DecorateDisney??

[AulaniFanGirl]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I would love to see other people’s thoughts about trying to bring Disney decor into the house. I saw an amazing website where someone turned nearly every room in their house into a Disney themed room. I kind of want to do the same. The themes I’ve picked out for rooms are: Wilderness Lodge/Grand Californian, Aulani/Polynesian, Nautical (Yacht Club- esque but with bright whites), and Beach Club/Beaches and Cream.

But I’m terrible at color matching and color coordinating. For instance, in the Aulani room, we already have a lot of tan and darker wood— Not sure what to use for the colors.

Any advice from people who are better at decorating or who have done this already about how to go about doing this? What resources do you tend to use for decor, color palettes? And we are definitely on a budget!

 

[fla4fun]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I would love to see other people’s thoughts about trying to bring Disney decor into the house. I saw an amazing website where someone turned nearly every room in their house into a Disney themed room. I kind of want to do the same. The themes I’ve picked out for rooms are: Wilderness Lodge/Grand Californian, Aulani/Polynesian, Nautical (Yacht Club- esque but with bright whites), and Beach Club/Beaches and Cream.

But I’m terrible at color matching and color coordinating. For instance, in the Aulani room, we already have a lot of tan and darker wood— Not sure what to use for the colors.

Any advice from people who are better at decorating or who have done this already about how to go about doing this? What resources do you tend to use for decor, color palettes? And we are definitely on a budget!

Start by picking a neutral color that can go with all the themes. Looking at the themes you listed, I would probably go with a warm beige. This can be used as a wall color, flooring color, or furniture color to tie the rooms together, and should go with what you have already started in the Aulani room.

When you have your foundation color to tie the rooms together, then you can choose accent colors for each one through the decor. You might use shades of dark blue and white in the YC, light blue with a few pops of bright color for BC, shades of yellow and orange for Aulani, with various hues of green for WL, etc. This will give each room its own flavor, but going from one to the other should still be a smooth transition due to the foundation color. As far as wood tones, both WL and Aulani can lean to the darker side, while BC may benefit from a lighter tone, with YC the lightest of all.

Unless you are going for OTT theming, think of it as Disney-bounding vs wearing a costume. You want to invoke the feeling of each theme through art and decor, not recreate the resort in detail. I would especially look for posters or prints of the resorts to hang in each room. Keep the basics of the room (walls, furniture, flooring) more neutral so you can change things up easily in the future without spending a lot. Since you are on a budget, doing each room as a different theme is a good idea, as they can be done separately and over time as your finances allow.

I hope you will post a few photos when you are finished.

 

[AulaniFanGirl]

Wow, what an incredibly thoughtful reply! You’ve given me a lot of food for thought. I suppose I’m lucky that I have a lot of that warm beige on our walls already— which led to those ideas so I’m glad to have them (and the wall color) validated!

I must confess I am a *teeny* bit interested in slightly OTT theming but will maybe restrain myself. Not sure yet. This is probably because we have some over the top existing paint and countertop colors (pink on pink on pink for instance) and so forth that the previous owners had put in the house. I had been at a loss about what to do for the longest time but now having seen several of the resorts at Disney World, it’s might all actually work out and look somewhat normal. We’ll see how it goes. Beats repainting everything.

Curious where people might go for things like artwork. I know that there is a Disney art website for those fancy Disney paintings, but I’m curious about other options.

Also curious about how to figure out how to put stuff on the wall generally. I never know how to group wall art, where to put it, etc., without looking weird. I love it if anyone had ideas or resources for those of us who are not intuitive with this…

Thank you!!!

