Wizards of Décor for Cruise Ships Offer Advice for Home Decoration

If you've ever stood in front of the vast number of color choices in the paint department of Home Depot or tried to decide whether a watercolor that's drawn your eye will work in your home, consider what the interior designers of cruise ships encounter. These wizards of décor create spaces enjoyed by thousands of cruise vacationers on a weekly basis. When they choose colors it may be for 1,000 staterooms; when they buy artwork, it's to be seen by thousands of cruise passengers each week. And they do their designs on a moving ship. Just like you, the designers of cruise ships work on a budget and within the confines of specific spaces. Their inspiration comes from the sea and beyond.

Most of us can't afford the luxury of an interior designer to decorate our homes, but we can learn a lot from the designers of cruise ships and bring those ideas home. For instance, I loved the softness of draping around cabanas on Holland America Line's ships and added drapes to surround the seating areas of my deck to achieve a similar effect.

Below are some of my favorite tips from cruise ship designers that you can use in your own home.

1. Step back and really look at your space and do a deep think about how you want to move within that space.
2. Be creative with color choices (you can always change your mind and repaint).
3. Design for yourself. If you love the design, it is successful.
4. Use inexpensive LED lights to highlight art and create other "wow" effects.
5. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Always simplify, edit and then edit again.

Image Courtesy of Seabourn