Gregory and Emily's living room is as compact and as well-organized as a ship. While its nautical notes invoke the sea — blue grey walls, dark wood accents, the collections of shells, the rope doorstop — the room's decor is subtle and calming unlike more traditionally sea-influenced rooms. Inspired, I've rounded up some items to bring in an oceanic mood while still keeping your home as see-worthy as theirs.
- Start with blue-grey for the walls. The best paint is one that changes color as the sun moves across it during the day. Benjamin Moore's Knoxville Grey is one idea; check this Color Therapy post for others.
- Incorporate marine accents. Check Seashells Go Modern for some ways to bring seashells into your home. If you don't live near the beach or you're hesitant about bringing your treasures home, check out Seashell City for a good selection of shells, sea fans, coral (both real and faux) and sand dollars (but stay away from their beach decor).
- A sailor's knot doorstop is both practical and sculptural, whether you use it to keep a door open, hold down a stack of magazines, or keep your books from falling over. Buy one or make your own.
- Keep your room in ship shape. Part of the appeal of this room is how neat and organized it is. Learn some boat-worthy organizational tips from this list of Small Space Ideas from Boats and RVs.
- Map it out. Although there are no maps in this room, maps are classic sea decor. Check out Decorate Your Walls With Maps for some ways to bring them into your home.
- Think globally. Like maps, I love globes in homes. Vintage globes can showcase your globe-trotting persona or give off a schoolish vibe. Decorate Like a Globe Trotter has some ideas on styling them in your home.
Images: Gregory Han
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Love the room - such calm and tranquil colors. I especially love the seating! Are they Case Study day beds from Modernica? In Montecito Lagoon?
The cat even looks blue! I love the wall-mounted desk and shelves.
Where is everyone getting their ghost chairs from? I love the look, but I just can't afford the price tag.
DCGirl33: we actually share your Ghost Chair dilemma. The chair was on loan for only a week for a project working with Kartell (these photos were taken specifically for the project, with more photos/detail available via the link above at the end of this post), then it was whisked off to another home/participant.
This space looks fabulous! Everything seems to float off the ground with the clever use of mounted storage and furniture with skinny legs! The colors looks very serene and very well thought out. The use of sleek furniture also helped the space to look clean and uncluttered. They did a great job with the room. Two thumbs up!
www.mixandchic.com
Love how the colors create this calm mood. It's like you're at the bottom of the sea, or aquarium (but alive). Has this room been featured before, with different walls & rug? It seems familiar, but it could just be another living room with similar Case Study furniture.
well, there is difference between nautical & navy
Love it. I live in Annapolis, MD and I'm totally charmed by nautical stuff, but we're kind of a sailing tourist trap and you can buy some truly hideous stuff here.
What was done to make the cat look unnaturally blue? Was indoor artificial lighting adjusted, or was the photo color adjusted afterward?
There is a lot that I like about this room, but I can't get over the fact that I think the color was photoshopped, and the cat was accidentally photoshopped, too.
Hi Miami's Elaine and Gaidig: The room does take on a blue-ish hue naturally due to an indirect northwestern light that bounces off an apartment building, casting a gray-blue tint with the interior paint and walls (3 light sources in this room gives this amateur photographer fits), but it tends to be exaggerated when trying to balance all the colours inside the room, especially when trying to match the wall colour as closely as possible to the eye at the late afternoons when this was shot (I believe the white balance was also adjusted for effect).
A white light LED bulb was on at the time, bouncing lighting down, and it tends to pop things out in a colder tone. As noted in my previous comment, these photos were shot for a video project, so they've admittedly been given more of an editorialized, styled finish.
The cat wasn't Photoshopped individually...she's actually a Korat, which are known for their blue-grayish sheen (sometimes gray-white in the right type of light). She's also quite naughty.
Thanks, gregory.
When I decided to bring some of my parents' Great Lakes emphemera in my home, I struggled with making sure I wasn't on the ticky-tacky end of nautical. But there are some great fabrics out there that hint at nautical without being Tall Ships. I also take a great deal of inspiration from an old WWII sub that you can tour downtown - it has the greatest art deco lines and ingenious space-saving ideas.
I love what this couple did with nautical theme.