Fancy an interior design challenge? Come and look at this fabric...

[Hopefully]

I have bought some of this fabric to upholster an old chair (it is heavyweight enough for it) which I have in DS's nursery, and I want the room to match! No idea what to do though...

He has a stokke cot and changing station in whitewash (basically off white), which are the only pieces of furniture in the room that need to stay. There's also a fairly vile canvas wardrobe, but planning to replace it (what with?!). Walls are off white, curtains are heavy off white canvas, don't really want to repaint or get new curtains, but am prepared to consider it.

I like the idea of the chair being the focal point in the room, but I have no idea what else to do! I like the sort of country, shabby chic look (not quite sure how to make that work though!), as well as scandinavian and bright, bold colours for a nursery.
I'm fairly handy with a sewing machine and thought about making cushion covers from this fabric, but not sure if that's a bit ott. Also thought about pulling the red white and blue theme out.

So what would you do? And what storage would you have? Help!

OK. Nice fabric. If I were you, I would leave everything white/off white and sort out some bedding which either matches or complements. You could go for a kind of Ralph Lauren Nautical New England thing, with lots of red and white gingham, blue stripes, but mixed with some bold plain versions.

I would find other fabric as above, with plain red and blue to contrast, then make up some cushions, maybe quilt cover. You could cut out some of the ships and frame? Or paste them on to wall as stick-ups?

I don't like that striped fabric too much - I think will be too busy. Stick to ships fabric and two colours plus white IMHO

PS have you tried searching on the fabric name to see if it is part of a range? It looks familiar to me (have been searching fabrics myself...)

hello, i love love love the striped material, however i am a stripe obsessed twerp!! lol.
i just think it will look very classic against the whiteness of the room, it will match perfectly with the boat material. however i would keep the rest of the furniture/pictures etc very plain.
i really think it will look fab.
hth xx

i would go with navy/white or red/white stripes rather than multicolour, and agree about keeping rest of the room white. I like the idea of a nautical theme, lovely for a boy's room. there's a really nice boat-shaped shelf in Jojo Maman Bebe btw..

I would consider painting the room pale blue. Dark blue against pale blue looks lovely - brings out the blueiness iyswim.

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/search.php?action=search&super=0040BRN00006~0020BRN00018~0040CAT00140&branch =&wcategory=CAT00140&catdesc=Nautical+Nursery&treecode=TRE00009

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/search.php?action=search&super=0040BRN00006~0030BRN00019~0070CAT00152&branch =&wcategory=CAT00152&catdesc=Nautical+Bedroom&treecode=TRE00009

Go nautical - bunting, maps, light blue on the walls, maybe a rug of a flag (aspace do some nice New Hampshire inspired stuff).

Can you cut out some of the shapes from offcuts of you fabric and sew/glue them onto your plain curtains? Maybe add some borders at the bottom in matching ribbon.

DS2 has the stripe material as a roman blind.
It is from a range called fish and chips and comes in different colourways. His duvet and pillow has the stripe on one side and the fish pattern on the other.

The walls and furniture are painted white with the chimney breast in a mid blue. I have red white and blue bunting from the Cotton Bunting Co, red and blue scatter cushions from Ikea and the Manhattan Star fairy lights, wall hooks and duvet set from the White Company.

I made some pictures by framing scraps from another star material I had. There is also some touches of red/white and blue/white gingham in the room.

He is 3 and I'm hoping this theme will last him till at least 7/8.

Ooh, millions of responses! Will have a proper read in a tick when DS starts feeding again and ties me in one place for a while.

my charge has that fabric (but with pale blue background rather than navy) in hois bedroom

he has a pale blue room / cream carpet and blue bedlinen

also MB (who is good at art) has copied and painted to of the boats and frames them which are the only 2 pieces on the wall and it looks great!

DS has a nautical room, again mainly white, and we have this bunting hanging around the top of the walls.

I LOVE flags in boys rooms! My 2 have flag duvet covers. One has a Union Jack and one has cross of St George. (I bet you can't guess their names)

lighthouse lamp?

I like this. Very Nantucket.

Hmm. I think a little OTT, that lamp. All you would need is a plastic lobster caught in a net.

MrsMaidamess, Union and Santo???

That lamp is not ott, how very dare you!?

Thank you so much for all the ideas!

I think I'm going to go for a very pared down nautical theme with the rest of the room - lots of white/off white, and perhaps a couple of red/navy cushions/beanbag on the floor.

I think I might do one small cushion in the stripy fabric, or perhaps make a laundry bag for the back of the door from it.

Am loving the bunting though... God, just call me a great big bunting cupcake.

Might either frame or sew onto curtains one of two of the boats from the fabric - great ideas!

Oh, and thanks for the name of the range, liking the sound of the fishy fabric (severe risk of co-ordination overload though!)

Now I just need to find a really plain, not too expensive, chest of drawers or wardrobe or something.

hello again, go to a furniture auction, or second hand furniture shop, and get a lovely old set of drawers or wardrobe, sand it down and whitewash it. then change the handles.
i think that would match really well, plus you can pick them up for next to nothing. bonus!!

Stripes are good for a Scandinavian shabby-chic look imo. I would have used the stripes for the chair, maybe some cushions and bunting with the boats. Have you got enough to swap?