How to Design a Nautical Room With a Wood Ceiling

Decide on a color scheme for the room; rusty red, antique white and a shade of blue are standard colors to use for nautical decor.

Evaluate the space. Based on the flooring material, wall height and the amount of natural light, decide whether or not to paint the wood ceiling. Complement a wood floor by keeping the wood ceiling in the same finish. If you have carpeting rather than a hardwood floor, add a light stain to the wood ceiling to accentuate it. Alternatively, paint the ceiling an antique white if you need more light in the room.

Accent the corners of the room near the ceiling by hanging decorative objects with a nautical motif.

Draw attention to the wood ceiling by installing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Outfit the shelves with nautical accent pieces and vintage books about sailing.

Hang curtains made of white canvas fabric or with a nautical print from a wooden rod to complement the ceiling.