Sail Away With Me...

Today's post is going to the docks... today is a good friend of mine's birthday and he is an avid sailor. When someone has a passion like his you can't help but be inspired. However, sailing and all things nautical are, I find, one of the easiest themes to get carried away with. Just because someone has a love of sailing or lives near the beach does not mean it ALL needs to be anchors and sailcloth...although I have to say I have seen vintage sailcloth drapes and it was breath taking! As usual I digress... when working with a hobby or passion the advantage is that you usually know what is crap and what isn't. Gorgeous collections like the found seashells on the left add a personality to a bathroom and instantly take you into the heart and soul of the home owner...if these were store bought all perfect and regular seashells it would have the exact opposite effect and feel forced and contrived- I know that sounds silly for such a subtle difference but it is real! I have seen bowls of collected sea glass and felt the pull of nostalgia knowing that endless beach walks lead to that bowl and  I have seen bowls of store bought sea glass that is just a little too perfect and it makes me sad knowing that person can't take the time out of their life to actually look for sea glass anywhere other that Target. I guess my point is if you want to go literal with a hobby, passion or collection make sure it is genuine and make sure it is yours...and in the case of the sailboats lining the hallway- make sure they are worthy of being in such a prominent display.

Turning a passion or hobby into inspiration for design doesn't have to be as obvious as displaying a collection. It can be as subtle as capturing the spirit of an old wooden boat in the water, like the antique dressers at the right do when they are set against fresh blue paint. Or perhaps it is the spirit of the adventure and journey that draw you to the water...use vintage maps. You can get vintage maps easily now with the internet but you never really know what you are getting so I recommend scouring old book stores and antique stores in your town and on your travels and find a map (or maps) that means something to you. And because I know just how expensive it can get to frame a large delicate map don't be afraid to use it unframed like the nursery shown here.

And while I am not the biggest fan of over the top literal theme decorating there is something charming about a well placed cleat... either as a tie down for your roman shades or used as drawer pulls on an old dresser the honesty of using a real nautical cleat is a subtle reminder of that love of the water and that passion that rings so true when you talk about your hobby.

And I would be absolutely remiss to discuss the passion of sailing and not mention how utterly chic boat shoes are these day! So even if you are land locked on the Upper East Side- sport your passion and rock some boat shoes- they are seriously comfortable. And to be honest it absolutely makes me laugh that they are the must have shoe of all the co-eds around UVA because trust me we could not be further from the docks! The past few seasons have found boat shoes on major runways instead of docks so just Google boat shoes and see what celebs you can find wearing them...these are not your father's boat shoes anymore!

Photos by: Gossip Girl, Coastal Living, HGTV, OhDeeDoh