Nautical Guest Room Moodboard

Nautical Guest Room Moodboard

Last week I told you about the basic plans for our guest room and where the bigger pieces will go, so today let’s talk about the fun stuff: what it’s going to look like!

You got it, our guest room is going to the sea, er, Lake Erie. We’re going with a nautical theme, but we want more creepy steampunk than preppy Nantucket, if you know what I mean. We’re planning dark navy walls, creamy white ceiling and floors, white bedding and plenty of quirky art to keep a guest entertained.

I think it’s also fun that our guest room is on the north side of our house, facing Lake Erie (about a mile away), and it’s very possible that the first owner of our house was in the shipping business, since that was one of the main industries for our Ohio City neighborhood in the 19th century. It’s fun to bring some of that history back… even if it’s in a silly way.

It all started with this print called “Inked” by one of my favorite Cleveland artists, Grey Cardigan. We have several of his prints around the house. We bought this one featuring a tattooed, mustached sailor and his octopus friend at a Made in the 216 holiday event a few years ago and knew it was the perfect jumping off point to design an entire room around.

Clockwise from top left: “Inked” print by Grey Cardigan on Etsy | “Navy Blue” S-H-580 paint by Behr | chord pendant light from CB2 | Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art from Amazon | Nautical Chalkboard Art Print by Lily & Val on Scoutmob | blue striped rug from Urban Outfitters | whitby wallpaper in washed denim by Mini Moderns

I think it’s important for every room to be a little quirky — it just suits our personalities — and in a guest room you have a little more freedom to have fun, because why not?? It’s not a room you go in every day and it’s entertaining for visitors, like staying in a theme hotel. Who doesn’t love that?

So what do you think of the ideas for our quirky nautical guest room?! Who’s coming to visit??

— Kerry