Interior Decorating Your Sailboat ?

[charliehows]

Originally Posted by o_q

there seems to be a battle between two types of people here:
Those who are aesthetically inclined.
Those who are lazy and/or messy, and possibly justifying it by labeling themselves "functional".

Lazy,messy goes with spending any more than a small amount of time on a boat.
I make changes quite slowly on my boat because its necessary to balance a number of things – functionality being one, sabi being another – I love the way that weather and the laying on of hands shapes things on a boat and its very easy to lose that character. Well designed functionality also tends to be beautiful – I've been re-introducing leather on my boat – unsurpassed as chafe protection on mooring lines, downright beautiful on the ends of the crosstrees, and most recently as covers for the sharp stainless steel tubes at the top of the boarding ladder – this one I particularly love because it's almost the first thing i touch every time I climb aboard.

[NatKat]

I find great beauty in functionality. It is the aesthetic which inspired the Craftsman Movement in architecture. Nothing lazy about it.

I love to cook ... call me crazy ... but I LIKE to see my cooking utensils hanging from hooks in the galley. They are shiny steel and make gracious dinners, delicious lunches, and fortifying breakfasts. Only down side is when they get to banging the wall.

What's up with you O_Q?

You might not share the functional aesthetic ... but why would you judge people as lazy b/c they find beauty in useful objects?
That is the very thing I find compelling about sailboats ... there is a marriage of form and function which is beautiful and practical all at once. Sails WORK to catch the wind ... yet they look so graceful and elegant. Very few powerboats can match a sailboat for beauty in spite of their luxe decor.

But hey, if luxe decor is your thing ... maybe get a power boat and do it up fancy?

cheers,
NatKat

[o_q]

Originally Posted by NatKat

What's up with you o_q?

I'm just angry I don't have a boat to decorate, so I'm taking it out on you.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by charliehows

???? dont know what happened there...
Why is the predominant colour used for furnishings blue? combo of blue, woodgrain, white is almost a default - not that, as in the 20 footer above, it needn't look great...

I have green canvas -- not a glaring green, a little muted. I found great fabric marked WAY down and a friend and I are recovering the cushions in the cabin. It will be shades of green with a little navy blue woven in, very soft color. We made window coverings out of moss green curtains and I have enough upholstery left over that I can make snap panels for the shelves so I can cover the messy stuff/keep it from flying out on a gust.

It's really not hard to recover the cushions. Just find a fabric you like. It's not like it's going to be exposed to the elements, although as it turns out the fabric I bought is water-repellant. I didn't buy it in a marine store. Just got lucky.

[NatKat]

Originally Posted by o_q

I'm just angry I don't have a boat to decorate, so I'm taking it out on you.

LOL, D*mn girl, put those claws away ... hope you get a BEAUTIFUL boat real soon and do it up just how you like ... as for me ... I am saving-up just to buy fabric to re-do the settee ... with my saving abilities ... this gives me plenty of time to agonize over which colour and solid or pattern hahaha

cheers,
NatKat

[o_q]

Originally Posted by NatKat

LOL, D*mn girl, put those claws away ... hope you get a BEAUTIFUL boat real soon and do it up just how you like ... as for me ... I am saving-up just to buy fabric to re-do the settee ... with my saving abilities ... this gives me plenty of time to agonize over which colour and solid or pattern hahaha

cheers,
NatKat

post a example of what you want to do

[SailPenelope]

Simple and tidy is best. Functional items can be decorative. Some areas of "nothing" do help - I'm lucky to have one large empty bulkhead.....helps balance the "busyness" of everywhere else. I let the bookshelves collect stuff...and then I purge. Even though the boat has a fraction of what's at home....it still has more than I need. Amazing.

i have two handmade doilies - one tatted, one crocheted, that I made over 20 years ago in a different lifetime. I brought them to the boat and lay them on the table from time to time. Two reasons: One, I'm kind of showing off to myself and others - see - this boat is so tidy there is room for these useless doilies. Two - they were pretty complicated to make, but I succeeded, and they serve as a reminder that much can be accomplished if one perseveres.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by NatKat

LOL, D*mn girl, put those claws away ... hope you get a BEAUTIFUL boat real soon and do it up just how you like ... as for me ... I am saving-up just to buy fabric to re-do the settee ... with my saving abilities ... this gives me plenty of time to agonize over which colour and solid or pattern hahaha

cheers,
NatKat

Funny!!!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by SailPenelope

Simple and tidy is best. Functional items can be decorative. Some areas of "nothing" do help - I'm lucky to have one large empty bulkhead.....helps balance the "busyness" of everywhere else. I let the bookshelves collect stuff...and then I purge. Even though the boat has a fraction of what's at home....it still has more than I need. Amazing.

i have two handmade doilies - one tatted, one crocheted, that I made over 20 years ago in a different lifetime. I brought them to the boat and lay them on the table from time to time. Two reasons: One, I'm kind of showing off to myself and others - see - this boat is so tidy there is room for these useless doilies. Two - they were pretty complicated to make, but I succeeded, and they serve as a reminder that much can be accomplished if one perseveres.

