The Bedroom

Seaside – If you love the beach, surround yourself with things that remind you of a day at the beach. Glue starfish right to your walls to create a unique border! You can find plenty of bedding and accessories with a nautical flair, so this theme should be fairly easy to complete. There are lamps, picture frames, rugs, pillows, accent furniture and more all accented with shells. Use shades of beige, yellow and blue in the room. If your room doesn’t face the water, consider adding a faux window with a beach scene mural inserted to give the illusion that your home is beachside! For that finishing touch, have the sounds of the ocean lightly playing on a CD player, or add a small fountain to hear the real trickle of water.

Aeronautics – Is there someone in your family always looking skyward? Decorate their bedroom with model airplanes, flight charts and photographs of early airplanes. Hang an old flight jacket on the wall and accessorize with navigational instruments.

A Child’s Room

Kids will love to spend time in their themed bedroom! You may want to have them help choose the accessories for their room. It is fairly easy to find matching bedding, window coverings and wallpaper border, but you may have to shop a bit to find other items to complete the theme. Try searching the internet to see what you can find.

Cowboy – Perfect for young boys, this room incorporates items from the Wild West, like cowboy hats, horseshoes and a lasso. Use brown and tan colors in the room, with suede or denim bedding, window treatments and accent pillows. If you are crafty, design a hanging light with an old wagon wheel, and replace a conventional door with saloon-style swinging doors. An old pair of western boots at the foot of the bed adds that authentic touch!

Jungle – Mount a rope hammock amidst silk trees to create a space for your child’s “zoo” of stuffed animals. Cover the walls with grasscloth and add animal-themed accents to make it feel like a safari. Don’t forget a mosquito net over the bed!

Sports – Transform your junior athlete’s space into a sports zone. Emblazon the walls with game plays and a scoreboard. Display trophies on shelves made from skateboards or skis. Get a basketball net hamper. Complete the look with colorful athletic pennants and other sports memorabilia. 

Aquatic – Decorate the room to look like the interior of a boat, and paint portholes with images of underwater sea life. If you have an aspiring surfer, flood the room with brightly colored Hawaiian print fabrics. Mount a surfboard as a headboard and make a bedskirt from hula skirts.

Characters – Decorate a child’s room around their favorite characters from a movie or book. Build a castle bookcase or a fort for a bed. You are limited only by your imagination!

Other Rooms

Collectibles – Design a room in your house around a treasured collection. Display autographed jerseys, photographs, baseball cards and sports memorabilia on walls painted with the colors of your favorite team. Showcase your collection of antique dolls in a victorian-themed room complete with velvet, lace and fringed lamps. Set up a room like a museum gallery to proudly exhibit artwork, artifacts or mementos from your travels.

Movie Set – Home theaters have become ever more popular, and what better theme than a movie set! Install theater-style seating. Include a director’s chair and a megaphone. Finish off the look with vintage movie posters, old film reels and other collectibles.

Musical – If someone in your family is musically inclined, turn a bedroom or family room into a music room. Place a wallpaper border with musical notes around the top of the room. Purchase old vinyl records to hang on the walls. Buy some second-hand instruments to place about the room. Even if no one knows how to play them, they will learn when inspiration hits! An old phonograph or turntable can be an interesting accessory, especially if it’s in working order. Place photographs of favorite performers around the room for interesting conversation starters.

Fishing – Is there an avid fisherman in your family? Give your angler a room all his own! Drape a fishing net as a window valance and attach colorful lures to a framed corkboard. Fill the walls with mounted trophies and a rack for fishing poles.

Patriotic – Hurray for the red, white and blue! Stars and stripes come together in this all-American room from decorative plates to drapes. Finish the look with a shelving unit stocked with history books and eagle bookends.

Asian – Nearly any room can be designed with an Asian influence. Think minimalistic; a futon, floor cushions and tatami grass mats. Use a paper screen to divide the space and display authentic items from the Orient. Soothing colors, live bamboo and a Japanese rock garden can transform your space into the perfect retreat.

Favorite hobby or occupation – Just about anything can be expanded into a theme, even a single color or pattern. Start with a list of your favorite things and it will lead you to visions of new beginnings for your home!

Written by Lizette Lenhard
and Sandy Johnson
Printed July/August 2007
Web January 2009