A Room with a Bite
With the return of the summertime favorite, Shark Week to the Discovery Channel, you can celebrate this terrifying reunion by bringing some oceanic inspiration into any room. Whether you’re living on the shore or in a big city, you can sink your teeth into some simple projects or big transformations to prepare for the thrilling invasion of over 400 shark species to your television.
For a complete room transformation, think of bringing in a light and airy theme to emulate the ocean. When choosing paint colors, the natural choice for many homeowners would be bright blues and teals. These bright choices are more suited to children’s rooms or an accent wall, rather than an entire living room or adult bedroom.
In choosing furniture, pick pieces with a rounded, softer component. A curved headboard or couch can represent waves. Choose a neutral color palate for your big pieces of furniture and then dress them up with brightly colored throw pillows and blankets; layer shades and patterns of blues and greens to bring in the colors of the water. Choosing to bring in color with accessories, rather than the fabrics of your furniture is a smart solution if you like to redecorate your home often. Both pillows and blankets are easier and inexpensive to change out of your home rather than a piece of furniture if you decide to change the theme of your room.
When you’re accessorizing your space, this is where you can bring in a lot of color, texture and natural, oceanic elements. Choose a brightly colored throw rug to bring in a splash of color. Or, for a more natural look, bring in a sisal or seagrass rug. Nautical accessories such as anchors, boats and lighthouses are easy to find in home décor stores everywhere, but consider saving yourself some money and making your own accessories. Take a clear glass vessel and fill it with sand, stones or shells. A glass bowl can be filled with the same elements and then filled with water for floating candles.
Children’s rooms can be taken to a brighter level with an ocean theme. Paint the room a bright blue or teal and add your child’s favorite sea creatures around the room to create a playful mural. If you don’t have the confidence in your shark sketching skills, then bring in bright poster displays of them instead. Again, create texture and color interest in the room by bringing in different colors with fabrics- pillows, blankets, curtains and throw rugs.
Don’t let your creativity stop with these few suggestions. Share any other ocean inspired tips you may have. And lastly, don’t get too frightened with the sharp intensity of Shark Week shows; get inspired!
Compliments of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, New York Rentals.
