Decorating with Flags
If you read the recent Houzz series on outfitting the bedroom, visions of alternative headboards may well be dancing in your head. Here, a large, clearly worn American flag towers over the bed like a combination headboard and accent wall. The flag’s obvious age, and the designer’s conscious decision not to go overboard with red, white and blue liberate this room from overly patriotic overtones.
It can be hard to feel connected to one’s roots after a major relocation, and hanging the flag of a home state or favorite travel destination can be a terrific way to pay homage to a place that has left an indelible imprint on one’s soul. These Californian homeowners are proud to call the Golden State home, and they have the flag to prove it.
Soccer flags are an obvious must-have in a basement soccer arena, but that’s not the only place to hang them. Lest your friends accuse you of futbol hooliganism, if you’re a die-hard fan, there’s no shame in hanging your team’s memorabilia in a media room. You might even break out your flag to hang in the living room when the big game is on!
Houzz readers were inspired awhile back by a custom railing designed by John Prindle to incorporate the Morse code of family members’ names punched into the wood. Equally personal and a lot easier to accomplish, hanging uniformly sized flags of the birth states of each household member is a colorful pledge of allegiance to each person’s origins.(Bryan: If it matters, the railing I’m referring to was from my Ideabook, Laser-Cut focus)
Texans are the true experts in using flags as decor. A culture rich in patriotism and sportsmania means that you’d be hard-pressed to find a Texas home that isn’t draped with a college football pennant or a Texas flag at least somewhere. Here, the Texas state flag and American flag preside over the bed at equal stature, so that the occupants can wake up every morning to what inspires them most.
The shaggy ottoman, a custom piece from Lee Industries, coordinates so well with the nautical flags hanging on the wall that it’s impossible to discern which was designed around the other. Nautical flags are de rigueur in a beach house, and sailing pennant motifs are amply available in boutiques along every seacoast, but nothing beats the real deal. The collection of authentic flags in this San Diego abode was culled from the wares of Etsy and eBay sellers.
Q