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Whether you are looking for decorative pieces with a nautical theme, or are just trying to add a little tropical beach sensibility to your summer palace, there are a wide variety of options when choosing coastal wall decor.

Port Hole Wall Clocks

The most obvious series of products which fit into this category are port hole wall clocks. These are clocks which have been designed to mimic the round holes cut into the sides of ships. Reflecting both the functional necessity of the port hole, and the adventurous spirit of a rousing voyage at sea, these clocks can bring some of the salty sea air into the ambiance of your home.

Nautical port hole clocks can come with a variety of functions, and many offer barometer, temperature, and tide clock dials alongside their standard timepiece faces. Generally small, these clocks are usually less than 10 inches in diameter, and come in a variety of styles ranging from classic bru
shed metal, to whimsical beach sand decor.

Coastal Mirrors

Coastal mirrors are often manufactured from reclaimed drift wood, or other natural products that are gathered from the ocean. Even when they are just crafted from plastic, these pieces tend to be manufactured to mimic aquatic elements such as sea shells, or waves of ocean spray.

There are also a wide variety of decorative wall art and metal carving pieces depicting scenes from the beach, scenes from coast, and ocean view vistas. The piece above, offered by bluebarnacles.com is a classic example of coastal wall art.

Ship Wheels

Who can resist the camp beauty of an elegant captains wheel, sternly adorning a wall or hanging just above a mantel. Symbolic of leadership, vision, and the ability to find the right direction, and get everyone home safely, a captains wheel can be a powerful accent in any rooms decor. Perfect for the old salt in all of us.

Alright so I decided to take a look at what kind of American Revolution decor I could find on the web today. A quick search of google yielded the following items

Trocadero.com yielded a Rare American Patriot Tricorn Hat Liberty Goblet. According to the site, the glass dates back to around 1776. If you look closely at the bottom of the piece, you will see that the galss has been turned upwards into a triangular style hat. Those hats are emblematic of the struggle for American Independence, and therefore it is safe to assume that this piece was owned and used by patriots somehow involved, or at least sympathetic towards that conflict. The site goes on to speculate that the lead glass which was used in its construction was not, as was common, produced in England, since they would have had a problem with the symbolic meaning of such a piece, and that it was instead produced in Holland, a country which aligned with France against the British Empire.

Next up was goantiques.com where I found this really cool American Pole Head. Apparently these were used by officers as rallying points in a battle, but they could also be used for defensive or attacking movements.

This would be a really impressive piece to hang above a mantel, or in a library, or even an office. It would also be a powerful centerpiece to any American style display that you might want to set up.

The next revolutionary decor I stumbled across was on ebay. Here I found a revolutionary chess set that is actually rather impressive. I features two armies, all hand made and hand painted. Here is a list of the characters

AMERICANS
King: General George Washigton
Queen: Martha Dandridge Custis
Bishop: Thomas Jefferson
Horse: Paul Revere
Tower: American flag
Pawn: American Infantry

BRITISH
King: Lord Charles Cornwallis
Queen: Esposa del Lord Cornwallis / Cornwallis Wife
Bishop: British Drummer
Horse: British cavalry
Tower: British flag
Pawn: British infantry

The thing is, each face has a pretty distinct personality. Just look at the george washington in the picture above, you can really tell its him.

This one is actually a piece of fake revolutionary decor, but it would still be an interesting conversation piece. It is a replica of the pipe used in the movie National Treausre. Supposedly made during the revolution as a secret clue to help those who are worthy find Americas lost treausre, this piece was built by a professional prop maker, and features intricate designs worked deep into the material of the pipe.

Back to historical reality, we have here a Copper-engraving with contemporary hand-coloring, on laid paper with the Strasbourg Lily watermark. It depicts the battle of Bunker Hill, and has a stated date of 1776. This means that this print is actually a piece of American History, in that it was used to spread the news of the battle of bunker hill, and to help shape the understanding of the new fledgling country, during the trying days of the American Revolution.

