Believe it or not, nautical decor is not all about nautical home decorations. You can’t just stick a replica diving helmet or other nautical items on display, and think you’re done.

No, nautical decor requires a holistic approach. If you really want your interior design to mimic that of a place by the sea, you need to think about the colors. Here are a few tips to help.

The Colors You Should Focus On.

Nautical decor typically focuses on navy, khaki, and white. Those three colors should be your primary focus, and be the dominant colors you use to decorate. Consider painting your walls or ceiling these colors; buying furniture that is, compliments, or works with these colors; and laying down a rug of these colors.

The Colors You Could Also Possibly Use.

Now, this doesn’t mean you only need to use navy, khaki, and white. Many interior designers often use red, yellow, and black as secondary nautical decor colors. These are the colors you want to use as accents, painting the mantle and eaves of a room to compliment the dominant colors.

The Colors You Should Avoid Like a Maelstrom.

Some colors, however, you have to avoid like a ship steers away from a massive storm. Bright pinks, lime greens, and day-glow oranges are all utterly and completely antithetical to nautical decor. Basically, if it looks like something a teeny-bopper would wear to a pep-rally or to a nightclub, it shouldn’t belong with your nautical decor.
nautical decor

It’s not hard to nail a nautical theme, but you do have to put a bit of thought and planning into things, considering all of the different components that make up a room. If you’re designing a nautical themed room, use navy, khaki, and white as your dominant colors, red, yellow, and black as your secondary colors, and avoid neon colors. If you do, you’ll be fine.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.