 

[princesscinderella]

My patio is themed after the Enchanted Tiki Room. I have the attraction sign they were selling for a while, not sure if it’s still available. I painted a border around the frame for my screened section of the patio with Polynesian patterns in different colors. I also have a collection of trader Sam’s tiki mugs from both coasts on shelves I made myself that have bamboo accents. I also made bird perches of different sizes and shapes with fake birds I have found that hang from the ceiling with a sting of the led patio lights that’s wrapped in a giant lei. It’s one of my favorite places in the house, I need to redo some of the birds and perches as the elements are getting to them since it’s been about 5 years. It was a fun project to transform my patio Disney style, have fun!

 

[princesscinderella]

Wow, what an incredibly thoughtful reply! You’ve given me a lot of food for thought. I suppose I’m lucky that I have a lot of that warm beige on our walls already— which led to those ideas so I’m glad to have them (and the wall color) validated!

I must confess I am a *teeny* bit interested in slightly OTT theming but will maybe restrain myself. Not sure yet. This is probably because we have some over the top existing paint and countertop colors (pink on pink on pink for instance) and so forth that the previous owners had put in the house. I had been at a loss about what to do for the longest time but now having seen several of the resorts at Disney World, it’s might all actually work out and look somewhat normal. We’ll see how it goes. Beats repainting everything.

Curious where people might go for things like artwork. I know that there is a Disney art website for those fancy Disney paintings, but I’m curious about other options.

Also curious about how to figure out how to put stuff on the wall generally. I never know how to group wall art, where to put it, etc., without looking weird. I love it if anyone had ideas or resources for those of us who are not intuitive with this…

Thank you!!!

I have seen Disney put out nice wall calendars throughout the years that have smaller sizes of the attractions posters throughout MK that you could deconstruct and frame. This would be the time of year they would put one out too.

 

[VandVsmama]

I've slowly been transitioning my interior decor to a Disneyland theme. The primary bedroom is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad/Frontierland, so it has elements that feel "Old West." I've purchased items gradually as the budget allows...a duvet cover from Crate and Barrel, a large print/photo from IKEA, switching out the bedside lamps to ones that feel appropriately rustic, that sort of thing.

Our guest bedroom is Adventureland. That room is finished and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'll post some photos of it later when I have the chance. Bought a sign off of Etsy, a print from IKEA, some old items of DH's grandfather (who collected some trinkets in the South Pacific in WW2 while serving in the merchant marines), etc. Curtains in that bedroom are linen and are there more for decoration than anything else. Duvet cover has a tropical feel to it without being too over the top.

Guest bathroom is the Enchanted Tiki Room. That has an item or 2 in it from DH's grandfather, along with a framed postcard of Adventureland/Enchanted Tiki Room from Disneyland (got the postcard there for cheap, bought a bamboo-ish picture frame at a store near home). Bathroom window covering is a rattan shade. Shower curtain is Tiki Room-themed that I bought off of Etsy.

Family room is a mish-mash of Disneyland stuff, but more centered around DL park rides. A few years ago, a Disney friend at work gave me a bunch of her calendar's theme park ride mini-posters, so I framed those for cheap and they hang all in a row above our couch (Matterhorn, POTC, IASW, Peoplemover, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride). On another wall in the family room, we have 3 different DL silhouettes hanging: 1 of my sister & I when we were kids, 2 of my kids from different trips; plus the Club 33 key we bought the one time about 6 yr ago when we got to have lunch at Club 33, a DL ride print signed by Bob Gurr, plus a Haunted Mansion sign and a POTC print. And I've got a tall-ish standing IKEA lamp next to the couch in that room...the lamp feels Tomorrowland-ish.

Eventually, once YDD is off at college (she's in 11th grade) and when she's closer to college graduation, I'm going to convert the kids' bedroom into a Tomorrowland theme. Not sure yet if I'll put twin beds in there or a queen bed, but the furniture will definitely have a midcentury modern/1960s space-y vibe to it, with lighting & other accents to go along with that like:

Space Mountain light up sign
Peoplemover sign
Monorail art
and a clock like this but not this exact one because it's too expensive

In our dining room, it's sort of a mix of Native American art & Star Wars with dark woods (because we inherited some antique furniture of DH's mom). There's a Hopi artist I've bought some prints of and he's done some really cool stuff mixing Hopi designs with Star Wars stuff. Here's his website in case you're interested. In the china hutch, I have several Mata Ortiz pottery pieces on display (I started collecting them several years ago). And the area rug in the family room is a big black & white cheap one from IKEA that has a geometric design which sort of goes with the whole thing.

