Decorating Ideas for a Child's Bedroom in an Outdoor Theme

Earth-Tone Color Palette

• To capture the look of the great outdoors in your child’s bedroom, start with an earth-tone color palette. Choose shades that you would find in nature, such as brown, tan, gray and rust. Green and blue shades are ideal for evoking images of grass, sky and water, and you might even include some golden accents to represent the sun. For the walls, opt for a light neutral shade like cream or beige in a small room to make it feel larger. In a larger room, tan or light brown paint can help create a warm, cozy feel while still providing a natural, outdoorsy look.

Natural Materials

• When decorating an outdoor-themed room, it’s important to choose natural materials so the space has a rustic feel. Wooden furniture is a must for a nature-inspired room. In particular, a cedar log bed frame provides a rugged, outdoorsy feel that makes it an ideal focal point for the space. Leave it with a natural finish, and pair it with knotted-pine bedside tables to maintain the rustic, outdoorsy look. Hardwood is ideal for the floor, but you can add area rugs made from natural fibers like sisal, jute or sea grass. For the window coverings, natural materials like cotton or linen provide an attractive, casual look, but wood blinds also work well.

Mural

• If you want to bring the outdoors theme to life in a dramatic way, paint a nature-inspired mural on the bedroom walls. Depending on your child’s preferences, you can paint a mountain, beach or forest scene and personalize it with her favorite animals and plant life. However, for a truly striking look, add a mural of the night sky to the ceiling as well, so your child feels as if she is sleeping under the stars every time she goes to bed. If you’re not particularly artistic, you can hire a mural painter to create a customized design for the room or purchase premade murals that you apply like wallpaper.

Tent Canopy

• Sleeping in a tent is often part of enjoying the great outdoors, so your child may get a kick out of a bed with a tent-like feel. You can create a tent-inspired canopy for the bed with a piece of canvas material that resembles a traditional tent. You can use any color you like, but a tan, brown or olive green color is the best choice for the outdoorsy color scheme. Install a rod on the wall above the top of the bed and stretch the canvas over it. You can attach the ends of the fabric to the sides of the bed or the wall on either side of the frame to create a triangle-like shape that resembles a tent.