Nautical gets noticed

Tag : Seagrass Mats

At the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, which will hold its annualblessing of the boats tomorrow morning at St. Andrew's Lagoon inthe Toronto Islands, the proceedings are likely to be a little moredemur if no less celebratory.
"One of my favourite places in Toronto is the veranda of the RCYC'sisland clubhouse," says interior designer William MacDonald, a clubmember. "It was built in the plantation style and is painted acrisp white. The ceilings of all the porches are a pale sky blue."
For the designer, who grew up in Toronto's Beaches neighbourhoodand took frequent seaside vacations as a child, the nautical lookis a foolproof way of achieving easy elegance.
"Whether it's in clothing or in decorating, I have always loved thepairing of navy and white," he says. "Clothing-wise, you throw on anavy blazer and a pair of white pants and you automatically lookchic. And it's the same with decorating - you add a whiteslipcover, some navy pillows and a seagrass mat to a room and it'sinstantly fresh and stylish."
Anyone looking to inject a little maritime style into their ownhomes this season will have plenty of sources to tap.
England's Farrow & Ball, for instance, carries a handsome range ofbroad-striped wallpaper in shades such as navy and red. PotteryBarn, meanwhile, has introduced a host of summer wares on thetheme, including throw pillows sporting wide red or blue stripes,wing chairs made of seagrass and tabletop buoys wrapped with rope.
Among independent retailers, stores such as Harbour Swan Gift Shopin Halifax, Flik & Company Interiors in Toronto and The Cross Decor& Design in Vancouver offer a variety of classic accents, fromhurricane lamps and lanterns to decoys, floats and mounted stuffedfish.
At Angus & Company in Toronto, a clubby, masculine aestheticprevails, making it the place to go for such sporty accoutrementsas naval prints and antique oars.
According to MacDonald, there is a fine yet discernable differencebetween nautical style and yacht-club chic.
"Nautical style is all about the sea and being on the water, whileyacht club style marries the freshness of the water with thetrappings of a gentlemen's club, such as sailing trophies, shipmodels and some old commodore's portrait," he says.
Either way, the look is as popular as it is tried and true.
"It's the perfect antidote to a hot summer day, especially in thecity," the designer says. Anchors aweigh.
The Toronto Nautical Festival continues in HTO Park at 339 QueensQuay W. until Monday. Visit http://www.qqhbia.com for details.
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The elements of nautical style
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Navy or crimson stripes on a crisp white background are hallmarksof seafaring style. Typically, the stripes are broad ones, but thinor ticking versions in the same colours will also do and in factlook more contemporary.
If navy isn't for you, pale or watery blues are equally evocative.At the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto, the clubhouse ispainted a clean white but the ceilings of its porches are sky blue.Try the same thing at home with crisp white walls and pale blueceilings, floorboards or doors.
NAVAL PARAPHERNALIA
Nothing gives a room its sea legs like some well-chosen navalaccents, from shipping scenes and model boats to sailing trophiesand knotted rope.
Depending on the accessories chosen, the look can range from wharfside to yacht club. Don't overdo it, though; too many fishingfloats and you're cruising into kitsch territory.
COASTAL MOTIFS
Nautical style is as much about nature as it is about seagoing. Totemper the brass lamps, chrome spyglasses and antique harpoons,toss in a sisal rug or seagrass ottoman.
Nautical style isn't exactly beach style, but they do share somecommon elements, such as hurricane lamps and fish motifs.
D.S.