Doesn't have to break the bank or cost an arm and a leg. Pick one room and start on it and work on it a little bit at a time. And eventually, you'll figure out what you want out of each room and when you find the right item to go in each room, you'll just sort of know.

 

[VandVsmama]

I've slowly been transitioning my interior decor to a Disneyland theme. The primary bedroom is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad/Frontierland, so it has elements that feel "Old West." I've purchased items gradually as the budget allows...a duvet cover from Crate and Barrel, a large print/photo from IKEA, switching out the bedside lamps to ones that feel appropriately rustic, that sort of thing.

Our guest bedroom is Adventureland. That room is finished and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'll post some photos of it later when I have the chance. Bought a sign off of Etsy, a print from IKEA, some old items of DH's grandfather (who collected some trinkets in the South Pacific in WW2 while serving in the merchant marines), etc. Curtains in that bedroom are linen and are there more for decoration than anything else. Duvet cover has a tropical feel to it without being too over the top.

Guest bathroom is the Enchanted Tiki Room. That has an item or 2 in it from DH's grandfather, along with a framed postcard of Adventureland/Enchanted Tiki Room from Disneyland (got the postcard there for cheap, bought a bamboo-ish picture frame at a store near home). Bathroom window covering is a rattan shade. Shower curtain is Tiki Room-themed that I bought off of Etsy.

Family room is a mish-mash of Disneyland stuff, but more centered around DL park rides. A few years ago, a Disney friend at work gave me a bunch of her calendar's theme park ride mini-posters, so I framed those for cheap and they hang all in a row above our couch (Matterhorn, POTC, IASW, Peoplemover, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride). On another wall in the family room, we have 3 different DL silhouettes hanging: 1 of my sister & I when we were kids, 2 of my kids from different trips; plus the Club 33 key we bought the one time about 6 yr ago when we got to have lunch at Club 33, a DL ride print signed by Bob Gurr, plus a Haunted Mansion sign and a POTC print. And I've got a tall-ish standing IKEA lamp next to the couch in that room...the lamp feels Tomorrowland-ish.

Eventually, once YDD is off at college (she's in 11th grade) and when she's closer to college graduation, I'm going to convert the kids' bedroom into a Tomorrowland theme. Not sure yet if I'll put twin beds in there or a queen bed, but the furniture will definitely have a midcentury modern/1960s space-y vibe to it, with lighting & other accents to go along with that like:

Space Mountain light up sign
Peoplemover sign
Monorail art
and a clock like this but not this exact one because it's too expensive

In our dining room, it's sort of a mix of Native American art & Star Wars with dark woods (because we inherited some antique furniture of DH's mom). There's a Hopi artist I've bought some prints of and he's done some really cool stuff mixing Hopi designs with Star Wars stuff. Here's his website in case you're interested. In the china hutch, I have several Mata Ortiz pottery pieces on display (I started collecting them several years ago). And the area rug in the family room is a big black & white cheap one from IKEA that has a geometric design which sort of goes with the whole thing.

Doesn't have to break the bank or cost an arm and a leg. Pick one room and start on it and work on it a little bit at a time. And eventually, you'll figure out what you want out of each room and when you find the right item to go in each room, you'll just sort of know.

