It’s been cloudy and my body is craving sunshine, so it’s no surprise that I’ve been dreaming about the warm weather of Hawaii. Hawaii is one of my favorite vacationing spots, and not too long ago, I did a renovation on my family’s little getaway condo there. What I like to call “Nautical Glamour” was the design direction for that reno.
Let me share with you some things to consider when trying to achieve this look:
To begin, for the main or background colors, I stay with crisp whites and cool blue tones to reference water.
When you’re trying to achieve a nautical look, you have got to showcase wood. Either high gloss (like in a boat’s interior) or distressed, as any wood would naturally react to salt and water. In my opinion, there’s no limit to the amount you can use.
Metals, specially brass and gold, are also key to this style. This material can be easily incorporated with a lamp or an interesting artifact. Other materials that communicate well with this style are rope, glass and sea shells.
For a pop accent color, you can use any bright primary color, but I would advise to only use one. Too many accent colors could completely change the calm atmosphere I like to associate with this maritime theme. For the inspiration board below, I only used one – a coral red.
Easy to find in antique stores or common home retailers like HomeSense, are unique items that just complete the look. You’ll want to search for somethings like a map, a paddle, a maritime telescope, a marine tripod lamp or a boating knot. These scouted items are what will eventually make, not just beautiful, but a very interesting space.
If you still can picture the vibe I’m going for, here’s a vision board of how to piece together a nautical look:
