naturally nautical

With summer right around the corner, my favorite way to add a little beachy vibe to your decor is with natural materials and accessories.  Rope, jute, seagrass, baskets, even whitewashed furniture, driftwood and coral are beautiful, elegant alternatives to kitschy nautical accessories that are all over retail stores this time of year.  Here are a few of my picks for adding beautiful natural, nautical decor - and the best part is that all of these items bring warmth, texture and interest to your home year round, not just in the summer!

This seagrass daybed gives me heart palpitations!  The modern lines and woven texture are perfect for summer naps on a covered or screened-in porch, not to mention fabulous additional seating for a living room or bedroom!

I found a dead ringer for this Pottery Barn rope lamp at TJMaxx last week for less than a third of the price - rope is one of my favorite ways to add a nautical nod.

Faux coral is so lovely and works with every decor style-these pieces look so real, you'd never know they were actually resin!

Add a little summer style to bookshelves, coffee tables or doorways with a jute monkey's fist.  Here's my tutorial on how to make one yourself - it's easier than you think!

Add some nautical flair to your dinner table with these woven rope napkin rings. 

This resin knotted rope bowl looks just as fabulous holding fruit on your kitchen counter as it does holding matches on your coffee table.

Can't get enough of this gilt coral bowl - so beautiful on its own!

Love the shape and generous size of this kubu coffee table - would look just as amazing indoors as outdoors!

scott currie's chic southampton retreat

Being married to a Marine, I can appreciate incorporating nautical elements into your decor...heck, I've got quite a bit in my own home that just happens to also have personal meaning (hello, nautical charts!)  I think there's a fine line between tasteful and kitschy when it comes to piling on beach-themed accessories, though, and fashion exec Scott Currie nails it with subtle nautical flavor in his chic Southampton weekend home!

Talk about a great first impression!  Cedar shakes, a board and batten pool house, a pretty impressive privacy hedge (I notice them all the time now that I need one!) and that amazing pool...funny how I tend to unknowingly gravitate to and fall in love with homes that have the same pool design as me!

A round table, slipcovered in linen, grounds the entryway, but I can't take my eyes off the light blue walls and darker gray trim:

Love the blue walls and that fabulous sea captain's chest.  And those lemon yellow Chippendale chairs are a breath of fresh air in the living room:

Another great example of how classic, all-white kitchens will always be timeless:

Nautical wedgewood china, an antique lantern and decorative glass bottles add charm to the butler's pantry:

High gloss, white planked walls are a fresh backdrop to more contemporary seating and ocean-themed details like a driftwood lamp, fishing buoy and rope handrail in this light, bright sitting area:

LOVE the wall of French doors and slate floors in the pool house!  Those seagrass chairs aren't too shabby, either:

A crisp white pergola and hanging lanterns make for a cozy outdoor eating area....makes me so excited for summer!