We’ve been renovating my family’s lake cabin and I have been having a BLAST coming up with ideas! Combining my love of home decor, creative ideas, AND my happy place? What could be better?!
The main bedroom is decorated in black and white botanicals. I even created a 3D black and white flower painting for the space – my first attempt at 3D painting. That room is SO cozy! This was my parent’s bedroom. My Mom’s favorite colors were black and white, and she owned and operated a very successful nursery for many years – she loved flowers. I think she would have loved the way this room looks now.
One of the other bedrooms has a green thumb theme (for lack of another description) with boho flair. When you sleep in that room, you feel like you’re in a lush jungle, surrounded by plants and the peacefulness of nature. My Mom passed on her love of plants to me, and this is the room I like to sleep in when I’m at the cabin. There is nothing like being surrounded by plants and the sound of water crashing on the shoreline. Ah… my happy place.
I’m currently finishing another bedroom and I wanted something that reminded me of my Mom, Dad, and my childhood. That’s where the “fish in space” theme came from. I know, I know… it’s sounds like a weird theme. But trust me, it came together perfectly!
Just click the images or links below for more information about each item, and where to purchase them.
I only write about things I have or love – and I’m sharing them with you because maybe you’ll love them, too. The links in this post may contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission (at no expense to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
Fish In Space Bedroom
The “fish in space” theme is all black and white, my two favorite colors because they remind me of my Mom – they were her favorites too. The fish in the room remind me of my Dad, who was an avid fisherman. It makes me recall all the fishing adventures I spent with my Dad – too many to count. The space part? Well, my Dad is the one who encouraged my interest in outer space from a very young age. We would lay on the driveway at home and watch the night sky. He taught me so much and always encouraged me to wonder what’s out there beyond our reach. Both of my parents were FUN people! I mean, really fun people. They loved anything that would make them smile. They were also VERY creative. So… by merging black and white with fish and space, I created a bedroom that makes ME smile, and I know it would make my parents smile, too.
The Ceiling
The “fish in space” bedroom features black and white walls with open ceiling rafters in natural wood. It’s pretty cool! I wanted to find a special set of fairy lights that I could wrap around the rafters to create a “star ceiling”. I ended up finding an electric string of fairy lights that aren’t just one solid string like most of them are. This one has LED lights that branch off the main string, which makes for lots more points of light. They’re really cool!
The Rug
I had a Moroccan rug that was the perfect size, so I incorporated that into the space. I like the shapes on the rug – you can squint your eyes and pretend it’s alien hieroglyphs from a distant world. Come on! Get those creative juices flowing!
Bedframe
I found a cool black metal bedframe that fits with the shapes on the rug. And, my favorite shape is a triangle (or pyramid), so the design on the headboard feels perfect to me. I also found a mattress-in-a-box that is oh-so comfortable! It makes you want to stay in bed in the morning and dream about floating in space while catching fish. Or – whatever else you might be dreaming of.
Vintage Fish
I had a vision of three white plaster fish, swimming on one of the black walls. My Mom brought us kids to a plaster store when we were young. The store had aisles and aisles and aisles of plaster figures and shapes. We got to pick out the piece we wanted, and then Mom encouraged us to paint these pieces. She even painted along with us. I loved painting those plaster figures! I haven’t seen a store like that around in ages, so wasn’t very confident I would find the plaster fish I had in mind, but I was determined. And guess what?! I found a set of three white plaster fish!!! Three has always been my favorite lucky number, and I have three boys, so it had to be three fish. I found this set on eBay! They are plaster fish from the 1980s – so they’re vintage… I also love vintage things, which is why I started ThirdShiftVintage.com. Finding those fish felt like the universe was making it happen! What a catch! (See what I did there?). We hung the fish on the wall, tilted up at a slight angle to make them look like they’re swimming into space.
