If your home is in need of a revamp, what better way to transform your space from bland to beachy than with a few easy DIY projects? With these simple nautical home decor ideas, you can craft your very own pieces of furniture using easy-to-find materials, making use of natural, earthy tones, alongside the traditional sea blues and peaceful whites for a wonderfully playful theme. Let’s set sail and get straight to it…
Nautical wreath
There’s no better way to get your front porch looking shipshape than with a DIY nautical wreath, a decorative take on a life preserver. All you’ll need for this easy crafting exercise is a foam wreath – you’ll be able to find one of these in a pound shop or hobby shop – a ruler, scissors, straight pins, cotton rope and two different colours of fabric – take blue and white as a classic, sea-themed example. Once you’re equipped with the materials, start to wrap your white fabric around the foam wreath, securing the beginning and end of your fabric strips down with the pins. Continue the wrapping motion until you’ve made your way around the whole wreath. Next, add the contrasting blue fabric to around ¼ of the wreath.
To add the finishing touches, use your decorative cotton rope to place evenly around the wreath’s edges, pinning in place once complete.
Rope vases
Rope-wrapped vases make the perfect nautical decorative pieces, being a DIY method that’s as easy to follow as it is cost-effective. It’s a brilliant way to upcycle bits and bobs you may have lying around the house, such as empty food cans, that can be transformed into a fancy piece of furniture (although it may seem impossible at first). You’ll also need to equip yourself with jute rope – which is the ideal choice for adding a touch of nautical flair – super glue and scissors. Simply start at the bottom of your chosen can, swirling your rope around the edge and using a small dot of glue every so often to secure everything down. Work your way up to the top, snipping the rope and gluing the end down when complete. Who says that redecorating can’t be cheap?
Nautical mirror
A fun way to spruce up any basic mirror; why not wrap manilla rope around the edge to look as though it were hanging in a beach hut? To craft your own DIY nautical mirror, find a board that it can be super glued onto for a sturdy base, using your manilla rope to wrap around the outer edge of the mirror to make the frame. Prop your new mirror against a wall as it is, or you could add screws and wire to the back to make a hanging mechanism.
Coasters
DIY nautical coasters are yet another super simple craft, and a great way to make your dining table look more inviting. You can use manilla rope for this one due to it’s durable, flexible and water-resistant qualities – protecting your table against any inevitable spillages. To make your base, you’ll need to find a circular object, such as a CD, and fabric to super glue onto your template. When choosing the latter, just make sure that the material is strong and won’t be prone to fraying. Using your circular object as a stencil, trace around onto the material and cut out when you’re done. Next, hold your rope in the centre of the circle, and start spiralling it around, working your way to the outer edge. Snip your rope at an angle when you’re done, and secure it in place. And that’s all there is to it! Another simple nautical home decor idea that only takes a few minutes to create.
DIY rope entry mat
The technique used to craft a DIY rope entry mat is almost identical to your nautical coasters, but you’ll need a lot more rope – depending on how big you want to make it. To set-up your crafting space, lay tarp or a cloth on the floor to protect the surface from superglue. Tape in place for sturdiness, and now you can begin spiralling your rope from the centre to the outer edge. When you feel as though your mat is big enough, snip off the end of your rope and secure it down. Simple.
Beachy garland
Who doesn’t love a bit of bunting? Not only will this brighten up your home and look fantastic on show during summer garden parties, it’s even more rewarding to step back and admire a product that’s been crafted from scratch. To start your next DIY project, you’ll need a heavy duty rope that’s able to support your hanging decorations – again, manilla rope is a good one for this – and twine to tie your decorative pieces to the main rope. Taking inspiration from Finding Home’s method, you could use mason jar caps, shells, starfish and even driftwood to really bring out your maritime aesthetic – so if there’s any excuse to go scavenging on a beachy getaway, it’s this. All you’ll need to do is glue your nautical objects onto the twine, tying each one onto your main rope to finish off your nautical garland.
If these simple nautical home decor ideas have piqued your interest, we have all the resources to support your next crafting project. Get in touch with our team today to see which of our high quality materials, from rope to twine, is best for you.