Yeah -- I used to do pottery, and I have one small bowl left. I don't have much room to display art. I found an old book with spectacular, small photos of sea life. I'm going to simply laminate them and put them up between the portholes.

[NatKat]

Hi O_Q,
not sure exactly how to post a picture ... hope this works. The weird blue streak is the photo not the boat ... long story I won't go into here.
It is 1966 Islander Wayfarer 33' made in Costa Mesa CA USA
As you can see, the interior is off-white paint with mid-tone wood.
table is a nautical chart of San Diego - Los Angeles. Original.

The previous owners did the settee in maroon velvet stripe.
Not to my taste and looking shabby now.

I vascilate between Hawaiian floral (which the BF would love) or just something neutral like solid tan or true red or aegean turquoise (which would go with the nautical chart table)
... or somthing kitschy suggestive of 1960s surf movies (BF is life-long surfer & we live in a surf town). God help me the stove is 1970s vintage harvest freakin gold ... but it works too well to replace it w/ modern steel.

LOL the only thing I know for sure is I will go with poly sunbrella knock-off type fabric - HATE VELOUR.


cheers,
NatKat

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by NatKat

Hi O_Q,
not sure exactly how to post a picture ... hope this works. The weird blue streak is the photo not the boat ... long story I won't go into here.
It is 1966 Islander Wayfarer 33' made in Costa Mesa CA USA
As you can see, the interior is off-white paint with mid-tone wood.
table is a nautical chart of San Diego - Los Angeles. Original.

The previous owners did the settee in maroon velvet stripe.
Not to my taste and looking shabby now.

I vascilate between Hawaiian floral (which the BF would love) or just something neutral like solid tan or true red or aegean turquoise (which would go with the nautical chart table)
... or somthing kitschy suggestive of 1960s surf movies (BF is life-long surfer & we live in a surf town). God help me the stove is 1970s vintage harvest freakin gold ... but it works too well to replace it w/ modern steel.

LOL the only thing I know for sure is I will go with poly sunbrella knock-off type fabric - HATE VELOUR.


cheers,
NatKat

Nat -- they make paint for appliances. You don't have to keep the harvest gold unless it just thrills you to your bones!

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by charliehows

Well designed functionality also tends to be beautiful

+1
Stainless steel, leather, timber ....... All can be absolutely beautiful to both look at and handle. Boat hardware needs no adornment and when well designed it can be such a pleasure to use

I also like this quote from William Morris and it lends itself extra well to boat interiors:
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

As storage is such a big deal on board, I keep only functional items and these are the best quality I can source. I love both seeing and using them (tools, galley equipment, even small items like my pocket knife and head torch). I would tweak the Pardey's well known motto to say: "Go minimum, go good, go now."

As for colour, it is well known that it affects mood, and in the confines of a cabin this is even more of an issue. I know I would certainly be cranky if I had to live in dull surroundings all day .

I don't think it is always a question of laziness though when people are messy or don't worry about how their surrounds look. Some people are just aesthetically sensitive to their surrounds, others couldn't give aren't .

[capttman]

Hey my boat is my home I decorate it in my taste, she definitely could use the touch of a women to soften the man cave look ( sorry not being sexist just think women have a better feel for decorating) but I try.
Why wouldn't you decorate? Why

[tamicatana]

Why do the same ol' same ol'?

Salon:


Bimini, soon to be also sail and sacrificial jib covers:


Cockpit, including winch covers:

[NatKat]

Hi Rakuflames,
I have done appliance paint at home - makeover on an Acme Kitchenette - and the results were less than spectacular. Can you recommend me a better product? I used spray cans from the hardware store that were specially made "Appliance Paint". For the amount of effort to spray, the toxic fumes and mediocre results ... I will live with the Harvest (freakin') gold until it dies and I can replace w/ stainless steel.

Hi Tamicatana,
I like the colors you used ... that bright turquoise is one of the colors I am considering for settee cushions. The lime green is a nice complement ...

So ... any votes to help me choose a direction on our boat?

Solids vs. Hawaiian floral?
Would surfer kitsch be too stupid (assuming I could even find the right print in the right fabric ... so far I have only seen the surf-board prints in cotton or poly cotton which isn't really tough enough for the settee cushions)

If solid ... turquoise? true red? tan? Lime green (thanks Tamicatana)

Any help making the decision is appreciated ...

Here is the pic again so you can see the existing ... 1966 Islander Wayfarer / 33'
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...cture17537.jpg

cheers,
NatKat