Floating Shelf
I found a shelf unit for one of the walls that makes the shelves look like they’re floating. I wanted a place to display a few whimsical items, as well as have a shelf guests can use for their personal items (phone, keys, etc.) when they stay with us. The shelf boards are a grey, weathered wood that I might paint black. I’m still considering that paint job…
I love vintage marquee letters, but didn’t have any on hand in my vintage shop, so I added some plastic marquee letters that spell “F I S H”. I love how they look in this room – even when they aren’t turned on.
I also love LED globe lights. I have them at home inside several rooms, and in our outdoor landscape. I just love the look of the white spheres – they remind me of bubbles (and if you know me, you know I also really love bubbles). I added three of these globe lights to one of the shelves. You can think of them as glowing planets or stars off somewhere in outer space, or even as bubbles rising from the fish at the bottom of the lake. Bubbles? Stars? Either way, they work great in this room!
I haven’t finished styling the shelves yet – I’m still on the lookout for a vintage 1951 copy of ‘The Wise Fisherman’s Encyclopedia”. When I find a copy, I’ll display it on this shelf. It will also make for fun reading for our guests. And… I’m sure I’ll find a few more odd and unusual fish-in-space-related items to add along the way.
The Wave and Reeds
This bedroom is in the porch of the cabin. The cabin, and porch, were built in the 1950s. While the inside of the cabin is completely finished, the porch still has exposed stud walls for the exterior walls. We’ll be insulating the porch and adding beadboard walls to finish it eventually, but in the meantime, I painted the exposed stud walls and existing shiplap and beadboard walls. I wanted to take advantage of the “shelves” these studs provide by adding small touches of decor. I found a black metal wave that fits perfectly up high above the window. The subtle wave feels like the lake and I think it fits this room well.
I wanted to bring a touch of greenery into this room (you know how much I love plants), but I wanted it to look like the weeds the fish hide in within the lake. Since this is a seasonal lake cabin, live houseplants don’t work for us, so the plants had to be artificial. I ended up finding some artificial grass plants that look pretty darn real. I put floral foam into three (there’s that number again) black metal planters to match the rest of the decor and then hung them on the wall. I might make small clay fish on sticks to put into these planters as very subtle fish swimming through the reeds – but I’m still undecided on that yet.
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
To bring more light into this room, I had a black metal mirror that I thought would look great in this space. It’s ornate so the shape isn’t really with the theme, but somehow it works. I might end up replacing this with a different mirror down the road, but like my family always says to me: “it’s just a cabin”.
What?! No Closet?
This room is small and there is no closet. I needed a space for guests to hang their clothes and their weekend bag, so I found a black metal hanger that works great in this room. The hanger has a metal shelf that folds down when you need it, or folds up to make it flat against the wall. The hanger also has three arms (rods) on both sides (six arms total) that swing out so you can hang things on them. And, there are hooks along the bottom rail of the hanger for even more clothes. I really like that everything folds flat and out of the way when not in use. And hey – it’s “rods” and “hooks” (get it?!) – LOL.
I also found a black and white canvas bag that says “LAKE LIFE” on it. I hung this bag from the rack above and use it to hold extra throw blankets for the room. I love how it looks!
Styling an Antique Bedside Table
When my parents bought the cabin in the 1970s, it was fully furnished. I put one of the round tables in the bedroom as a bedside table. No, this table has nothing to do with black and white, or fish, or space – but, it is a necessary piece in this room to anchor it to the roots of the room. An eclectic piece of furniture that has been around for a long time and it looks perfect in this room.
I found a cool cordless lamp for the table, as well as a small trash can and cylinder tissue container. I also added a fish notepad in a tray with a fish-shaped pen – you never know when you need to jot something down. Just a few things that are fun and goofy for guests, and they look cool, too.
The Bedding
Bedding is always an important part of any bedroom decor. I love using layers to give the bed a look that makes you just want to hop in and stay a while. I wanted a dark neutral, light-weight quilt (since we’re only at the cabin in the warm months), and something with simple straight lines (“tight lines”, a fishing term). I found the perfect dark grey quilt to use as the base layer. From there, I added a white gauze throw blanket to the foot of the bed, I thought about putting the extra throw blankets on top of the bed as well, but I like them in the LAKE LIFE bag, and I wanted to play up the throw pillows.
