River Home Decorating Ideas

Hang a river painting on the wall.

The art of decorating a home is a personal choice that should reflect the owner's personality. Living along a river is as rich with decorating ideas as the river is deep and flowing. Both inside and outside the home, riverside décor is limitless. From driftwood, fishing nets, paddle wheeler, barge or tug boat pictures to lighthouse replicas, there are abundant resources. Whether your budget is generous or you have to be frugal, river home decorating is an obtainable goal.

Intarsia

Intarsia, according to AngelFire.com, is the craft of creating a picture using only the natural color of wood. Cut and arrange each piece on a bed of glue to produce the finished product. Intarsia designs lend themselves well to riverside decorations. Purchase gorgeous lighthouses, fishing creels, boats and more or take an intarsia class and make them yourself.

Paintings

Paintings of river scenes throughout the home add a vibrant, yet peaceful feeling. Purchase these at galleries or even at local department stores. Sometimes you can find treasures at community yard sales. Take a water color class and create your own masterpiece.

Books and More

A home library, full of books about the river you live beside, adds authentication. Search online or visit used book stores to find out-of-print copies. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are endearing classics. Place coffee table books, with large pages full of bright river scenes, where guests may view them easily. Visit a local museum, and learn the river's history. Write a poem about how the river makes you feel and encase it with a rustic, nautical frame.

Found Treasures

Scour the river's edge for treasures that wash ashore. Old nets make a lovely addition to drape along the edge of a painting. Shells complement any bookshelf or end table. Tie rope, either found or purchased, into a Fisherman's Bend or a Tug Boat Hitch, according to Rope Inc. and use these knots to adorn pictures or fireplace mantels.

Outside

Place an anchor decoration in your front yard.

Place an old anchor along the driveway with a length of huge mooring line to add a maritime flair, which anyone who approaches your home will see. A 7- to 8-foot wooden lighthouse on the river bank is a perfect "shed" for putting away life jackets, fishing poles and tackle. Suspend a birdhouse in the shape of a lighthouse from a surrounding tree. Create stepping stones in the shape of fish for your entrance walkway or garden path. According to Home and Garden Television, you can make the stones at home and save money.

References

• AngelFire: What Is Intarsia?
• Mountaindo: The Blue Grass Painter -- River Scenes
• Rope Inc.: Rope Information
• Home and Garden Television: How to Create a Garden Path With Stepping Stones

Resources

• Intarsia: Regular Size Intarsia Patterns
• Integrated Publishing: Mooring a Ship With Lines