Nautical Door Knockers

I love how a door knocker can transform an otherwise plain front door.

Lobster knocker I saw in Georgetown (Washington DC) this past weekend.

Whale's Tail, Georgetown

Kiel James Patrick

https://kieljamespatrick.com/index.php

Old Salt

Landlocked Sea Dog

(originally posted by Jo Howells-Mead)

Nautical Lighting

I love the warm neutral color of nautical rope.

Detail of a navigational chart lamp shade.

Buoy Lamp

Driftwood Lamp.

Robert McCloskey

Robert McCloskey is one of my favorite children's authors and illustrators. Reading his books is like watching an old film and saying, "They don't make 'em like they used to".

Make Way For Ducklings is the book that he is most noted for. It's so beautifully written and illustrated -

 a Boston classic!

I love the colors in his illustrations. They are so dream-like and whimsical.

Make Way For Ducklings sculpture located in the Boston Public Garden.

http://www.ohioana-authors.org/mccloskey/highlights.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McCloskey

The Way Life Should Be

My sister Katie and I went to Kennebunkport, Maine this past Labor Day and had such an incredible time! Kennebunkport is a quaint coastal town with cute shops, galleries and restaurants. It's a small enough town to explore in a day, although I could spend days there sitting on the beach. 

Kennebunkport Welcome Sign

Painting in progress outside one of the galleries in downtown Kennebunkport,

Before we left we had to catch a glimpse of the Bush compound at Walker's Point.

http://kennebunkport.org/

http://www.visitmaine.com/region/beaches/kennebunkport/

http://www.kennebunkport.com/

Flags

Naval Signal Flags

There is something very festive about nautical flags.

I love the contrast between the white room and the saturated flag colors.

Yacht Club Chic

Less Is More ...

Less is definitely more in decorating. I love interior design and I'm always looking for new decorating ideas. When it comes to nautical decor I've found it's very easy to go "overboard" (no pun intended), ESPECIALLY with children's rooms it seems. I've seen so many examples of nautical inspired children's rooms that look like pirate ships or a crayola crayons box with way too many primary colors.

I have posted some examples of rooms that, in my opinion, executed the nautical theme very well without looking over-done.

 I absolutely love the orange and the vintage suitcases.

I love bedrooms with lots of white.