Cruise Ship Decor
Adapting It For Your Home
by Linda Coffman
It was love at first sight. While that sort of
attraction is usually associated with a member of the opposite sex,
I'm talking about the silk cut duvet cover and plush pillows on my
bed aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.
The look was so appealing that I wanted it in my
master bedroom at home. Only, not in impractical white. And as much as I
liked the jade green of the pillows, it would clash with my current color scheme.
Fortunately, I found a similar duvet cover in dark blue with the
same striped effect. Piled high with complementing pillows, I
achieved a similar look.
That's just one way to "bring home" the best of
what you enjoy about your cruise vacation.
Designing Men &
Women
While most cruise ship decor is a bit over-the-top
or necessarily over-sized to fill expansive public areas, there are
ways to adapt certain elements to fit in your living spaces. For
instance, I'd never try to re-create the comfortable, but
impractical "baseball glove" style chairs found in Holland America
Line's Sports Bar on
Eurodam. However, there is a leather wing chair in my den
that is similar in style to the ones my husband found so comfortable
in the Wheelhouse Bar aboard
Princess Cruises'
Ruby Princess. The shaving/make-up mirror from Carnival Cruise
Lines' Carnival Glory bathroom has found its way into my dressing
room. No, I didn't pack it in my suitcase. A look-alike was available at my local
Bed, Bath & Beyond store.
 |
| Draped
Cabanas: Regent Seven Seas Mariner |
 |
|
The Draped Cabana look at home |
Another stylish decor element that caught my eye
is one that's sweeping through the cruise industry—the
draped cabana. Found mostly on premium to high-end cruise lines such
as Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, and Oceania Cruises, my
favorite cabanas are located near the swimming pool on Regent Seven Seas
Cruises' Seven Seas
Mariner. They offer comfortable areas of privacy and
serenity for quiet conversation, reading, or simply watching the
sea.
My house doesn't have a pool,
but it does have a deck—an essential
element on every ship. Okay, that's a stretch, but we enjoy using
our at-home deck and have made it a comfortable outdoor
living space with cushioned wicker furniture, patio umbrellas,
plants, and flowers. We even have low voltage LED light tubes
installed under the rail for indirect lighting (similar to what you
find lighting atrium stairways on Carnival Splendor).
The deck was missing something, though. There was
some essential needed to complete the overall look. I thought of
those cruise ship cabana drapes and decided they would be a
practical addition. Not only does the filmy crushed voile fabric
soften the appearance of the tall posts, the drapes are practical. In late
afternoon they can be drawn together in the middle to filter the setting sun's glare.
Personal Style
You don't have to be an interior designer to
appreciate the elements of style aboard modern cruise ships. And, as
I've demonstrated, you don't have to be a genius to adapt the ones
you like to your personal environment. What you do need is a bit of
imagination and a lot of flexibility to make it work for you in a
practical way.
Use your imagination to set the scene at home.
Functionality and practicality are important. Those cabana drapes
serve a functional, as well as decorative, purpose. The
shaving/make-up mirror is practical. The leather wing chair is
comfortable.
On your next cruise vacation, take a look around
to see what ideas you can take home. Just don't steal the towels.
