A jungle theme is a great decorating idea for a baby or child’s room. It’s easy to create an imaginative jungle room with inexpensive materials like stained glass Monarch.
For a larger-than-life, realistic jungle room, use the walls as a backdrop. The bed and furniture within the room are the explorer’s tent or hut; the walls are a window to the surroundings.
Ideas for Decorating Walls
Use murals to create a rain forest or jungle background. This can be done on all four walls, or just one or two. Paint the remaining walls in a tan or khaki color, or use wallpaper made of natural fibers to make the remaining walls look like the inside of a tent or hut. To add detail, use plain boards to frame out the mural wall and make it look like a view from a window.
For other wall decorations, use simple prints and bamboo picture frames. Twigs and sticks – either purchased in a craft store or found in the backyard – can be used to prop up stuffed animals. Toy hammocks are a great addition to a jungle room; they incorporate with the theme while providing handy toy storage. If the room is big enough – and the child is old enough – a real hammock or swing is a cute and fun addition to the room.
Dress Up Furniture For a Safari Look
Go for a rugged look with the bed; a simple brass or metal bed that looks like a cot is a good choice. Create a canopy of mosquito netting around the bed, or swag plain muslin or canvas materials over the bed for a canopy effect.
Furniture should have a rustic, weathered look. Look for inexpensive bamboo or rattan furniture for accent pieces. Wood furniture pieces can be turned into jungle huts or background plants by painting it with brown or straw colored paint, covering it with foliage patterned wallpaper, or using natural coverings.
Bamboo items like shades and placemats are widely available and inexpensive and easy to work with. Simply glue them to dressers, toyboxes, picture frames, and even walls for an instant change.
To create a jungle hut from a plain armoire, glue inexpensive bamboo placemats to the front of an inexpensive or used armoire. Add artificial jungle birds to the front of the armoire for more embellishment. Build a sloping roof from scrap lumber or even Styrofoam and attach more placemats or a grass skirt.
Visit a Party Supply Store For Accessories
Grass skirts can be used to dress up other plain furniture, too. Attach them to changing tables, cubicles storage bins, or tables. It’s easy to get to storage underneath while the grass offers camouflage and blends into the room. They also make great window coverings on top of a simple sheer curtain or wood blinds.
Grass skirts can be found in party supply stores, which are also a great source for many other decorating items. Many items used to create a great tiki party can also be used to decorate a jungle kids’ room or nursery. Just keep safety in mind a make sure everything is secure, without sharp edges, toxic materials, or pieces that could topple over on a child. As with all kid’s rooms, secure top-heavy pieces to the wall so that children can’t pull them over on themselves.
For accessories, use age-appropriate safari-style items. Toy lanterns and camping supplies and plush jungle animals – especially a lion rug – will fit right into a jungle room and can be used for decoration as well as play.
As the child grows, a jungle room can be updated with simple changes to reflect more mature tastes, without changing the whole room. Indiana Jones will be right at home in a jungle room, and GI Joe will have plenty of places to hide and camp out. A room decorated in a jungle theme is one that will last for a long time on low-cost materials and a little elbow grease.
