How to Design a Garden Theme Room
Decorate to Bring the Beauty of Nature to the Living Room or Bedroom
Nov 29, 2008
Decorators who love the outdoors in spring or summer, the airy, laid-back feel of a gazebo, or the richness and color of a garden, will enjoy bringing that ambiance indoors to enjoy year round. And with a little creativity, decorating a garden style room won’t require a money tree.
If the room selected for the makeover has a picture window, French doors, bay window, or any large view of the outdoors, decorators already have a head start. The key to decorating with a garden theme is to make the indoors feel like an outdoor patio or garden gazebo. Accentuate any natural light with lacy or sheer window treatments, and use some of these tips to complete the look.
Start with the Walls in the Garden Theme Room
Color will abound in a garden theme room, but the walls are traditionally a more restful shade. Decorators will want to consider the sage greens of garden vegetation, earth tones of clay, or golds of sunlight.
Once the walls are a rich earth tone, it’s time to liven them up with color. Decorators will have no trouble finding glorious prints of bright flowers, birds, butterflies, ladybugs, or mushrooms. They might even paint a mural of a flowering tree, vine-laden trellis, or blossoming arbor.
At this point, decorators will need to consider whether they favor the bold flowers of summer, or the pastel blossoms of spring. The color scheme boils down to personal preference.
Furniture for a Garden Style Room
For the furnishings in their garden style room, decorators can consider pieces they might choose for a patio. Whicker or bamboo settees and chairs definitely bring the airy outdoor feel inside. If decorators favor the comfort of traditional couches and chairs, they can complement the garden theme by finding a set with an open, off-the-ground, and airy look. The upholstery of the furnishings can either be a colorful floral, or a contrasting earth tone dressed up with bright throw pillows.
Coffee tables, in-tables, and night stands for a garden style room should accentuate the outdoor airy look. Wrought iron and glass tables are a classy option. Decorators can also get creative and make their own by topping large terracotta flowerpots with a cut piece of glass. They can also use a piece of glass to top a base constructed of picket fencing intertwined with silk vines.
Wrought-iron bedroom suites are popular in garden themed bedrooms. Some decorators also opt to make their own headboards from picket fencing or trellises. Woods chosen for beds, dressers, and chest of drawers in a garden style room should be light and natural.
Area Rugs for the Garden Style Room
It’s hard to resist the bright florals of a wool area rug if the garden style room has hardwood floors. These rugs are a little pricey, but they offer a great splash of color and provide a focal point for the room.
Other attractive options for area rugs to create a garden ambiance are woven straw or floral prints. Decorators should try to bring in as much color as possible with their rug selection.
Decorating Accents for a Garden Style Room
There are so many inexpensive ideas for decorating a garden theme room, it’s hard not to go overboard. The most important accent to remember is greenery. Real or silk plants are the touch that will most bring an outdoor atmosphere to the room. And, the soothing trickle of a decorative fountain will provide sound to accompany the room’s visual ambiance.
Some quick and easy options for topping dressers, nightstands, mantles, coffee and in-tables are baskets of pinecones, vases of silk flowers, potted ferns, wooden bowls of smooth river rocks, jars of potpourri, and picture frames with bright floral magazine illustrations.
Birdhouses are another fun motif for decorating a garden theme room. Painted houses add a splash of color, and stone cottage birdhouses carry on the natural garden look.
Photographers can have fun showcasing their talent and passion for nature in a garden style room with their own framed shots of flowers, garden insects, and birds. Personalized touches like these make a room feel special and fill it with fond memories.
Gardening tools are another easy motif for a garden theme room. Decorators can hang a display of worn implements on the wall, or fill a watering can with flowers for a table centerpiece. For other ideas, decorators can check out articles covering rooms designed with safari, music, and East Indian themes.
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