Oh, how I love throw pillows! I searched and searched for unique throw pillow covers that I could use. I knew I could design my own, but look what I found! It’s an astronaut helmet with fish! Oh my gosh. This is SO perfect! I just giggled when I spotted this, and every time I see it, I smile. My Dad would have thought this was cool, too. My boys know my affinity for fish and outer space, so even they thought this pillow cover was perfect. Fish in space. Yah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! I found an illustrated fish pillow, and I also found a dead fish pillow in black and white that I thought was really fun. I originally thought the pillow was a full-sized pillow, but when it arrived, I was surprised that it was only about 7-inches long. At first, I was a little disappointed in the size, but I hung it on the bedframe, and now I think it’s perfect.
Constellation Wall
Two of the walls in this bedroom are painted black. To add an element of surprise to all those who sleep in this room, I hand painting stars and constellations on one of the walls at the foot of the bed. I used Rustoleum glow-in-the-dark paint, so the paint charges with the sun by day, and puts on a spectacular show at night!
DIY TIPS: I wanted the constellation shapes to be as accurate as possible, so I printed a template of six of my favorite constellations to use as a painting guide. I used the end of my artist paint brush to dab the paint onto the wall – some dots are larger than others. The trick to painting a constellation wall that turns out looking great is to first paint your constellations so they take up about a 1-foot square area. Five or six constellations spaced out on the wall is probably the most you’d want to avoid over-crowding. The constellations don’t have to be in the correct orientation that they are in the sky – be creative. Once the constellations are painted, use the wood end of your paint brush and add more stars to fill in the space between the constellations. Do NOT go overboard here! It can be really tempting to paint a lot of dots (stars), but that can actually make the overall look less effective. Within a 1-foot square area, you’ll probably only need to add around 10-15 stars. Space them out and make them various sizes. Once you’re done painting, you’ll have a spectacular view of space! TIP: If you can, paint the glow-in-the-dark stars while the room is dark. This will allow you to see exactly where you’re painting. Have fun (I sure did!)
Original Fish in Space Art
To complete my fish-in-space theme, I had an idea in my head of a school of fish swimming through space, straight toward the bowl of the Big Dipper (just like scooping for minnows with Dad). I have a new graphic illustration program that I wanted to try (I’m just starting to learn how it works), so I created a piece of art to hang in this bedroom. Once the design was done, I uploaded the image to Walmart Photos and had a canvas print made. It turned out perfect! This design includes things that have special meanings to me. For example, there are special stars for people we’ve loved and lost, and constellations for my Mom and Dad. There are even three special stars for each of my boys. The more you look, the more you see. I think it is the perfect piece to finish this space. TIP: There are lots of places that will make canvas hanging prints of your artwork, but I found Walmart to have the best prices and the quality is excellent.
A Unique Bedroom
Yes. This IS just a cabin. And yes, this IS a small bedroom in an unfinished porch that was built in the 50s. It’s rough, and nowhere near being a high-end, fancy hotel room. But you know what? I’m really digging this space, and so far – friends who have slept there think it’s pretty cool, too.
All good fish go to Heaven.
This ‘fish in space’ bedroom celebrates all the fish we’ve caught (and released – or eaten). It celebrates my love for my Mom and her fun personality and love of black and white. It celebrates my love for my Dad and his love of fishing and for inspiring me to think creatively and appreciate the skies above. Not a single day goes by when I don’t miss my parents and thank them for everything they’ve ever done for me. They were the best two people in the galaxy. I am thoroughly enjoying the cabin they bought for our family, and I feel like I am honoring them with all the design choices I’ve made in refurbishing the cabin. I am forever grateful that they bought this place, and I will never forget all the special memories I have of being there with them. Thank you, Mom and Dad. 143
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this design idea. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
→ Did you like this article? Follow me on social media for even more!
- I save fun things to Pinterest, share information on Facebook, and occasionally post to Instagram.
- Click to sign up for email updates so you never miss a thing.
- And…. go back to my Home Page for even MORE fun!
