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 previously 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.
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Draped Cabana: Regent Seven Seas Mariner
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| 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.
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