For those who love the sea and everything it represents there is no better theme to bring into their home decorating plans than a nautical theme. The theme itself is perfectly lovely and suitable for homes and homeowners that are not so in love with the mystery and romance of the deep blue sea. For those who do love the idea of sailing off into the sunset however, this is an excellent choice for home decorating.
There are many ways that a creative mind can incorporate a nautical theme into the home decorating plans. One of these ways is by using darkly stained wainscoting for the lower half of your walls along with a chair rail in order to imitate the wooden interior of finer sailing vessels. This imitates the interior of a sailboat and some powerboats. This is an impressive addition in most homes and quite ambitious in some as it is not the least expensive method of decorating. The effects however are stunning when used for this purpose.
Another great idea is to use a marine shade of blue for curtains and window coverings and have them made of the same type of materials that sail covers are made of on a sailboat. If you are truly ambitious you could elect to paint the walls in this marine shade of blue and select another color for the curtains or wooden blinds instead. However, white walls are perfectly acceptable when it comes to creating the look and feel of the interior of a boat.
Rope is another great tool to use in order to make the nautical theme a bit more authentic. You can twine rope around picture frames, candleholders, and all manner of other things in order to incorporate the rope into the room without having it look out of place. If you are truly ambitious you could even string a hammock in some forgotten corner of the room in order to hold coats in the wintertime or merely to authenticate the theme to some degree.
Portals, clocks, barometers, and such make excellent art in a nautical themed room. Other great additions would include items such as seashells, sand dollars, model boats, and artwork depicting the sea. For many, this is where we feel most at home, we derive our inspiration, and we literally feel as though we can truly commune with Mother Nature.
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Textured paint and faux finishes have become more popular in recent years than at any other point in history. One reason for this is because so many home improvement stores are offering classes for those who are willing to pay the price for the paint so that the average Joe or Jane can recreate these fabulous finishes on their own walls as well. The fact is it is truly amazing what works of art can be created with the clever and creative use of textured paint.
Faux finishes can be used to create the illusion of anything from plaster or brick to leather and a few amazing things in between. Those who are skilled at applying faux finishes are in great demand for their artistic talents though most home owners can do a passable job if they are willing to take the time required to properly learn the technique. Even wood grains can be imitated through the use of a talented faux finisher and paint.
Using textured paints and faux finishes can be done in almost any room in the house though they seem to be most common in living rooms and kitchens as a major design feature. There are some ambitious homeowners who have decided to take this style of painting into every room of the home. While it may seem a good idea in theory there are some drawbacks to this as well.
First of all, textured paints and faux finishes are very time consuming. If you are hiring a professional to do the work their time is a lot of your money and this is something that really needs to be considered. Is the amount of time really worth the reward of the finished project as far as you, as the homeowner, are concerned? Most people find that it isn’t worth all that much money and time but others really appreciate the look and feel that it is vital to their enjoyment of their homes. Whichever category you fall into it is important that you realize that this could become a costly proposition.
Another thing to consider is that many who manage to bring a texture or faux finish of some sort into every room of their homes often decide after a little while to remove some of their hard work. The reason for this is that in small doses faux finishes and textured paints are novel and spectacular. In large doses they can be more than slightly overwhelming and, more importantly, unimpressive. There is something to be said about the fact that sometimes less is more.
This doesn’t mean that some homes do not wear faux finishes beautifully in almost every nook and cranny. Some homes are simply meant to be decorated from one end of home to the other end. These homes are simply lovely no matter how many new finishes are added to the walls, furniture, fireplace mantles, and bathroom cabinets. There never seems to be too much in these homes. There are some homes however that beg for moderation when it comes to designs such as this. Listen to your home when decorating and you should have a much better decorating experience overall without overwhelming either your home or your guests.
If faux finishes and/or textured painting is something you would like to incorporate into your home decorating plans you should be delighted to discover that there are many, many resources both online and offline that can assist you with your goals. The first and best choice is to check with local hardware and home improvement stores in order to see if they are offering any free workshops on faux finishes or textured painting in your area. If they are then you are set. However, if they are not your local library may prove to be a valuable source for videos, magazines, and books that offer step-by-step instructions. The Internet is also an excellent source. Do not forget the value of spaces such as YouTube and Google Video as they may have some actual demonstrations or how to videos to help as well.
There really is no style of home decorating that can be identified as decidedly Native American. There are however touches that can be added to almost any style of décor. The trick is always a matter of incorporating these things without making them seem out of place. Of all the design styles that exist, and of course depending on the tribe in question, the southwestern style of home decorating and design would actually make a good match for many Native American artifacts, touches, and artwork.
Pottery is central to a Native American theme. Different tribes had different styles of creating pottery. If you have a favorite tribe or a favorite style of pottery you may want to build the remainder of the room or design area around the pottery you love as it is quite personal to many people and not all styles of pottery will match all other styles of weaving, carving, basket making, or artwork. Pottery is very useful in a kitchen if you plan to use some of it in this room. Not only can most pottery be baked when cooking but it also works wonders for storing things like utensils that you would like to have in reach, strays, napkins, and any other things you can think to store within the pottery you have available. If you are going to pay for it you may as well put it to good use.
Speaking of artwork. There are some beautiful Native American prints as well as some ’sand art’ that is a must have for a room that is trying to capture the spirit of the Native American or at least a specific tribe and incorporate that spirit into their homes. I think this is a beautiful idea for those who wish to pay their respects to those who are ancestors to many of us. Not that the pottery mentioned above isn’t art work in and of itself but the addition of art that can be placed on the wall is a welcome addition in many homes. Read more »
There are very few things you can add to your home décor that will have quite the versatility of baskets. Baskets are not only decorative touches, they also blend well with almost any décor and in most cases are quite willing to suit dual purposes as both decoration and much needed storage.
Below you will find some clever ways to use baskets. Enjoy!
1) Mail sorter. Try hanging a row of baskets near your entryway. As you are walking into your home while sorting the mail slip the appropriate piece of mail into the corresponding basket. Have one basket for each family member and drop the junk mail into the wastebasket you’ve placed just below the row of baskets on your wall. This way everyone has easy access to his or her mail and junk mail is handled as well.
2) Kitchen organizer. There are many jobs in the kitchen that baskets pull off beautifully. One such job is that of napkin holder. There are actually baskets by a famous brand that are the absolute perfect size for holding napkins for the dinner table. Additionally taller baskets make excellent holders for kitchen utensils that need to be within easy reach of the stove. There are even small baskets that make excellent holders for small jars of frequently used seasonings such as salt and pepper. Keep your eyes open the next time you’re in the kitchen and consider all the great ways baskets could help out.
3) Knitting supplies. Larger baskets are excellent tools for taming the beast that can easily become your supply of knitting tools and notions. Limit your collection to one large basket and eliminate the things that will not fit. This keeps you on top of your knitting supplies while keeping them out of site and protected from dirty baby paws.
4) Umbrella holder. This is an excellent use for a basket if you have one of the proper size. Place it on the floor next to your coat rack or closet or in your entryway and you will always have ready access to your umbrellas when bad weather comes your way. Read more »