Here’s some examples:

The “Danger Hippos” pic has:
- print we inherited from MIL
- zebra mask I got for cheap from At Home store
- baskets from an African safari my sister went on in the 90s
- photo of a bamboo forest in Hawaii I bought many year ago
- fishing lure from DH’s grandfather
- the gnarly looking axe thing is from the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, purchased last summer
- the 2 small paintings under the zebra mask are super old, from 1800s and from MIL
- print on left wall by the lamp is cheap and from IKEA
- desk we inherited from MIL and is an antique.
- chair is also pretty old, inherited from my GM. Planning on having it recovered in a zebra print at some point.

The mirror with the 2 necklaces over it:
- mirror is from the 1920s and belonged to DH’ GM.
- koa nut necklace is new, from Aloha Stadium swap meet
- she’ll lei is WW2 era from DH’s grandfather

Pic of the plant painting thing in the rattan frame:
Frame was cheap from IKEA. Probably paid $10 for it? Print I painted myself with spray paint and plant cuttings from the backyard a few years ago. This is hanging on wall just outside the Enchanted Tiki bathroom.

 

[VandVsmama]

Here’s some examples:

The “Danger Hippos” pic has:
- print we inherited from MIL
- zebra mask I got for cheap from At Home store
- baskets from an African safari my sister went on in the 90s
- photo of a bamboo forest in Hawaii I bought many year ago
- fishing lure from DH’s grandfather
- the gnarly looking axe thing is from the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, purchased last summer
- the 2 small paintings under the zebra mask are super old, from 1800s and from MIL
- print on left wall by the lamp is cheap and from IKEA
- desk we inherited from MIL and is an antique.
- chair is also pretty old, inherited from my GM. Planning on having it recovered in a zebra print at some point.

The mirror with the 2 necklaces over it:
- mirror is from the 1920s and belonged to DH’ GM.
- koa nut necklace is new, from Aloha Stadium swap meet
- she’ll lei is WW2 era from DH’s grandfather

Pic of the plant painting thing in the rattan frame:
Frame was cheap from IKEA. Probably paid $10 for it? Print I painted myself with spray paint and plant cuttings from the backyard a few years ago. This is hanging on wall just outside the Enchanted Tiki bathroom.

Please excuse the sleeping cat. LOL.

The rug hanging on the wall in the dining room is a Navajo rug I bought about 13-14 yr ago.

Main point is this all hasn’t happened overnight and none of it broke the bank. Just add and adjust based on what you like, what colors you find appealing, what will go well with the stuff you already have, etc, etc.

At some point in the BTMRR/Frontierland bedroom, above the bed on the wall, I want to get a really big Navajo rug. Preferably one from the Crownpoint rug auction, but I have to save up a lot of money for that since large Navajo rugs are pricey. Will probably have to wait until my kids are out of college for that!

 

[VandVsmama]

Here’s some examples:

The “Danger Hippos” pic has:
- print we inherited from MIL
- zebra mask I got for cheap from At Home store
- baskets from an African safari my sister went on in the 90s
- photo of a bamboo forest in Hawaii I bought many year ago
- fishing lure from DH’s grandfather
- the gnarly looking axe thing is from the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, purchased last summer
- the 2 small paintings under the zebra mask are super old, from 1800s and from MIL
- print on left wall by the lamp is cheap and from IKEA
- desk we inherited from MIL and is an antique.
- chair is also pretty old, inherited from my GM. Planning on having it recovered in a zebra print at some point.

The mirror with the 2 necklaces over it:
- mirror is from the 1920s and belonged to DH’ GM.
- koa nut necklace is new, from Aloha Stadium swap meet
- she’ll lei is WW2 era from DH’s grandfather

Pic of the plant painting thing in the rattan frame:
Frame was cheap from IKEA. Probably paid $10 for it? Print I painted myself with spray paint and plant cuttings from the backyard a few years ago. This is hanging on wall just outside the Enchanted Tiki bathroom.

Art piece on the wall in the Frontierland bedroom:

 

[VandVsmama]

Oh…another thought to consider:

Use cheap accent pillows to change things up in terms of the room vibe. I’ve used a lot of IKEA pillows for this because their 20” square throw pillows are inexpensive and the pillow covers come in a ton of colors and styles. I have them in the family room, primary bedroom, and guest bedroom.

