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Achieving a Nautical Interior Design Look

 

Interior Design Style Guide:

Nautical

 

 

How to achieve a Nautical or Coastal Interior Style

Bright and breezy, coastal style transports you straight to the beach no matter where your home is. This is a comfortable, welcoming, and grounded style which has been individualized, soothing, and charming to each person’s preferences. Many people see this style fit for a beach house, however, not all homes that are dressed in Coastal are beach houses and vice versa. Basically, no matter where you are, you can follow this light and neutral style so long your heart desires. 

With its palette drawn from sand and shells as much as sea and sky, it whispers “summer” all year round. A coastal space evokes the easy, carefree feel of boating and beachcombing, but hear us when we say, you don’t need to forcefully remind people of the beach life and the sea with its beachiness (oars! fish! life preservers!). This being said, if you think this style is for you, read through and follow the guidelines below. 

 

Sanderson Ripley Wallpaper 216586

Nautical Colour Palette

Looking to nature for colour inspiration is the base of this style. Your simple colour palette should mimic the warm neutral tans and whites of the beach. After which you can create areas of visual interest with decorative pillows in blue and orange arranged on the furniture like colourful seashells and rocks on the beach. Layers of cream, beige and khaki evoke the subtlety of shifting dunes. Go for matte and honed finishes, rather than shine and glimmer.

Chevron Cobalt Fabric Ian Mankin

Light in Abundance

The beach is all about the sun and its shining rays of sun we all love that much. This is why when designers dress a home in Coastal style, first thing they pay attention to is bringing enough light to all areas of each room. Coastal emphasizes on the colour white – it spreads and amplifies light rather than soaking it up. 

Coastal interiors blur the line between indoors and out or remove it altogether. Plentiful windows, glass doors, and skylights allow sunshine to flood in, so if your home is skimpy on these elements, consider adding them. If that’s not an option, at the very least fake it with lamps and sconces. 

 

Philip Jefferies St Barts Wallcoverings
 
Nautical Fabrics 

The fabrics which you’ll be using have to be simple, natural, and soothing. Think linen slipcovers, cotton rugs, and muslin curtain panels or floaty sheers that billow in the breeze. You can’t go wrong with pure white, but washed-out pastels or tailored stripes fit with the look as well. 

Top tip: The market is full of fabulous shell- and nautical-print fabrics, many of them tasteful and chic, so go ahead and take your pick. But don't layer them to the point of kitsch. Keep these patterns minimal: a pair of throw pillows, curtains or blinds, perhaps, or a single side chair.

 

Naturals

When designing in Coastal feel free to go with organic materials such as sea grass, straw, and jute, in the form of rugs, furnishings and accessories even wallcoverings. This will bring a natural warmth and texture to coastal interiors. Don’t be afraid to pick natural fibres like rope for nautical balls, cabinet and drawer pulls, even stairway spindles that will add light-hearted appeal yet stay true to the theme. 

 

Romo Mokolo Fabric 7885-02

Light Materials

With furniture, you need to be casual. Coastal furniture should give the impression that it can stand up to salty air and sandy feet, even though it’s miles away from it. Slipcovers, sturdy wood tables and case goods, wicker and even thick glass fit the bill.

For upholstered furnishings, consider outdoor fabrics, which come in designs and colours that look as spot on in a living room as they do on the patio or by the pool.

Sanderson Cromer Wallpaper

Wallpapers

There is an abundance of wallpapers to choose from to add to your nautical interior style. For a more traditional nautical look you could opt for a simple striped wallpaper in traditional maritime colours of blue and white, or you could look for a modern twist on this with faded stripes, or abstract rippled water inspired prints. Another great alternative is wallpapers or murals which feature antique maps hinting at past voyages.

 

Fjordbyen Blue Wallpaper Sandberg
New England 1883 Wallpaper Borastapeter

 

 

If you prefer to inject a little fun into your Nautical wallpapers are also a great way to have fun with the style, there are wallpapers with seaside motifs covering just about everything you will find in the sea or at the beach from sandcastles to ships, seagulls to swimmers. You could even opt for a whole-wall panoramic of a seaside scene or horizon. 

 

Lighthouse 8867 Wallpaper Borastapeter
Borastapeter Wallpaper Horizon 8886

 

 

Modern wallcoverings are also a great way to bring the texture of the beach into your home. As wallcoverings are no longer restricted to just paper, there is a wealth of luxury wallpaper and wallcoverings in a variety of materials perfect for a nautical interior project, choose from seagrasses and paper weaves, bamboo and woods, linens and fabrics, there are even luxury wallcoverings made from mother-of-pearl. Alternatively, you can find wallpapers with prints reminiscent of driftwood, bleached woods, sun stained timbers and framed ships. 

 

Harlequin Drift Wallpaper 110562
Philip Jefferies St Barts Serenity Wallcovering

Nautical Rugs and Flooring

Hardwood flooring with rugs can really add to a nautical interior design space, simple rugs, or designs which look like aged rugs will instantly enhance the style. For a bolder look, a nautical themed design, or simple striped rug design, could easily be incorporated, but the colours should ideally remain true to your nautical colour palette. Avoid shaggy or deep pile rugs, clashing geometric prints, or non-nautical motifs, whilst these all work well in rugs there is a risk they detract from the overall look. 

Louis De Poortere Babylon Alhambra Rug 8545
Antibes AN04 Blue White Linear Rug Asiatic

Nautical Accessories

The first thing that comes to our mind when thinking of Coastal accessories are the beachy treasures you usually collect when on the beach. Shells, sea glass, bottles, maybe an old ship’s cleat or two. Take little something from all these elements, however, note that the keyword is restraint. One or two starfish on a shelf look striking and sculptural; baskets and vases full of them can be overkill.  

 

Journey Wallpaper Grey Thibaut

Nautical Style Lights

Lights for a nautical inspired interior should ideally pick up on part of the overall design. If you are tending towards a shabby chic interpretation of a nautical interior design style then choose a simple lamp design in natural materials to reflect the humble origins of the design styles, aim for the sort of lamp you would expect to find in a traditional fisherman's hut. Alternatively, if you are veering towards a smarter Hamptons interpretation then perhaps take your inspiration from the interiors of yachts and ship cabins, bronze metal wall lamps with shades, styled glass table lamps, all work well.  

Another way to enhance a nautical inspired design style with lights is to use it to bring texture into the scheme, look for lamps with wound rope, wicker, and wooden bases, and shades with a simple linen or fabric texture. Alternatively, look for lamp bases with interesting shapes and designs which give the impression of materials worn down by the sea. Caged pendant lights can be incorporated to give a hint at lobster traps, fishing gear or netting, even better if you can repurpose the real thing.

 

Open Spacing

Finally, make sure your space and air in the room aren’t cluttered with walls and furniture. Just like the beach itself, coastal rooms should feel breezy. This is why you shouldn’t overstuff them. Decorate with an eye to maintaining clear vistas and sight lines — accent the periphery of a space rather than clogging its centre. 

Our word of advice would be to follow the Open spacing and the Light in abundance rules without deviation because there’s really no substitute for them in this style. Simply arrange the furniture in a way that feels as streamlined as possible and go easy on the accessorizing. 

 

Nautical Style Inspiration Sources

Take inspiration from your next trip to the seaside, driftwood, shells, beach huts, lighthouses, seaside cafes, as well as the flora and fauna. This is a style all about bringing the beach style to your home. 

For further guidance check out our ‘Get the Look’ articles, or for the perfect look, why not use our interior design service, our designers will work with you to create the perfect nautical look for your home sourcing products from all over the world.