How to Pick a Bedroom Theme

Co-authored by Sarah Fogle

Last Updated: August 23, 2021 References

Your room should reflect your personality, and what better way to do that than to have a room theme? A room theme is a way to decorate your room so everything has something you find interesting in common. This helps you personalize your experience in your room. So, how are you going to do it? Don't worry, this article will guide you in this challenging topic.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Focusing on your interests or favorite things

1
Decide on what you find interesting. Your room is a picture of your personality, thus it should reflect you and what you care about. This is not about your parents, sibling or friend; it's about you. Focus on what you will be happy to live and work with; you'll have to wake up every morning to this, so choose something that you know you won't get tired of easily.
2
Consider your interests. It can be ideal to associate your interest with your room theme. There are many possibilities here. For example, if you like soccer, you can get a whole line of soccer-themed room accessories if you are up to it. If you just love those giraffes, you can get creative with tall brown and yellow furniture. Alternatively, if you are a fan of antiques, try collecting them for your room.
- Imagine what items are associated with your topic. List as many ideas as you can about how you can connect your topic to your room. Remember to be creative and see this in ways you never thought of before.
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3
Consider combining interests. Maybe you love puppies and you are obsessed with poetry. Consider having poems about puppies, puppies reading poetry, and poems written inside images of puppies. Get creative with the ways that you express your interests.
4
Consider your favorite actor or singer. If you are a fan, it might help to put them into your theme. Perhaps you can decorate your room with posters from theme or, if you want to, get a bed-set featuring your favorite singer or actor. You can have multiple favorite actors in your theme ideas list, or just one. That is your choice.
5
Put your collections in your list. Whether it is bottle caps or chocolate bunnies, collections are an interesting part of a theme to consider and can help personalize your room. It helps even more if you already started the collection, so you have something unique from the start!
6
Determine whether you'll do all of the decorating yourself or whether it's possible to get someone to help. For example, if the budget permits, you could consider hiring a professional painter to paint your room with racing cars, cartoon characters, or famous gymnasts.
7
Make a list. If you are having trouble deciding between themes, write down everything in a list. A list can help you organize your ideas so you know which ones to choose from.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Choosing a color

1
Figure out what your theme color shall be.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Expert Interview. 27 July 2021.} Think about your favorite color. Often, themes are based on a color, your favorite color. If you can't decide on one color, you can always pick two.^{[2]
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- If you are a girly girl, you might want to pick the color pink.
- If you like calm, soft colors, blue, green, and purple would work.
- If you like bright, jazzy colors, orange, red, and yellow would make your room pop!
- If you like green, then your room can be based on green and white colors or green and black.
A good idea is to add a neutral color to the bunch, to make it easier to match in many items.
2
Select colors for the items to go into the room. You may want to consider the color of the carpet or furniture to ensure the colors don’t clash with each other.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Expert Interview. 27 July 2021.} If you have red carpet, for example, the color orange probably would fit more than green. If you have blue furniture, purple would look better in your theme than yellow. On the other hand, orange carpet with blue is a bright contrast for those who are creative with their color palette.^{[4]
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3
Get creative. Your room doesn't just have to be one or two colors. If you want, splatter paint your walls with all kinds of colors and make your own pillowcases. Your theme can be anything you want, it's all up to you. After all, you're the one who sleeps in your bed every night. Make it something memorable.^{[5]
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4
Add the color theme ideas to the list you created in Part One. Both the theme ideas and color ideas on this list will be worked through in Part Three.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Designing your new room theme

1
Put your choices together. Take a good look at your list of ideas and colors, then take the time to decide how it will work as a whole. It's recommended that you pull together a plan, which will cover your topic, color, favorite actor, interests, and collections all in one mega theme.
- Cross reference things on your list to see what fits together, what clashes and what doesn't work at all. Cross off things you either don't like or can't fit together well.
2
Match the ideas to the budget. Once you have done that, consider your budget and go over the list again. The budget will help you to decide what is realistic and what is not affordable. However, don't despair if something seems too pricey–-consider what other ways you can still achieve what you're after, including sourcing things secondhand, checking online trade and auction sources and doing things smaller instead of doing away with them altogether.^{[6]
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3
Proceed with your bedroom's makeover. Once you've reconciled both theme and budget, it's time to get out there and pull together your theme.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can I make my bed look stylish?

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Sarah Fogle is a DIY Home Improvement Specialist and the creator of Ugly Duckling House. With over a decade of experience, Sarah specializes in beginner-friendly home remodeling projects. Sarah holds an MBA from Georgia State University. She has been featured in multiple publications including Better Homes and Gardens and Make Magazine. She has also partnered with brands such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Martha Stewart Crafts.

Sarah Fogle

DIY Specialist

Expert Answer

Play around with your bedding! Layer tones of the same color to create a cozy vibe instead of matching everything to a single hue.
Question

How can I make my room look unique?

Sarah Fogle
DIY Specialist
Sarah Fogle is a DIY Home Improvement Specialist and the creator of Ugly Duckling House. With over a decade of experience, Sarah specializes in beginner-friendly home remodeling projects. Sarah holds an MBA from Georgia State University. She has been featured in multiple publications including Better Homes and Gardens and Make Magazine. She has also partnered with brands such as Lowe's, Home Depot, and Martha Stewart Crafts.

Sarah Fogle

DIY Specialist

Expert Answer

Pick something large in your room as a jumping-off point. For instance, you might use a large area rug to choose your paint color.
Question

I want white walls, but my friends love my colorful walls. I don't know what to do.

Community Answer

It's your room, so ultimately it should be your choice how it looks. Your friends don't have to live there. If you want to compromise, maybe you could do white walls with one wall as a mural, painted in bright colors?