When America first became a nation, it was a rough and tumble, rebellious, backwater country. Existing on the outskirts of the world, a whole ocean away from what then was known as the center of civilization, people had to make do with what they found in the land. They made their own furnishings, their own clothes; they built their homes rather than inheriting them from a thousand generations of family members.

This connected the American culture to the natural world, to the very earth of the country. That is why when you discuss Americana style home décor, you are almost always talking about something which was made from natural materials like whicker, hardwood, slate, or cotton.

Early America was also isolated from the world of European design, as well as manufacture. Left to build their own lives, many Americans chose to reject the formality of the old world in favor of the simple, the sturdy, and the functional. This expedience is still a staple of American culture and can be seen in everything from the towering sky scrapers of Manhattan, to the unassuming elegance of an old rocking chair that still works after 200 years of being passed down through generations.

Expedience, rebellion, and a connection to the natural world are some of the major societal factors that influence American designs. We are a people that value innovations which are careful not to reject the spiritual truths which can be found in the wisdom of nature.

The weapons of the middle ages are some of its most enduring symbols. Whether you take a fantasy based approach to your understanding of the age, reveling in the ideas of grand tournaments and chivalrous knights, or if you prefer the darker reality of an age where oppression was led by the sword, and where warfare was a constant, the weapons of the era always tend to be at the forefront of understanding, and intellectually engaging this time period.

That is why medieval weapons are such a common home décor choice. For those who feel passionately about the age, that get excited by the idea of the grit, strength, and determination of people seeking desperately to claw their way out of the darkness, there is no better homage than to hang an English long sword above their mantel. It is the very fact that the age was so desperate, and that these were the tools of life and death that makes the weapon such a powerful and even emotional statement.

The most commonly displayed medieval weapon by far is the sword. While there are a variety of sword types, ranging from sabers and shorts words, to bastard swords and even larger broadswords, they all have a common place in human history and imagination. The sword is the elegant standard of war. The trusted companion of the soldier for thousands of years, it will always have a place of dignity in human understanding.

Other weapons, such as maces, axes, and halberds are for more specialized collectors. These items have less of a place of reverence in the human imagination, and their blunt, often obvious violent intent, makes them a little unsettling for some people. However, in an aggressive environment, such as a high powered meeting or conference area, this effect may actually serve to enhance the home team advantage of whoever owns the space, giving them an aggressive and perceptual edge.

Smaller pieces such as daggers and knives, and even arrows or other smaller medieval weapons, have their place within finely matched collections. These are often historical in nature, although they can also be personal, acting as an expression of the life you live, and the way you see the world.

Medieval weapons are very powerful, potent symbols that carry with them the energy of a violent and passionate age. When used within a home or office setting, they can add a little inspiration to a space. However, you have to be cautious, because the violent nature of the pieces, may serve to create a space where violent conflicting interaction is more likely to occur.

A log home is a unique architectural structure, with specific design qualities and features. The fact that they are built from rustic hardwood affects every component of the decorative space, both inside and outside of the actual home. This material serves to forge a connection between the building itself and the surrounding natural world. This connection is so implicit, that a log home would look rather out of place in a city or suburb. That is because the idea, the philosophical core value of the log home, is its connection to primal reality.

The fact that the wood has a sense of life and growth; lent to it by the spirit of the tree from which it was harvested, also serves to give a log home an intrinsic energy. This is an untamed energy that can often be difficult to channel. It can take the form of splinters, dust, or even insects burrowing into the wood of the structure, living their lives in harmony with the materials of the building itself, but it can also take the form of unique features, growth, change, and the fresh breathtaking beauty that is our existence.

Alright, so you have a log cabin, and you have to live in it. What you want to do is try to create a sense of harmony between the forces of nature, and the needs and desires of humans. This is best done by following the rhythm of the space, rather than working against it. Try to introduce elements and choices, which will flow naturally with the inherent architecture of the design.

Materials are very important to achieving this harmony. You don’t want to try to force perfect stainless steal, or lifeless plastic molding into such an untamed space. Rather, you want to glorify the unique spirit of the home, by using unique natural materials such as hardwood products, wrought iron accessories, braided straw and wickerwork, and even rustic natural stone.

