Disney Inspired Decorating ~ Children's Peter Pan Bedrooms

Even though we still are working on the Blue Bayou and Tiki Room bedrooms in our house, I started to daydream about a Neverland themed rooms. There are at least 3 very distinct directions one could take that decorating: Tinkerbell, Lost Boys, and Pirate.

My idea board for the Tinkerbell room is definitely feminine but change the colors and add more rustic items (like tree stump end tables or stone looking bean bag chairs) and you can create something, well, less pink.

Essentially you can have start with a very simple bedroom and color palette. You'll simply be adding a few specific details. Silk flowers in a pretty vase or garlands draped across a window will bring the floral garden feel to the room. Add a lantern or two similar to the one in which Captain Hook kept Tinkerbell captive. light them with battery operated candles for darling nightlights. The Believe in Magic Pillow, Tinkerbell figurine, and Tinkerbell playset are all available right now on the Disney Store website. The Knappa flower light pendant is sold at Ikea.

For my Lost Boys room I combined rustic wood furniture (reminiscent of their tree home), Native American tapestries (paying homage to their comrades in the war against Hook), and nautical details (things they may have found or swiped from the island's pirates. There are a few Neverland maps available for sale on the internet that would be a magical addition to this room. Be sure to add animals into the design as well since our Disney boys are dressed as them... perhaps wolf drawer handles, an owl lamp, a faux bear skin rug. Hooks Battle Lair Playset is available at the Disney Store. There's a neat Neverland Map available on Etsy.

My favorite pirate themed room at the moment is not one I designed, but the one that can be found at Disneyland's Innoventions Dream Home. This children's room features a projector screen sail for movie watching, a cannon that shoots virtual cannon balls, and a pirate ship shaped bed. The window coverings which are dark blue with small holes punched all over, create a starry night sky any time of day. We're going to use this idea in our Blue Bayou bedroom. When you book your next trip to Disneyland, you have got to stop and see it!

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Inspired Bedroom Ideas

We asked our girls, "What would you like your bedroom to be decorated like?"
They have a high vaulted ceiling and I immediately thought of Bamboo Ben's Masterpiece of a remodel (seriously, go check it out!) I also liked the idea of a Pixie Hallow themed room with over sized props to make them feel itty bitty. And what about a Peter Pan room with hook latches, ship wheel chandeliers, and a Peter Pan shadow "standing" on the dresser?! All very great ideas, but not for my girls. My lovely "princesses" chose a Blue Bayou bedroom!

It's going to be quite the undertaking, but my biggest job right now is to figure out which direction to take it.

This first idea board is inspired by this picture of the Blue Bayou Restaurant in the 60s. My girls love the lanterns and requested fireflies.

The next design is a reflection of Tia Dalma's shack in the bayou. A darker theme for sure. I know my teen would love this, but my littles might not be so brave... but then again, they might be swept away by the magic.

And finally a more whimsical design that would bring the outdoors in. I imagine a large shadowy mural on one wall and a tree branch with tiny flickering fireflies would go well with this.

What do you think? Leave me a comment and help us decide. ♥

Indiana Jones Bedroom

(reposted from my photography site)

I was thinking about childhood the other day. How we all know how to be kids, but we don't really know how to be grown ups. I thought about how much fun I had as a kid. A ton of tree climbing, ditch digging, and twilight games of tag. I remember secret bike rides to the gas station to buy jolly ranchers and lemon heads. I remember the smell of of creosote and juniper when we walked the train tracks home. These are things my kids rarely (or never) do. And I feel bad for them. But it got me to thinking about what I could do to make their time at home more imaginative and maybe help them create something to remember. First idea? Turn T's room into something inspired by Indiana Jones (and the outdoor areas of the Disneyland ride)

So of course, the biggest project was the painting. The room used to be lavender (from when it was C's room) The stone wall, and the distressed white walls took me about 8-10 hours to finish. I love them. When I check on T at night it really looks like he is sleeping in a cot outside some ancient Mayan ruins.

The steamer trunk holds his toys, the red shelf his clothes. I tea stained a few dozen maps from thrifted National Geographics for his map wall. They are held in place with just thumbtacks. The headboard is made from an old fence. I painted different cities with the mileage to them (like a sign post) on it and spelled 'Tanzenia' wrong on purpose (you MIGHT know why). You can't see the light fixture, but it's an industrial style light that I found at goodwill for $7. I spray painted it black and distressed it with paint. Eventually I will redo the red shelf to resemble a shipping crate. After that I'll devise a pulley system for the curtain, paint the closet and bedroom door, order the pictures for the wall, and make a night light out of the lantern... fun!