Inexpensive lamps can also do a lot to change the vibe or feel of the room. In our guest BR, one of the lamps is a bamboo/rattan woven lamp from IKEA and when you turn off ALL the other lamps but that one in the room, it’s really lovely and casts this cool shadow on the wall. Something like that would look cool in your Aulani room. I think I paid about $35-$40 for it?

IKEA also has some lamps that look sort of like camping lanterns. That would look cool in your WL room.

Also look at room pics at BC, YC, WL, and Aulani for some inspiration and then look for things which remind you of that. Doesn’t have to be an exact replica.

 

[cabanafrau]

My patio is themed after the Enchanted Tiki Room. I have the attraction sign they were selling for a while, not sure if it’s still available. I painted a border around the frame for my screened section of the patio with Polynesian patterns in different colors. I also have a collection of trader Sam’s tiki mugs from both coasts on shelves I made myself that have bamboo accents. I also made bird perches of different sizes and shapes with fake birds I have found that hang from the ceiling with a sting of the led patio lights that’s wrapped in a giant lei. It’s one of my favorite places in the house, I need to redo some of the birds and perches as the elements are getting to them since it’s been about 5 years. It was a fun project to transform my patio Disney style, have fun!

Fun salute to one of my favorite attractions. We use our retro-styled Tiki Room coasters out in the Florida room during the summer and I did reupholster the cushions out there with bright, tropical banana leaf print fabric similar to the old school Polynesian Resort wallpaper, but I wasn't really going for Disney or Tiki Room per se.

 

[fla4fun]

Wow, what an incredibly thoughtful reply! You’ve given me a lot of food for thought. I suppose I’m lucky that I have a lot of that warm beige on our walls already— which led to those ideas so I’m glad to have them (and the wall color) validated!

I must confess I am a *teeny* bit interested in slightly OTT theming but will maybe restrain myself. Not sure yet. This is probably because we have some over the top existing paint and countertop colors (pink on pink on pink for instance) and so forth that the previous owners had put in the house. I had been at a loss about what to do for the longest time but now having seen several of the resorts at Disney World, it’s might all actually work out and look somewhat normal. We’ll see how it goes. Beats repainting everything.

Curious where people might go for things like artwork. I know that there is a Disney art website for those fancy Disney paintings, but I’m curious about other options.

Also curious about how to figure out how to put stuff on the wall generally. I never know how to group wall art, where to put it, etc., without looking weird. I love it if anyone had ideas or resources for those of us who are not intuitive with this…

Thank you!!!

Here are a few things I saw in a quick browse at Amazon that I would consider for a WL themed room.

Since these are unframed, you can frame them small and cluster all four together, or put them in a matted larger frame and cluster two and two:



If you want an actual art piece of the resort, it’s also available in several sizes:



You can also use wall art other than framed pieces, like these:



For lighting, if you already have lamps in a style you can use, simply changing out the shades can work:



Or you can save up for a statement lamp like one of the mica lamps they use at WL:



For the floor, this area rug invokes the feeling of the wood floors at WL nicely:



Just a few ideas for one room. There are dozens of items in all price ranges to choose from, so you can do most of the room on a tight budget and maybe splurge on one statement piece for each one.

 

[VandVsmama]

For your WL/GCH room, I’d go maybe for more of a Craftsman type of feel in terms of lighting but this would be a good room to add some Native American artwork you like, since the WL lobby is full of Native American artifacts.

Here are a few things I saw in a quick browse at Amazon that I would consider for a WL themed room.

