DIY Nautical Art for the Dining Room Inspired by Pottery Barn

Adding your own personal style to your home is best done through the little details.  Anyone can buy a new sofa or bed frame, but it’s the little touches that make your home personal to you that makes it special and unique.  It’s the best way to tell your unique story.

A couple  months ago I was flipping through the latest Pottery Barn Catalog and spotted the photo of a bedroom with simple art hung on the wall with rope tied to boat cleats.  I was immediately smitten and knew that I needed to add art to my home hung this way. Here is a similar version also from Pottery Barn.

As I’ve been spending some time in our Dining Room lately, I decided this might be the perfect place to add some art.  I decided on the wall, bought my supplies and then got to work.

I started by deciding on what art I wanted to use.  I was thinking originally of doing words, a bible verse, etc but finally settled on doing photos of the ocean.  B and I love the beach and being around water so that seemed more fitting.

Check out these free stock photography sites Here, Here and Here.

You can always change it out.  I started with two ocean photos but have since been thinking of printing two photos from our trip to Maine or from our many trips to the beach to make it more personal.

Depending on your frames and the rope you are using, you may need to use hot glue instead.  My frames were substantial enough that I was able to use a staple gun to attach my rope.

My boat cleats are smaller than ones I’d use for an actual boat so I kept my rope fairly short to keep in proportion to the frames and the cleats.  I actually tied the rope around the cleats and then cut my rope at the length that I felt looked good.  Seeing it all together made this much easier.

Once my rope was cut, I used electrical tape on the cut ends to keep the rope from fraying.  No one will see this and it keeps the ends nice and clean.

Once cut to length and taped, i stapled the rope to the frames.

I used the first frame as the guide for the second and when they were ready, it was time to hang.

I wanted mine hung one above the other so after deciding how i wanted them, I screwed the boat cleats into the wall and that was it.

The entire project took about 30 minutes and the final result is perfect.

Regardless of whether you are into coastal style like I am or not, finding ways to add your own personality in the small details is what creates the unique personality of your home.  Just like this project, it doesn’t have to be expensive, complicated or time consuming.  It’s all about finding ways to put your spin on your own decor.

I’d love to know what you think and if this is something you’d try.  Also, feel free to ask questions since I forgot to take a lot of photos of the actual assembly.