More Nautical Decor/Coastal Decor Tips from Lucy Welch-Allen

One of the true wonders of wall art..in any form ..is that it can be placed or hung on a blank wall and have the ability to stand entirely on its own, without benefit of props or furnishings. (Walk through any gallery or museum and you’ll see what I mean.) Furniture, on the other hand, cannot! Invariably, it looks incomplete without some kind of accessorizing. (Say a mermaid sculpture or an iron fish for instance. ha!)

CASE IN POINT:

If you have an exterior door opposite your dining rooms entry, try hanging an iron fish sculpture on both sides of that door for a bit of a wow factor. (both, hung facing the door and approx. a foot and a half away from the casing.)

Or, hang a medium size pair of the metal fish (stacked) on one side of the door and the smallest size fish sculpture on the other.

Or, if the room is large enough to handle it, go large x’s 2 on one side and medium on the other. (These hand-crafted coastal sculptures measure: 29″ x 17″ / 24″ x 12″ / 16″ x 8″ )

If you ‘must’ have a pair of coastal sculptures per side instead, please do have them facing the same direction, and vary the sizes and fish designs. No matchy, matchy!

For those of you who feel that all wall art must be properly framed to be ‘correct’…try this as an alternative:  Hang your nautical art first, then encase it with a simple clear Lucite box. (that way it’s framed…but not!) The upside being that nothing detracts from the integrity of the piece, the craftsmanship, the artistry or, in this case, the signature vintage finish.)
I can almost hear the collective sigh of relief from folk artisan and metal sculptors everywhere!

Anytime that you have a wall with two windows and generous spacing between them, think big or thing groupings. Here, you can go ‘coastal decor’ by hanging a “school of fish”. It fun, tongue-in-cheek and it really does break up the monotony of a wall with no real purpose.

Or, for a wall with a bit larger..but still ‘dull as dishwater’ space, ‘stage’ what would appear to be two or more large fish (staggered) in pursuit of a smaller one…starting near the top and gradually curving downward. If nothing else..it’s quite the conversation starter.

A less predatory approach would be to mimic the above scenario using a small group of small fish chasing an equally small fish. (an innocent game of tag perhaps??) Totally out of context, but, wouldn’t that look fantastic in a child’s bedroom?? A quick change of venue and a particular look can go from dining room tongue-in-cheek chic to flat out adorable in the blink of an eye.

Which just goes to prove my theory…..that art is chameleon-like in how it has the ability to change the essence of a room’s overall look and feel.