Post #274713 by IMQTPI on Sat, Dec 23, 2006 3:14 PM

First off: I am mondo-jealous of those of you who have true basement spaces for creating Tiki Environs!

We live in a '70's-era "California Ranch" tract-home neighborhood (Sadly our house is not an Eichler!). 2BR 1BA - Open-floor-plan w/appx 1100-1200 sq ft. No basement to speak of!

--> But we're on a 1/4 acre lot - and our backyard is a TOTAL Tropical Paradise (in summertime, anyway!) - complete with HUGE swimming pool and palm-trees galore!

I've been drooling over the "Post pics of your Home Tiki Room/space" thread (and contributed, even!).

Here's my query: Surely there are people out there who have been successful at 'melding' Traditional with Tacky-Tiki / 50's "shag" type of decor! If so, I'd love to see how you've done it!

When I moved in, this was clearly a "Bachelor Pad" (No woman - in her right mind - could have lived here!!!). So I've been slowly attempting to "work my magic" here - turning his 'house' into 'our home!'

(And, yes, he ultimately DOES appreciate it!!! A bit of balking, at first, but ultimately he admits that my improvements are incredible!!! Besides - we're married now - so he knows better than to fight it!!! :wink:)

We've got a big ol' Den/Great-Room with LOTS of wood. Vaulted ceiling (pine beamed). And one wall, entirely of pine-wood beams (NOT cheesy-paneling!). Feels almost like a "cabin" in there!

I started decorating it in a "Gentleman's Club"/"Cigar-Bar" vibe. Lots of bookshelves and brown-leather with brass nail-head furniture: sofa, loveseat and wing-back-chair/recliner. Lots of dark-plaid accents (curtains, throw pillows, etc.). And a wood-stove.

But - the more I think about it (particularly since the backyard is TOTALLY "Tropical!") - the more I want to incorporate some 50's era "Tiki" decor into it. But I just don't know how to pull it off!

On the plus side: We do have a large, dead fish on the wall (eight-foot sailfish we caught in Puerto Vallarta). No mooseheads! We do have a bar (open to the kitchen). Nothing's been done to that. Barstools are "mission style" but still pretty 'generic.' The bar itself is pretty plain: off-white formica-top w/plain ol' off-white plaster underneath...

We also have a neon beer/bar-sign on the wall, next to the bar. I've added a "plasma" Moai lamp to the bar - plus my hand-sculpted Moai lamp to the top of the entertainment center. I'm just not sure how to ADD tiki and pull it all together without seeming too "Eclectic" ("Schizophrenic!") in my design-scheme!

Things that cannot leave: Bookshelves and books (We ARE big readers, and there's no other place to store the books). Brass nailhead furniture (relatively new). Monster Big-Screen TV and (I guess it's kinda "mission style") Entertainment Center. And, obviously, the wood-stove has to stay!

I really don't have much 50's/Tiki decor in there, unfortunately. So I'm not sure how to ADD tiki without making it feel weird!

Have any of you managed to incorporate TIKI into a "traditional" decorating scheme - and have it work? If so, I'd LOVE to see pictures!

And/or - if you think it would help, I'll try to post pics of our "Great Room" - so you-all can offer suggestions for how I can make this work!

Mahalo!

-Nancy AKA IMQTPI

[ Edited by: IMQTPI 2006-12-24 09:48 ]

[ Edited by: IMQTPI 2006-12-26 05:50 ]