Fish Wall Art: Ideas for Decorating a Finished Basement with a Nautical Theme

As Christopher Cross once sang, sailing can indeed make us feel “free.” Like soaring through the sky or speeding down a highway, boating on a lake, river, or sea can allow us to leave all of our worries behind. However, even if we are not landlubbers, most of us never spend the majority of our lives in a ship or boat. So if you cannot go out to the sea, have the sea come to you! By creating a nautical theme in a room, you can create an aura of actually being in a boat or on a ship. Here are some tips to create a nautical theme in your finished basement:

Color is Key

Color is essential when creating a nautical theme for basements. Use colors that will create imagery of the sea. No nautical theme would be complete without the color of seas and oceans: navy blue. White and khaki are also excellent colors to use for the room’s palette. Because all of these colors tend to be somewhat drab, you can use red accents to add some zest to your basement. Another option is to use a neutral color (i.e. khaki) for accessories, in order to serve as a bridge between white and blue. However, you can also create combinations of other colors, to construct imagery of nautical themes. For instance, red, white , and blue remind us of marine attire. We think of sailors’ uniforms when we see the colors of navy blue and white. The color khaki reminds us of seas of sand. Experiment with different colors to create the perfect nautical palette.

Accessorize, Accessorize!

Throughout our lives, we collect a cornucopia of knickknacks that serve as virtual time machines, allowing us to recall special moments in our lives. It is the “power of suggestion.” Try strategically placing a variety of objects around the room, which are evocative of the sea and ocean. Some basic examples include a barometer,compass,conch shell, lantern, rigging, or a wooden boat.

You can also use a variety of fabrics with nautical themes, for accessories. Some options include nautical-themed upholstery for chairs and cushions, throw pillows, and window treatments. For instance, you can find throw pillows with designs such as shells, boats, and fishes. Yet another way to spice up your accessories, is by warming up a glue gun and adding shells to accessories such as boxes, lamps, and mirrors.

If you cannot always be in a sailboat, the next best situation is to turn the interior of your basement into one! You can use various techniques to achieve this goal. Use a combination of white or cream-colored curtains that are shaped as sails, and dark window trim comprised of wood. Be creative and utilize a variety of methods to transform the room into a boat!

You can use a variety of methods to incorporate the walls of the basement into your nautical theme. One of the most obvious ones is nautical wall decor. Use paintings and photographs of boats, fishes, etc., to create images of the sea. However, you should avoid hanging such wall art haphazardly. Consider the size, scale and context of the pieces when grouping them on a wall.

Wall décor can include items that are actually located on ships and boats. Hang up flashy nautical flags around the room, to create the feeling of being on a ship. Place an actual steering wheel from a boat, up on a wall. Use a bulky, knotted “dock rope” and then string it around the top of walls.

Shelves are yet another tool for contributing to the nautical theme. Install wall shelves, and then add various pieces such as lanterns, seashell collections, mini lighthouses, ships in a bottle, and so on.

Placement of Décor is Important

When using the nautical-themed décor, as with any other decor its placement is crucial. For instance, when displaying items on walls, shelves, tables, etc., place the items at varying heights. This will keep visitors to your basement engrossed and their eyes constantly moving. For instance, you can create a staggered effect by positioning nautical wall art, such as fish wall art,at different heights. Also, you could place model ships of varying heights, on shelves. Another method would be to position candle holders of dissimilar heights, on tables.

Another useful method when placing décor in a basement, is to position mirrors directly across a basement window. Basement windows tend to be quite small, letting in a minimum amount of sunlight. By placing a mirror directly across the window, sunlight will bounce off the mirror, and then spread throughout the basement.

Just as a boat is not flat, so it is important to add a sufficient amount of texture and depth to the room. Use bamboo frames around hanging photographs and artwork. Include vintage suitcases, chests, etc. to create additional texture and depth. You can also use thin or wide stripes to further add depth to your basement.

Have Fun with Furniture

Furniture in your nautical-themed basement does not need to be strictly formal or casual. In fact, use items ranging from simple sea-grass chairs to pricey panel cabinets, to create a blend of formal and informal furniture pieces. While nautical life can be somewhat of an exclusive one (considering the cost of most boats). However, many of us have fond memories of rides on ferry boats during vacations, or in small boats during fishing trips. Use a variety of casual and formal furniture to combine the pedestrian and exclusive worlds of nautical life! You could also combine a mix of furniture with different finishes. Select some furniture with drab finishes, and others with glossy finishes.

Most of us cannot go sailing daily. However, we can use particular decor in our finished basements, to dream daily of the open seas!