Sea Creatures

Mermaids

The jaws of the shark crunched down on my leg and I was silent!  I felt my hands hit against his slick and rubbery flesh and then everything went black. I opened my eyes to darkness and the air around me was cold. Taking a deep breath seemed difficult and painful as if my lungs had not been expanded in ages and then I heard the snores and soft snorts of children sleeping in the next room. Breathing became more easy and rhythmic and I felt beside me to find that my niece had joined me in bed at some point in the night. The realization that the shark bite was an awful and terrifying nightmare left me feeling uneasy, restless, and unable to shake the feelings of helplessness that comes with such a vivid dream.

The jaws of the shark crunched down on my leg and I was silent!  I felt my hands hit against his slick and rubbery flesh and then everything went black. I opened my eyes to darkness and the air around me was cold. Taking a deep breath seemed difficult and painful as if my lungs had not been expanded in ages and then I heard the snores and soft snorts of children sleeping in the next room. Breathing became more easy and rhythmic and I felt beside me to find that my niece had joined me in bed at some point in the night. The realization that the shark bite was an awful and terrifying nightmare left me feeling uneasy, restless, and unable to shake the feelings of helplessness that comes with such a vivid dream.

I slipped out of bed quietly, moved the heavy drapes aside just enough to slip through and into the world that lay beyond the overly air-conditioned condo at Hammock Beach,  the Dyer-Drummond clan occupied for the Labor Day weekend. The drapes swished behind me closing up any sign of an opening to get back into the room and I moved the heavy sliding glass door slowly until I could no longer hear the hum any air conditioning. I was there on the ninth floor balcony surrounded by the quiet dark night. I felt the balmy air move around me taking the ice from my finger tips and warming my island soul. The ocean looked inky and dark on this moonless night and faint whispers of white caps could be seen as the small waves from the receding tide broke in the distance. I stared into the dark night and thought how ominous and scary that great beyond looked without the light of the moon. Tomorrow I would be expected to get into the ocean, which I love, but this nightmare was a potential problem. I decided that I would think about other sea creatures to lighten my mood and looked hard into the horizon hoping to see a shimmer or glint of a cute dolphin or a large splat from a whale tale and what about the siren of the sea? Would she appear splashing in that vast dark expanse or would her call rise to be taken with the wind and someone would hear the fabled sound of her siren song. I did not know but what I do know is decorating and my mind wondered to a room that a mermaid saved somewhere in the heart of The Villages. 

•    What do a Mermaid and an Orange Microfiber Sofa Have in Common?
Colors! The room we are doing is the second bedroom in an Iris model. This bedroom often has and angled wall and one window. The homeowner wanted to have a room that guest could sleep in or use as a TV room and computer station. We decided that a sleeper sofa would work great for him and we already had it! He had an orange sleeper sofa from Flexsteel and getting rid of it was not an option. However, he wanted the space to reflect the ocean. The way to bring the orange sofa to the ocean was by using artwork that had a color relationship to the sofa but reflected the feel of the ocean. We accomplished this by using a picture titled “Ocean of Dreams” by C.P. Wyatt.  The picture is of two mermaids entwined and sleeping. The colors are light greens with coral orange pieces of seaweed wrapped around them. The picture complimented the sofa fabulously and began the mixing of colors that would make this room make sense. We hung the picture over the sofa.

•    Wall Color
We painted the room rainwashed which is a green based blue. This color is a neutral and works very well with orange and coral tones. The contrasting nature of colors that oppose each other on the color wheel, create highs and lows in a space that can be visually pleasing. Also, the wall color made the seven inch crown shine!

•    Side Table
We only had room for one side table and one lamp and we chose a skirted side table. I used the green gingham to keep reinforcing the green tones in the space and I like the unexpected pop of gingham next to a sofa with a modern line. The lamp we chose is a beautiful large lamp with a center base covered in capiz shells. We chose this lamp to again reinforce the idea of the ocean but also look sophisticated.

•    Desk
The wall across from the sofa needed something for a desk and a home for the TV. We purchased a desk and a hutch with shelves. This desk will allow for a computer and a TV and bought it finished in white. We liked the lightness that the white offered, especially against rainwashed walls.

•    More Light
I did something that I usually do not do but it turned out great!  I used the arch mirror on the large wall of the room opposing the entrance door. Typically, I would only suggest placing the mirror on a wall opposing a window, however in this case the wall is washed with light and I wanted to capture that light and use it. By placing the mirror on the wall opposing the entrance door, we made the room feel larger because that back wall seemed to move back visually. We placed a long bench beneath the mirror to be used as extra seating. Also, if someone is watching TV and wants to put their feet up, the bench can be moved in front of the sofa to be used as an ottoman.

•    Pillows
Pillows are the great unifier in a space. We used plenty of pillows all around to tie the colors together.

•    Another Piece of art
We decided that we would like to see a large piece of art on one side of the mirror. We used another painting by C.P. Wyatt titled “Golden Boy”. This is a fabulous interpretation of a sea horse and it perfectly complements the “Ocean of Dreams”.

•    Above the Desk
We found a great sail boat and clock to place above the desk and then we softened the other side of the desk with a lush basket of greens. We liked playing up the height of the ceilings in this space.
This office/guest room turned out to be very inviting and functional. When the homeowner has guests they will have the front guest bedroom and the office/TV room will function as bedroom or TV room, whatever they need. If you close the pocket door the guests will have an entire wing to luxuriate while they visit.
So, I was able to shake off the uneasiness the nightmare had caused and I did lots of wave riding and swimming in the ocean. Regan learned to body surf and we could hardly get her out of the water to go back to the pools. The Labor Day weekend flew by in a flurry of fun and no bad encounters with sharks. After we returned home the next day my sister-in-law called to share the details of a 17 year old who was bitten by a shark in Ormond Beach in waste deep water on Sept. second!  He is fine, I Googled it, but it is one of those things that make you say Hmmmmmmm.

P.S. –Attention, club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today or call Ruth your full service decorator in the heart of The Villages of Florida – 352-804-2056