As far as patterns, avoid anything that is too complex and formal. The wood itself, wherever it is left exposed, can lead your eye towards complimentary patterns by nature of the unique formations which occur in its surface. You can also find inspiration from the unassuming ambiance that can generally be found within even the grandest and most overpowering log home interiors.

One way to balance the power which can sometimes seem harsh in a log cabin is to decorate with a variety of soft, comfortable accessories, which emphasize warmth and safety. Items such as thick rugs, soft pillows, and cushioned furnishings will all help to cut the intensity of the space.

Log Cabin Lighting Décor

The most prevalent source of light you have in a log cabin should be the sun. This space tends to invite the insperience, and as such you should welcome the golden rays of dawn into your home, and let them naturally illuminate.
Secondary lighting pieces should all try to flow with the feel and purpose of the space. Lamps and fixtures can be built using a variety of materials ranging from wrought iron, to polished pebble stone, which will make them a seamless part of the home.

One thing to consider is the nature of darkness, and its relation to the world, and the interior of the space. In the natural world, the sun rises, and there is light. When the sun goes down, there is no more light, and it is time to sleep. The fact that we can use lamps and other man made devices to resist darkness is intrinsically unnatural, a resistance to the way the world actually works.

Because of this, darkness can actually be a strategic choice in a log cabin decorative plan. At night, when the sun goes down, many people feel a log cabin should get a little bit dark, with only a few small halos of light giving localized illumination in strategic locations. For this reason table lamps are often the fixture of choice in a log cabin, as they tend to produce light in only a small area, often beside a comfortable chair, or a bed.

The other obvious choice for log cabin illumination is a fireplace. An archetype of the log cabin will generally feature a big roaring fireplace, it is simply a feature that we strongly associate with such a décor. Even if your cabin does not have a fireplace, you can always purchase a small wood burning stove, which can produce a soft, and comforting glow on cold winter nights.

The most important thing to remember when choosing home décor pieces for a log cabin is that you want to create a space that exists in harmony. Since the nature of the cabin gives it such a strong personality, it doesn’t make sense to go to war with the building; instead you should choose pieces which can exist in harmony with the inherent ambiance of the space. Once you accept the rhythm of the log materials, you can then make decorative choices which will shape the energy of the home, allowing you more freedom in your creative planning.

I thought this was a rather clever use of projection clock technology. The clock itself is rather ugly in the picture, but I imagine it would be roughly as attractive as whatever it reflected.

It would also probably be really useful in the bathroom, albeit a bit insistent. Who wants a clock staring at you, telling you to move faster or you’ll be late for work, every morning when you brush your teeth.

I saw this on Etsy and just thought it was the most clever thing in the entire world. It is a chess set made out of shaped felt pieces, on a synthetic felt board. The great thing about this is that the synthetic felt tends to stick to itself, so pieces don’t go flying off every time there is a breeze.

Better yet, if your in the middle of a game and it starts raining, or its time to move, you can just roll the pieces right up where they are, and then resume the game further down the road.

Machine washable, I have to say I was mightily impressed with the clever inspiration that went into this design.

This is a pretty trippy clock. It doesn’t look like it would be very easy to tell the time on it, but maybe thats the point. The time melds listlessly into the piece, becoming almost innocuous. I can appreciate a desire to forget the constant second ticking away, until i need to look up, and concentrate, just enough, to tell the time

This unique wall clock is made from a variety of pieces which are fused together to form a coherent surface of complimentary colors.

The vision of artist Tony Wurman, the clock is constructed out of a type of fused plastic, that has the shimmering sheen of a piece of glass. Formerly a Medical Imagining professional, Mr. Wurmans works are inspired by the physical representation of the deep physiology of a human body. In this way his pieces have a kind of life, that almost leaps from the surface to grab your attention.

I am a sucker for these grinding gear clocks. The antique style models are much nicer, and usually come with a glass case, but this one looks a lot more durable. Great for getting that complicated look, without having to worry about kids or pets smashing into it.

We found this table clock on Apt-NY for $58