Surfboards make cool accessories in a surf-themed room.
The surf theme reflects a cool, laid-back lifestyle lived in the wildest waves of the water. The colors of this decorating style run in the cool palette, and the decorative motif features interesting visual aspects of the ocean and a surfer's life. To put the room together, stick to simplicity and try to incorporate as many authentic pieces as possible into your decorating scheme. From the board to the critters you find on the beach, almost anything ocean and surf-related is game in this decorating style. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Choose surf colors. Surf colors reflect the sand and the sea, so bright, vibrant colors like red, white and blue work very well. Some surf looks also gravitate toward the flower power look of the '60s when surfer music reigned; try out colors like lime green and soda-pop orange for a retro surfer look.
2. Paint a silhouette mural of a surfer riding on the ocean waves. Make this a focal wall; it'll help draw the eye into the room and its decor.
3. Lean surfboards against the walls. This supports the decorating theme and gives you a place to tape up photos of you and your pals at the beach. Try a group of three boards with the longest board positioned in the back and the other two leaning against it. You may want to insert some nails in the wall to keep the boards in place. To do this, pound a few long nails into the wall, but don't let them go deep. Scoot the edge of the board next to the nails so that it can't slide along the wall. You're not nailing the boards to the wall, but rather using the nails as a prop of sorts to keep them in an upright position. A vertical row of three or four nails should be enough for the board to lean against.
4. Hang up curtains with surfer themes or that complement your colors. Use bold choices and breezy fabric.
5. Use ocean items as decorating accessories. These can include the round rescue ring, a buoy, antique glass floats and fishing net. The net you can hang on the wall with the glass balls suspended in it. Place the buoy in a corner and hang the rescue ring above your bed.
6. Decorate with vintage surf posters from movies. Have posters framed and create a gallery of pictures. Group the posters in clusters of three or five for a casual look; hang a large poster to one side and flank each side of it with two smaller posters.
7. Bring in beach-friendly furniture. Wicker offers an excellent choice -- it has the look of the furniture in beach-side bars or cabanas. If the room is a bedroom, look for dressers made from wicker. If you're decorating a room like the den, make sure you find a couch and chairs with brightly colored cushions to finish off the look. Consider deck chairs as well. Place a couple in the corner.
8. Lay down surfboard rugs. These rugs are shaped like the boards and come in a variety of colors.
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