I am getting married in March and my husband and I will be moving back into my childhood home. We are going to do a basic re-do for all of the paint and flooring in the house. It is a three bedroom, two bath, with a great room, kitchen and mud/laundry room. We are both into country/cottage/rustic decor. I have been given some navy blue tile to use in the guest bathroom…I was thinking maybe to do a nautical theme in there. Other suggestions for that would be WELCOME! I am not a huge fan of nautical, but it was the first thing that popped into my head with blue tile. Anyway, for all the other rooms, we are completely open to suggestions. Thanks so much!
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Faced with a daunting task of redecorating the house you grew up in is not easy. You certainly want it different to represent who you are many times it’s difficult to think past what worked in the past and what you want and trying to be "different".
The thing you want to keep in mind is rooms should transition well as you walk through them especially if they are open to others. Lighting is another consideration when choosing colors. A dining room on the south side of the house as opposed to the north will lend itself to very different decor options.
Nautical is certainly a great idea for navy tiles. In keeping with your country preferences I would think of white beadboard 3/4 of the way up with a shelf at the top. Blue and white toile curtians and white shutters. find some old milk glass to add into the mix.
Choose brushed nickle or pewter for fixtures. Add a touch of coral or lime.
Choose white as your base through out the house. If you go with a beige make sure it has clear yellow undertones.
Take your time finding elements that work for you and don’t shoot yourselves in the foot with mistakes that could be permanent. Having an issue finding the right barndoor kitchen set? An old garage sale pedestal table painted your dish color works till then, that’s the beauty of country decor.
Nautical doesn’t really go with a country/rustic theme Britt. You could use some deep burgundy or forest green in there to go with the navy. If you wanted it brighter, you could use a soft yellow. Yellow and navy can be beautiful together. Then you could go through the rest of your house with some earthy colors like greens, browns, reds and yellows.
I suggest taking a trip to Barnes and Noble and get a pile of books and a cup of coffee, then sit there and just leaf through looking for what you like. Magazines are helpful too.
Congrats on your new house! We’re doing the same thing and that’s pretty much my decor also. (Except we weren’t lucky enough to score the free tile!)
Although bold wall color is exciting when you first do it, if you’re like me you’ll quickly grow tired of seeing it constantly. I would suggest a neutral tone for the walls – different shades of tan throughout the house but all in the same family, just lighter and darker shades with white trim and molding. Use bold colors as an accent, (should represent no more than 30%) – that way when you tire of the bold color, it will be as easy as changing out your accents instead of repainting the whole room. I know it will look great when you’re all done and just have some fun with it! Best of luck to you both.