Vintage Fishing Floats Bring a Little Mystery Indoors

Fishing floats, these shimmering balls and cylinders that have been used to keep fishermen’s lines and leaves in the surface of the water, tip at the mystery and romance of the sea. Glass ones were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries; people have since given way to modern materials such as aluminum and plastic. However, the upside is that the originals have become a boon for home decor, beloved for their storied nautical atmosphere and their sculptural, luminous appeal.

Take a look at the ways that fishing floats are utilized through these interiors, and embark on a little seafaring fantasy of your own.

Cristi Holcombe Interiors, LLC

Vintage floats bob through the world’s oceans, drifting toward the shores where they will wash up in time. Although numerous manufacturers create copies, those can’t replicate the patina of their originals, which bear the scuffs of sand and salt and, in some cases, are worn smooth underneath the baits that wrap them.

Landing Design

Sea greens and blues tend to be the most popular colours for fishing floats used in decorating, but you will locate them in a rainbow of different colors. This one picks up the bright reddish in the plaid blanket. It wears its own batter, which enhances the textural sense of the armchair; in many scenarios, the nets are torn off or have disintegrated.

Tip: Search for classic fishing floats at antiques stores and through internet auction sites such as eBay.

Thom Filicia Inc..

Floats come in a range of sizes — a few are small enough to fit on your hand; others are larger than a basketball. This trio of bulbous ones accounts from the rotund lamp base in the left edge of the table.

Kate Jackson Design

Tucked amid a shelf of books and eclectic treasures, a float makes a whimsical surprise.

maison21

Tiny floats cupped within a shell skillet the symmetry of this sideboard only enough to give the composition energy.

Margaret Donaldson Interiors

Clustered on an antique dining table, three scenic floats — all with the unmistakable sheen of age — reinforce the feeling of history.

Landing Design

This glowing reddish float is layered atop a vintage life preserver to get a brand new spin on the typical blues and whites of nautical style.

Get a nautical look with modern flavor

JM Design

In case you’ve got a pool, lagoon or pond in your yard, place floats in their planned setting. Here a single orb gives the impression of a oversized bubble.

Kelley & Company Home

Tuck fishing floats amid cubes in vases to get a refreshing twist on a beach-house classic.

See related