New England Salvaged Decor Inspiration

What do you find most intriguing when on vacation? The scenery, the people, the food? Call me a little neurotic, but often times, while on vacation, I can’t help but pay the most attention to the (I’ll use the term loosely)…decor.

Yes, I do partake in enjoying the scenery and food and meeting the people of a different locale; however, my OCD and love of all things DIY/home decor always brings me back to the question of how do people from “this place” decorate, or find decor inspiration, or thrift and salvage decor items? How is it different from where I live? What can I find to be inspired by?

Although the vacation to New England was mostly about my son and I spending quality time together before he head’s off to the Middle East, he did indulge my need to seek decor inspiration a few times throughout the trip. Thank you, Kev!!

Along the coast, I saw a LOT of this thick nautical rope used in everything from chandeliers to centerpieces.

There was plenty of it in window displays, too.

Need to get me some!

Look how nautical this tray-mirror is, and it’s all attributed to the hunk of thick rope someone attached to it for hanging. Easy, right?

Although there is nothing easy about whittling a sea turtle out of a tree stump, I couldn’t help but admire the skill it must have taken to make this tree stump turtle stool.

A whittling treasure, for sure!

Vintage iron bed frame turned table. How many ways can I say I love you…cool new table?

And with a storage shelf to boot!

At first I thought this was a wire mesh lobster trap kind-of-a-thing, that had been transformed into a cubed shelving kind-of-thing . It caught my eye, for sure!

But when I read the tag, it was listed as a hanging vertical planter. Hmmm???

Perhaps I’ll hang one of these next to my chicken wire planters next Spring.

Or maybe I’ll make a wire mesh shelving unit of some kind.

Either way, this was as cool as that bed frame table that I’m in love with ;D

Vintage bead board cabinet door turned vanity top.

I can’t help thinking this old door was salvaged from a boat or ship, rather than an old house.

Am I reading too much nauticalness into this one?

Salvaged lobster cage turned lamp base.

And ahoy, matey…don’t miss the sea crab note holder, bottom right :E)

Dried sea fan instead of flowers top off this vase for coastal charm. Yes?

Have old water drums?

Add a glass top. Instant coffee table.

My heart was aching for that sweet, little maneless toy horsey, though.

Have an old ship wheel? I know you do.

Add a glass top. Instant breakfast nook.

 Portraits of old ships hanging on the walls everywhere from Boston to Portland, Maine, and beyond.

Everywhere, too, was old wood next to painted wood next to more old wood. And vise versa.

I took this picture for no other reason than the beauty of it…and the blue, as mentioned in my last post about the historical colors of New England.

I was thinking maybe I’d blow it up and frame it, but then again, Danni from Silo Hill Farm mentioned that she knows of a computer program that could turn this into a puzzle.

Maybe she’ll share it with us?

Many, but not all of these New England salvaged decor inspiration photos were taken at the Flea-for-All in Portland, Maine. We stopped there one cold and sleety morning before heading north to Bar Harbor, where we drove directly into a snow storm. Oh yeah…

I’m painting the basement floor this weekend with T-minus 11 days before my son arrives home from Texas for a 7 day visit before he leaves for Dubai for the next six months.

All the basement stuff is in the guest bedroom, where he hopefully will be able to sleep in by then.

Crossing my fingers we get that basement done enough to move the stuff back into it.

If you like antique shop tours, check out what we found at the antique shops in Hazel, Kentucky.

Have you ever visited Boston? You can find a tour of the historical city at this Taste of New England Tour.

  ~ Amy