apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nautical already happened.

nooooooooo.

With exceptions.

Let's not ruin the ocean like we did the forests.

I love this a lot more than the whole owl, deer, moose, other cutesy woodland creatures thing that has been going on lately. The deep is just so much more interesting and mysterious. But, anything that gets overdone gets boring, as we all know. Lets have less 'themes' altogether.

I have never seen a cheesier nautical. At least go Ralph Lauren. Are people serious with play time preschool shower curtains and cheep wood cut outs of sea life? Lets get real. Anyone who cares about themselves and does not run a day care would never have these things.

Nautical will never go out of style, because the oceans have a magical effect.

However, the things that AT has presented are very weak. An old wood engraving, blown up, and printed on coarse fabric does not constitute design.

Let's have a nice mermaid, properly drawn, and painted on a screen or whatever.

that shower curtain is flippin' gross.

I like Thomas Paul. He's a good graphic designer.

Anyone who cares about themselves and does not run a day care would never have these things.

That is hilarious. Thanks, now I've lost my self-respect.

Unless you live near the ocean this stuff is best avoided. I live in the woods. Forest-inspired decor has always made sense, and I'm quite happy it's going "out" so I can have my look back. So I guess, more power to the nautical. Reminds me of a bad restaurant, though.

I've personally never been crazy about nautical or woodland decor, though I've seen it done well a few times.

Whim.si.cal. Here, I caught another one!

I have some "nautical" items in my house: mason jars of shells I've found, hurricane lanterns (useful because Montreal is notoriously black-out prone), a ship's barometer, some photographs of the sea...

But the products above are kitsch. They're what you'd expect to see in a Red Lobster franchise.

Very tired. Put it to sleep.

Can we please have a serious discussion on how to prevent trends from tarnishing what we love?

These trend cycles make design seem like slash-and-burn farming. An idea is identified, milked for all it's worth, and once it's no longer fertile, it's useless. Then it's on to something else. Even the so-called classics of mid-century modern seem to be taking this turn.

When a concept becomes popular, it opens the doors for an overload of interpretations, many of them bad and with the only goal of capitalizing on the trend. For me, the associations start building until the concept I loved is inextricably connected to what I dislike and the whole idea dilutes into boredom. I don't think this is right, but I wonder how to prevent it.

Don't love anything.

Sarahisaghost,

Count me in on the discussion. I think the people most at risk of overdoing a trend--or falling for one in the first place--are those who a) lack the confidence and vision to define and evolve their own style and b) shop at the kinds of places where these trends come and go. For instance, I think part of the reason some people love the Keep Calm and Carry On poster is that it has been "sanctioned" by people with more decorating sense than they believe they have, or they have seen it in places that seem to them to be "beyond reproach," like this site.

So I guess I would say it's not possible to prevent this "me-too" approach to decorating. I find it doesn't really affect me, as my sources for "treasures" are thrift shops, summer flea markets, and other people's castaways, anchored here and there by new pieces from stores or sites I like. If you feel yourself at risk of falling prey to these trend cycles, expand your go-to sources to some that are off the beaten path and avoid the predictable ones.

actually, i think nautical is the new woodland, because it speaks to efficient use of space, fresh air, light and movement. it is "home" with mobility, rest with perpetual destination, and clear, clean colours. sound is part of it, too--what are you hearing? nautical was on my mind last fall, along with the inbound yellow and grey--must have been sensing a shift. yes, it has been "done." so what? galley kitchens are fascinating to me, and the sleek, warmly preserved elements of classical sailboats. Ralph Lauren got the sensibility from nautical, but nautical certainly pre-dates Ralph Lauren. I say, make it your own. See what you can borrow that is salutary in these difficult times.

Maybe the simplest rule is to avoid all theme rooms. That's where good trends go to die.

"Unless you live near the ocean this stuff is best avoided."

I better hide my stool made from fallen forest timber because ithe people who live in the woods may confiscate it from me!!

Where I live, in SW France there are whole shops dedicated to stuff like this. I always think it makes a place (no pun intended) a bit like a fish restaurant.

I like the pen-holder- very steampunk. (is steampunk *tiiiired* as well? oh well.)

Well, the chalkboard is kind of cute. The rest is awful.

As for the beach theme in general....

There is a big difference between displaying one oceanic thing you found at a flea market while vacationing, or actually on a beach -- and displaying collection of said items gathered from antique shops and online auctions, or at Pottery Barn. Context is all. So a coral-themed room is twee, but a few pieces of coral work nicely. And advertising the fact that you have a boat is just tacky (hey!). And displaying a huge ship model when you haven't ever sailed, much less owned a boat, is just desperate (anyone watch the t.v. series "In Therapy"?).

Themed rooms are for cheesy decor shows and dorms.

Relax, people... it might be a "trend", but I see nothing wrong with working some of this into warmer-weather decor.

And I didn't read anything in this post about "themed rooms" either...

I'd rather see some of this than yet another Etsy-esque bird or branch silhouette.

Jeeze... I see I made a goofy slip in my post! "In Treatment", not "In Therapy". Some sort of name dislexia, I guess.

I like the shower curtain.

I have a subtle nautical thing going on in my home which makes sense for me because I enjoy frequent ocean cruises - and I enjoy bringing some of that flavor of being aboard ship home with me...

...but it wouldn't make much sense if I had this theme in my home and preferred ski holidays or camping in the woods.

You are allowed to enjoy the motifs of an activity or locale without having to be a participant or visitor, no?

I think the motifs in this article are actually ok. It's a little corny to put a water wave shower curtain in the bathroom, but is it any less so when you are trying to passively learn French or love early 20th century iconic construction photography?

The fact is, nobody likes this stuff right now, but if they keep selling it, we'll be forced to trade in our owls for whales. Whales will be considered cute. The peripheral trend to the animal heads now doesn't just stop at North American mammals like deers and moose, and I doubt those rhinos only appeal to people who have actually gone on safari... they're ironic, a little "shocking" (made out of cardboard or wool, ooh, shocking!). I think within a few years, you will read AT Good Question, and someone will suggest punching up a room with a cargo net with taxidermy lobsters and buoys clipped onto it, paint some "maritime signal" as "wall art" This one is pretty chic. And nothing says someone's at the door like a foghorn sound effect. That's exactly what happens. Everyone hates it and then they can't get enough.