Name: Alexis Tirado
Location: East Village, NYC
I moved into my shoebox East Village apartment 4 years ago. Last year, I decided to redecorate my apartment with a fun nautical theme due to my lovely (and quite unique) porthole window. I began by painting one wall blue. I accented the blue wall and wooden floors with modern, white furniture. I wanted a cool nautical theme — I didn't want friends to think they were visiting their grandma's beach home.
Since my apartment is small, I didn't want to overdo it with beach trinkets. I selected special items that would stand out yet fit with my nautical theme. I found a cool nautical map and white sofa pillows with red anchors online. I found various bric-a-brac at thrift stores or at stands in Union Square and SoHo.
I am happy with the outcome. My friends love visiting my home and peering out the porthole window. They always ask me where I bought all the cool nautical items too. It's simple and fun yet makes a strong statement.
Thanks Alexis!
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Awesome. Somehow you need to incorporate something with knots--the rope kind.
view sally305's profile
Well done, Alexis. The navy accent wall is a great way to individualise a white box apartment. Now go bigger with the theme! Bigger, brighter map. Bigger lighthouse model. Bigger ship-in-a-bottle. Paint that wheel mirror glossy bright red or signal yellow and get a snappy striped slipcover for the sofa. The impulse toward restraint is admirable, but the too-small, muted scale of your theme elements is keeping your theme from coming through as deliberate and fun. Boldness is the anti-grandma, not understatement IMO.
view amed studio's profile
Nice job Alexis...I have the same tv stand but my tv is hanging and it allow for more space to have decorations on the tv stand.
view aaronc38's profile
I like the idea of acknowledging the round window with something(s) nautical but all that stuff above the mantle is indeed "grandma's beach home." And I don't think there needs to be quite so much of it throughout the rest of the apartment, starting at the door mat and extending to all of the wall decor AND the pillows on the sofa AND everything on the tables, etc. If you want to do something contemporary but still nautical I would suggest getting rid of all of the grannie knick-knacks (the lighthouse, the ship, etc.) and maybe incorporating rope, as the first commentator suggested. It doesn't need to immediately hit everyone over the head that they are visiting a nautical theme apartment. Remodelista has some great ideas using rope, and nautical fixtures and textiles too:
http://www.remodelista.com/index.php?s=nautical&searchbutton=Go!
(There's a second page too, click "previous posts" when you get to the bottom.)
Another idea using rope would be to get a long length of it (8' or 9' or so), hang it horizontally on a wall, and hang pictures from it. A bit like a picture rail. The pictures don't all have to be of fishermen or lobsters . . .
view anonniemuss's profile
Thanks for checking out my crib everyone! Some of you are harsh critics but I appreciate your insights particularly about the ropes. You can always improve on an apartment's decor!
aaronc38:I wanted to hang my TV but my boyfriend didn't want to do it because he thought the plywood on the IKEA stand was too weak. I have a 37-inch flat screen -- how big is your TV and how long have you had it hanging?
Thanks again everyone!
view AlexisT's profile
I love the boat feeling and that rounded window. Can I ask you where did you get the white tables?
view emal's profile
The tables are from West Elm. Parsons Cube Side Tables: http://www.westelm.com/products/f283/?pkey=cside-accent-tables
view AlexisT's profile