It wouldn’t be Spring without some reference to a nautical inspired palette. The colors of the seaside and the boating and beachy lifestyle are trends that have inspired designers for decades now.
This summer the trend has the motifs and materials moving from ‘on board’ to ‘on shore’ as everything from accessories to dresses are getting a touch of rope, canvas, grommets, anchors and classic sailor stripes
Canvas Sea Bag $115, Jay Godfrey halter dress $425, Philip Crangi Anchor Pendant $1670, Saint James Boat Shirt, Moschino Anchor Thongs $184, Hermes Beach bag $970
Nautical inspired fashion has had a huge influence on my own style. Some of my all time favorite silhouettes capture the romance of a life at sea.
Jackie O getting on board a yacht in white jeans, a black t-shirt, flats and signature shades. Audrey Hepburn in shorts and a tied madras plaid shirt as Humphrey Bogart wisks her away for a picnic on board his sailboat in the movie Sabrina. And the MAN of the sea himself – Ernest Hemingway- poised alongside his ‘catch of the day’ in a stripped sailor shirt or better yet cozy-ing up to a bar on a misty Key West evening in a chunky fisherman sweater.
And while Navy and white is most often times considered the palette for all things beachy-boaty keen. I love to look to the ocean and the land around it for color clues to extend the palette. Weathered grays, bright and faded reds, soft warm yellows and sea glass green are a few favorites that I like to include for my summer wardrobe.
I was thinking the same thing goes for home. Being inspired by the ocean doesn’t mean that you must limit yourself into using only blue and white or that your decor has to be beach cottage themed. Look to the alluring colors of the ocean for inspiration as well. The colors found on the coasts are amazing and forever changing…no two days exactly alike.
I’ve always thought that no one captured the ocean’s changing palette quite like the American artist Winslow Homer. His watercolors are breathtaking..you can almost feel the sea breeze and smell the salty air. They are moments in time that celebrate life not only on the water…but nature’s many moods as well. Inspiration from any of his paintings would make for an unbelievable palette for home.
No doubt this kitchen designed by Gary McBournie was inspired by a boating life
aqua and orange is a retro combination making a big comeback in modern design ( check out Gaita Interiors‘ post about this very trend)..so fresh with these textured neutrals
This kitchen is from the Southern Accent magazine’s Hampton Island Showhouse. Weathered green and copper are perfectly paired with it’s lush water views
Exotic prints and a touch of grey and plum and I think lounging in the bed would have me dreaming of being in the island setting of the above painting
This is foyer is all glamour, I love it’s palette…it’s as dramatic as that crashing wave against a wall of glistening rocks.
I love the idea of using the masters of painting as a guide for color: Fall in love with a painting, then follow their lead, you can’t fail! It’s been too long since I’ve looked at Homer! Beautiful pairings of interiors and paintings. Very inspiring.
I want the anchor thongs for the summer…as I stroll along my dream bach house listening to the audio version of “The Old Man and the Sea”. Great inspiration.