Tropical Style Interior Design

From the special online feature Design Styles

A tropical-styled room incorporates ornamental carvings in island motifs, like pineapples and palm trees, furniture made from exotic woods and framed botanicals.

Colors - This tropical palette is influenced by palm trees and sunny skies. Other palettes may include brighter hues reflecting the culture and history of the region. A Balinese interior will have deeper, richer colors, while a home in the Caribbean may contain lighter, brighter hues.      

Furniture and Finishes - Exotic hardwoods like teak, rosewood and koa are used for furniture. Natural materials like cane, seagrass, water hyacinth, banana leaf and rattan are woven to form chairs, sofas and tables and a myriad of accents.

Fabrics - Look for prints that feature palm trees and their far-reaching fronds and tropical plants with vivid, beautiful blooms like hibiscus, anthurium, orchid and Bird of Paradise. For a more refined look incorporate Thai silks and floral-printed linen.              

Art and Accessories - Look to the beach for inspiration and find ways to incorporate them into the room. Tropical plants set in wicker planters, shells displayed in jars or shadow boxes and baskets, mats and rugs made of natural materials like rattan and seagrass will all infuse the room with a warm-weather attitude.

Artist and author Eyvette Jones wants to transform her city apartment into an island retreat where she can enjoy time alone or entertain friends. She already has a lot of colorful, interesting furnishings and accessories and just needs a cohesive look to bring all of the pieces together.

The Dilemma

Host Kristan Cunningham and design coordinators Spencer Anderson and Dave Sheinkopf hope to make her wishes come true by introducing color, reworking the existing furniture, adding dramatic lighting, adding more storage and showcasing her art.

The Solution

The design transforms the living space into an inviting, island-style getaway--here's how they do it:

•           The walls are painted peacock blue-green to start the tropical theme.

•           Anderson transforms the existing pine armoire with a coat of black paint. After it dries, he sands it down for an aged appearance.

•           Sheinkopf builds a pine hutch to go on top of the existing storage piece. He adds a crown detail to the top and face-frames the piece with pine molding. After he paints the piece black, he cuts matchstick blinds to fit the back and adds bamboo poles to the sides to tie it in with the other tropical elements in the room. He also sands down the painted finish to match the armoire.

•           Anderson creates two pedestals for Jones' African sculptures. He constructs the stands out of pine boards with mitered edges and tapers them towards the top. A light fixture mounted to a wood block is placed inside each pedestal with the wires coming through the bottom. A piece of glass on each stand allows the light to showcase the sculptures.

•           The permanently-affixed wall sconces are camouflaged with burlap and palm leaves. The burlap is hot-glued directly to the sconce and a palm leaf is hot-glued on top of the burlap.

•           Furnishings purchased for the space include a new fan with palm blades, wicker baskets for additional storage, two rattan chairs for a separate seating area and a white slipcover for the existing sofa.

•           Sheer gauze is used to bring a wispy look to the windows; bamboo poles are used for window rods.

•           A tropical-style print is used for new pillow coverings, which injects a tropical flair onto the white slipcovered sofa.