Decorating Ideas for Boys Rooms

A decorating theme is a great way to begin decorating a room for a child. If you're like most parents, you've probably spent lots of time thinking about decorating your new child's room even before he joined your family. While bunnies are cute and teddy bears are darling, you might want something different for the bedroom or playroom.

There are lots of great themes for boys' rooms. A special theme will provide both the focus and the inspiration for a special one-of-a-kind room and can be adapted as your child grows. Time to get started!

Bug's Life
From bees and ants to frogs and reptiles, creatures of nature often capture a child's attention. Browse theme ideas at Posh Tots including a Bug Off Table and Chair Set, Bug bed linens, and or frog lamp. Maybe using this theme in the bedroom will encourage your son to leave the real thing outside!

Favorite Animals
What boy wouldn't love a room focusing on his favorite pet? Whether it's a dog or cat, bird or snake, using this theme will make your son (and his pet) feel particularly at home. Be sure to put up lots of pictures with your son and his best friend around the room and make sure you have stuffed animals scattered everywhere.

Playhouse / Playtown
This theme will provide a wonderful scheme for decorating your son's room and provide lots of wonderful playtime possibilities as well. A whimsical or the cute playtown chest can be your starting point. Or, do a border in kids designs or paint a mural of a street scene on one or more walls. Name the storefronts for family members ("Katie's Groceries", "Ted's Puppet Theatre", "Todd's Bike Shop", "Anne's Pet Heaven", "Sara's Video Den", or Dennis' Book Nook").

Safari
For a safari look, find wonderful, colorful animal wallpaper borders and fabrics at any wallpaper store. Paint the walls blue, tan, ivory, or any of the colors in your wallpaper border. Make pillows and valances from coordinating leopard-print fabrics, and find some stuffed lions and tigers for the corner. Mount a butterfly net, binoculars, or straw hat on the walls. Use colorful mat board and frame some of your child's artwork to display. Maybe he'll draw some lions!

Rustic Cabin
Most every child loves spending time at camp or in the mountains. And what parent doesn't have happy childhood memories of hiking, boating, fishing, or just enjoying the outdoors. Birdhouses, bears, moose, and fish might show up in wallpaper borders, in fabrics, bedding, and accessories. For a rustic room you might also choose comfy plaid patterns, flannel fabrics, and log or pine beds. Accessories might use forest themes of animals, mountain scenes, or natural materials such as pine cones, leaves, and sticks. Take another cue from camp and use a sturdy trunk to store toys. With a room this nice, who needs a vacation?

Rain Forest
Choose a colorful jungle border, or try a jungle area rug. Soft fabric snakes and colorful stuffed birds or butterfly cutouts can add to the decor. Make pillows of animal or jungle prints and use themed accessories. Grrr!

Race Cars
With car racing, you think black and white checkered flags, and a finish line. Find an area rug with a car track design. A car bed might be fun, or decorate the walls with a car wall appliques. Add some framed calendar photos or posters of race cars, and put up narrow shelving to display car collections. Zoom!

Outer Space
Take a trip to the stars using a space theme. An Apollo bed set, outer space border, or star-studded rocking chair might be just the items that inspires your child to reach for the stars. Paint reflective planets or stars on the ceiling in arrangements of the constellations.

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
If Dad is in the service, you might let your boy feel patriotic with a room painted in camouflage and outfitted with tanks and desert colors. But leave the guns out!

Sports
From soccer to baseball to football, sports is a theme that spans the generations. To use a baseball theme for example, use a headboard made from bats, hang curtains from bats used as curtain rods, make a baseball lamp, or hang shelving to display gloves, pennants, and trophies. Paint the room in the colors of your son's favorite team. Sports themed rugs, furniture, and beds are another possibility. Create similar looks for other sports, and you'll have a room that is a big "hit" with sports fans. Play ball!

Wild Colors
Go wild by starting with a lively area rug designed in fun colors for a child. Take your cue from the rug for colors and designs for the rest of the room. Use color everywhere! Paint every surface of a bookcase a different color, and do the same with headboard slats, drawer fronts, and chair legs. This is a great way to help your little one learn his colors! Find a fabric to compliment the rug and use it to tie the room together with window valances or floor pillows.

Movie or Cartoon Characters
There's something for everyone in this theme! Whether your son has been captivated by Mickey Mouse, Alladin, Lion King, Toy Story, or Scooby Doo -- you'll probably be able to find bedding, lamps, and other decorative items that use these themes. Towels for the bathroom and toys will be easy to add.

Pirates
The story of Peter Pan can inspire creative parents to design a wonderful room. Boys intrigued by the notion of pirates will love a room using blue ocean themes, ship masts, portholes, netting, treasure boxes, and secret play hideaways.

Knights and Castles
Artistic parents can faux paint castle walls, murals, and blue skies for a truly memorable room. Use the theme of "A Sword in the Stone" or "Camelot" for inspiration. Find another take on this theme offered by for Mercy's Sake in their Galahad collection.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
There are lots of colorful choices in bedding, fabrics, and wallpaper that feature transportation themes. Most use bright primary colors and offer eye-catching designs. Make a train track border around the room, hang airplanes from the ceiling, or go wild with a car-shaped bed.

Cowboy Kids
This is a fun theme where you can let your imagination run wild. Think bandanna valances, chaps wall hangings, tin stars, horses, rope borders, and more. The baby dude designs offered by for Mercy's Sake offer some fun possibilities. Or check out OliveKids.com Camp Wilderness or the Wild West theme designs from PoshTots.com for more creative examples of this theme and products to add to your decor.

Dinosaurs
From cute and stylized to realistic and ferocious -- dinosaurs themes are still popular. If you suspect this is a passing phase for your little one, then opt for solid color bedding and walls, using theme elements in borders, sheets, valances, and posters.

The information from this post was found at about.com. Photo from vanessakeatinginteriors.com.