Nautical Living in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge

The stone fireplace mantle displays a Chelsea clock and a Bendix Friez barometer saved from salvage below Robert Lyn Nelson's "Extinction is forever." A Royal Copenhagen bowl, an Inuit soapstone fish carving,  part of an Alaskan Oosic and an old coin-dot lamp.

An unplanned excursion is certainly a great way to discover new horizons as well as promising prospects for upcoming blogs. So it was when our recent trip to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain of Virginia took us to visit with long-time friend and photographer Allen Graves. Allen, while visiting us a few months back to photograph 360 degree panoramic views of the interior and exterior of Skipjack’s showroom and the interior of the Schooner “Spirit of Independence,” told us about a friend's farm house that we should view and include in a Nautical Living blog. So off we went to meet with Jacqualin Davies and preview her wonderful farmhouse -- her home is nothing like you might expect in the mountains of Virginia!


Retired designer Jacqualin Davies was the owner and creative force of Jacqualin Interiors. Her Virginia home reflects her personal tastes and interests after growing up with a father in the merchant marines.

Wyland's striptych "Hawaii" is viewable
from multiple floors.

Jacqualin  believes that a big part of good design is tying together items that may or may not seem to go together in a visually pleasing way. Here Wyland's contemporary striptych "Hawaii" is brought together with a Winslow Homer's etching "Life Line," a clever stormy sea watercolor, and photographs of tropical fish using an antique octant and a native South American oar.

Vintage rope fender lamp was
 found in the bargain section
 of a consignment shop.

A lamp made from an old rope boat fender, topped with a custom metal shade, furnishes reading light on a table beside the owner's favorite chair and is paired with a turk's head coaster on which to safely set a drink and a Spode ironstone bowl for a snack.

Custom lamp made from antique
round bottom soda bottles rests
upon a wine-barrel end table.

The only custom-made pieces shown are the cocktail table and the wine-barrel end table. They are both one-of-a-kind commissioned or created by the owner. The rope fender lamp was found, sporting a shade with orange-ball fringe, in the greatly reduced section of a consignment shop in Rancho Mirage, CA.


I asked Jacqualin a few specific questions:

What are your favorite items in your home?

“It is difficult to choose favorites. I love my Chelsea clock. The bell strike sound has been with me for a while. Recently I had the clock serviced. I not only missed its appearance, but its marking the hours with its chime. The one sextant always reminds me of my godfather. I think of him each time I dust it.”

A carved dolphin with pup swims
above a driftwood  base.

Any suggestions that you can share with our readers about creating a successful coastal home?

“Don't limit coastal decor to the beach. When I began working on this look in my home, I was living in the desert. Many people there were using the Santa Fe southwestern theme. I embrace being different. Don't get cutesy with it. There is nothing interesting about fifty little resin lighthouses. Buy quality pieces that somehow speak to you and blend them with other things you love.”

Take a 360 X 180 degree virtual tour of Jacqualin Davies Blue Ridge Farm house. http://www.viewva360.com/farm.html . Interior photos and virtual tour by Allen B. Graves.

Visit Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery virtual tours @ http://www.skipjackmarinegallery.com/

Visit the Schooner "Spirit of Independence" virtual tour @ http://www.viewva360.com/bridge.html

Click here to go to Skipjack's Nautical Living home page.

The Nautical Home- Using Authentic Nautical Decor in a Collector's Home

Let me  get started by saying thank you for sending us these wonderful pictures of your nautical home and allowing us to share them with our readers. These pictures come to us from a great customer (and wonderful friend) that has shopped with us since we opened our first gallery in 2003 in Virginia Beach, VA.  We hope that you will also be inspired to share some of your pictures from your nautical/coastal home.

The first picture (shown above) shows a table-top collection of  antique wooden blocks together with a custom made lamp and a green glass float ball.  Notice the vintage hand-made wooden slat lampshade above the three purchase ship's block lamp fitted with line.  I really like the combination of the rich, dark woods and old wrought iron fittings on the blocks together with the natural hemp color of the lines and the dark-green color of the vintage float ball.

This picture is also from his living room and features a few small wood blocks together with a glass float ball and a custom-made buoy lamp in original red and white paint. The buoy that the lamp is made from comes from Nova Scotia.  The turk's head lamp finial is made in Nantucket.

The model  displayed here on a dining table is a Chesapeake Bay Deadrise hand-built in Gloucester, VA.  The colorful harbor scene on  the back wall was painted by Norfolk, VA. artist Dorothy Hudgins.

A collection of vintage wooden lobster trap markers from Nova Scotia recently decorated with nautical scenes by Dorothy Hudgins.

Displayed on top of a stark-white painted wood cabinet is a line of vintage wood and cork floats with a the fancy knotted end of a boat oar above.  I am a big fan of using shades of red and navy blue colors together with bright-white painted cabinetry. The old cork and faded painted floats gives the room the feel of a an old salty fisherman's shack.

An opaque yellow float ball is held in place by the claw of a painted bronze crab and in a bowl of  beach-combed sea glass displayed in a cubby in the kitchen.

Authentic Nautical Decor that you can buy. Click on the link next to the produc

Turk's Head Lamp Finial-  http://tinyurl.com/yh5bzhe

Custom made buoy lamps-  http://tinyurl.com/ygtmurm

We also have available other authentic nautical decor items similar  to those shown  in these pictures including a large selection of wood blocks, glass float balls, lines, nets, lobster markers, fishing line corks and wood floats, nautical lamps and marine art. http://www.skipjacknauticalwares.com/

Click here to go to Skipjack's Nautical Living home page.

Photos in this blog were taken on site by Joe Elder. All rights reserved.