subject: Lift Anchor In Your Utility Room With Nautical Inspiration [print this page] Nautical themes offer a clean, crisp design aesthetic to any room, and are particularly appropriate to organizing a utility room. On a ship, everything is tucked away in storage spaces or little nooks and crannies, so what more appropriate design could there be to help you get the most out of your utility room? Not only will you have a uniquely functional room, it will be quite handsome to look at as well.
Ship Shape
Whether you take a literal interpretation of nautical for your room design, or whether you abstract the nautical aesthetic to come up with your nautical design is not important. It is only important that you capture the full aesthetic of the design so that you can take advantage of all that it has to offer.
Keep a funnel shaped trashcan by the door, which echoes the shape of a steamship funnel. Place trunks under the window for storage. Leather covered trunks create a seasoned and classic look. You can incorporate wicker for a lighter feel, or even weathered wood for a more rustic feel. Trunks are excellent storage for bulky or seldom used items. A canvas rack for old magazines and a canvas folding chair help add to the nautical feel of the room. A bookshelf with brass accessories, and pictures framed in brass frames will add the feeling of a porthole to the room.
Consider Boats and Beaches for your Theme
When selecting the color for this room, draw your inspiration from the ocean and its beaches. Pale neutrals mimic beach tones while light greens and blues give a nod to the ocean. Dressing a window in canvas or fishnet and using brass rings for the tiebacks add a distinctly nautical feeling to the room. Adding round brass-framed mirrors across from any windows in the room help magnify the light coming into the room and create an appropriate porthole pattern. To create the effect of a boat galley, hang your porthole mirrors at regular intervals across a long wall. Pick up your nautical theme in accessories like hangers and clocks to balance the room.
Lighting your Space
To pull the nautical theme up onto the ceiling, light up your utility room with ship's helm lighting fixtures, which are available in flush mount, lamp tables, hanging swag and wall sconces.
What is Underfoot
As we look at the floor you can chose to mimic a ships deck or the beach. If mimicking the ships decking a wood or laminate floor would be reminiscent of ship's planks. Or if you have a concrete floor, you could keep the grey aesthetic and give your room a battleship feel. Or with concrete you may want add textured paint to the floor to simulate the look and feel of sand. Then you can add nautical inspired area rugs to add some softness underfoot.
