Well don’t fret, you can keep that vacation feel going with adding beach décor to your home.  Beach inspired décor is all about the clean, breezy, non cluttered look.  It gives you a relaxed feel, just like you are still on vacation.

Now you are wondering how you can add a little bit of that beach feel to your home with out it looking like you brought home every sea shell from the beach.  Beach décor doesn’t mean your house will look like it is filled with cheap souvenirs from your latest vacation.  There are several ways you can take this style: you can go with a nautical theme, an island theme, and a Cape Cod theme, just as examples.

You can add as little as you want, such as a few nick knack pieces or you can go all out, with re-painting the walls, adding new furniture, lamps and rugs, all with a hint of beach cottage décor.

For example if you choose to go with a nautical theme, you can add a wooden ship’s wheel for starters.  These are easy to hang or just place on the shelf.  Maybe you are thinking about lighting?  Of course you can always find a nautical themed lamp, something with boats and anchors on it, or you can go with a nautical lantern.  There are several types of boat lanterns to be had.  You can go with a portside lantern, which is red, a starboard lantern which is green, or cargo and anchor lanterns which are white.  Most of these lanterns that are used on ships are made of brass, and you can find reproductions that are set up to use electricity.  However, to really and some warmth to your house, and an interesting talking piece, why not go with an antique lantern?  These lanterns are oil based lanterns and can be found on such sites as eBay, Amazon or Craiglist at great prices.  You can then build your room around these great pieces.

If you like more of an “island time,” feel, why not go with an island theme?  Several Hawaiian based pieces would do well with this theme.  You can find several beautiful carved Tiki masks to hang you your walls, or perhaps some vintage Hawaiian signs. You could even add some Tiki furniture to your home.

How about a Cape Cod look?  You can change your walls to a sea-inspired colors, such as soft shades of blues and greens or the natural shades of sand.  Accent it with white and add prints of your favorite lighthouse or a painting of the grassy sand dunes of the Cape.  Any style you choose is sure to bring that vacation relaxed feel to your home, and maybe bring a smile to your face even on the coldest of Winter’s day.  (photo provided by Champagne Chic Interiors.)

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