Since these are unframed, you can frame them small and cluster all four together, or put them in a matted larger frame and cluster two and two:

View attachment 926134

If you want an actual art piece of the resort, it’s also available in several sizes:

View attachment 926135

You can also use wall art other than framed pieces, like these:

View attachment 926139

For lighting, if you already have lamps in a style you can use, simply changing out the shades can work:

View attachment 926136

Or you can save up for a statement lamp like one of the mica lamps they use at WL:

View attachment 926137

For the floor, this area rug invokes the feeling of the wood floors at WL nicely:

View attachment 926138

Just a few ideas for one room. There are dozens of items in all price ranges to choose from, so you can do most of the room on a tight budget and maybe splurge on one statement piece for each one.

I almost bought 1 of those lamps months ago for our BTMRR/Frontierland bedroom!

 

[VandVsmama]

Here are a few things I saw in a quick browse at Amazon that I would consider for a WL themed room.

Since these are unframed, you can frame them small and cluster all four together, or put them in a matted larger frame and cluster two and two:

View attachment 926134

If you want an actual art piece of the resort, it’s also available in several sizes:

View attachment 926135

You can also use wall art other than framed pieces, like these:

View attachment 926139

For lighting, if you already have lamps in a style you can use, simply changing out the shades can work:

View attachment 926136

Or you can save up for a statement lamp like one of the mica lamps they use at WL:

View attachment 926137

For the floor, this area rug invokes the feeling of the wood floors at WL nicely:

View attachment 926138

Just a few ideas for one room. There are dozens of items in all price ranges to choose from, so you can do most of the room on a tight budget and maybe splurge on one statement piece for each one.

And OP could buy this for the WL room:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/159992...3d393bc72aef71a006034b7893e2300d3b:1599920835

 

[VandVsmama]

When the time comes, I'm going to get something like this for our Tomorrowland bedroom:


And hang some stuff like this on the wall:


And switch out the light switches to something like this:



And lamps like this but not quite as tall:


Or for the sake of one's budget, I'd probably instead go with something like this one from IKEA for $17.99:


By the way, here's the IKEA lamp I mentioned earlier which looks like a camping lantern ($29.99) --> https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/taernaby-table-lamp-dimmable-anthracite-00323887/#content

 

[VandVsmama]

For your Aulani/tropical bedroom:
https://sobelathome.com/products/pa...qUDt2ckyTfsiXdtbFnC3KtLsjVAVN1IgaAnAwEALw_wcB

 

[fla4fun]

When the time comes, I'm going to get something like this for our Tomorrowland bedroom:
View attachment 926144

And hang some stuff like this on the wall:
View attachment 926145

And switch out the light switches to something like this:

View attachment 926146

And lamps like this but not quite as tall:
View attachment 926147

Or for the sake of one's budget, I'd probably instead go with something like this one from IKEA for $17.99:
View attachment 926148

By the way, here's the IKEA lamp I mentioned earlier which looks like a camping lantern ($29.99) --> https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/taernaby-table-lamp-dimmable-anthracite-00323887/#content

There are some great mid century modern area rugs on Amazon that would pair well with your choices. I was considering one for my bathroom, but went with a solid color instead.

 

[Deb]

waaaaaah!!!! I want a Disney room

 

[TiggerTrigger]

When the time comes, I'm going to get something like this for our Tomorrowland bedroom:
View attachment 926144

And hang some stuff like this on the wall:
View attachment 926145

And switch out the light switches to something like this:

View attachment 926146

And lamps like this but not quite as tall:
View attachment 926147

Or for the sake of one's budget, I'd probably instead go with something like this one from IKEA for $17.99:
View attachment 926148

By the way, here's the IKEA lamp I mentioned earlier which looks like a camping lantern ($29.99) --> https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/taernaby-table-lamp-dimmable-anthracite-00323887/#content

Do you know who makes those switch plates? I have a Mid Century Modern retro diner themed room and those would be good to further extend the look.

 

[Minnie1222]

This is just to prove that you can turn any room into a Disney room with one LARGE piece of art.



This is the Monopoly duck, but a painting of Daisy/Donald would do the trick.