Real Home Interior Design - Theming 'Disney Style'

So you've probably have guessed by now, I love a theme, but I'm also boringly practical.  

I adore Disney, and I am really inspired by the theming in Disney hotels, but even I couldn't live with that much theming full time.  So I'm going to look at ways to bring that theming to real life.

In this post, I will focus on a few Walt Disney World hotels for different reasons....Animal Kingdom, Art of Animation and Saratoga Springs.  Animal Kingdom for full on but still quite grown up theming, Art of Animation - Little Mermaid Rooms for 'drop you straight into the film' theming and Saratoga Springs as an example of just a few hints of a theme.

So firstly, Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you are transported to the the African Savannah, complete with Animals outside the window.  Since I can't help you get a giraffe into your garden, I'm going to concentrate on the interiors.

The first thing to mention in the lounge area of the room is the dark furniture, which is balanced by light walls and carpet.  I love the bench by the wall and a small, slightly simplified version would be a great eating area at home.  The plates on the wall above the bench are a really simple way of bringing the theme together too and definitely could be used in a real room at home.

The TV cabinet is great and really adds to the theme although I know I don't have the woodwork skills to create it, maybe some of the tribal style designs could be painted onto some existing furniture if you wanted to create this look. I'd probably decorate a wardrobe in this way rather than a TV cabinet.

Another really fun way to add to this African Savannah theme is to add frames and art or maybe help your child to create their own African style art?










This carving in the headboard is super cute and could be recreated in paint at home for a Lion King theme.

Next to the Art of Animation - Little Mermaid Rooms, these are pretty extreme theming, it would be an amazing child's bedroom, and if money was no object, I'd recreate something similar for a child who loves Ariel.
However, reality kicks in and I'm not really sure that any child would want this for a number of years, so I'm going to pick out some simple elements that will translate to a real home.

The beds are amazing, and the headboard is definitely something that could be bought or made reasonably inexpensively.  Create the headboard easily by buying a shell shaped headboard,  trimming with pearl effect trim or if you are feeling more artistic, paint a wooden one.  Bedding is another item which obviously can be changed easily to keep with a theme.
While I'm not usually a fan of painting, some wall decals could look fab on a pale blue wall.  For more effort and more expense, a full wall mural would be amazing.




Another brilliant feature in the Little Mermaid Rooms at the Art of Animation is the hanging space, I would translate this to a real room by painting the inside of a wardrobe.  Obviously the outside of the wardrobe could be painted but I think in reality the inside would be just as fun for the child and they would not get bored of it so quickly.  I'd also get a light fitting like this for inside the wardrobe to really show off the design. To make it a bit more fun, I'd use the inside of the doors to make a scene complete with attached painted boxed which would be used to store all the little mermaid toys.

The Little Mermaid bathroom is an excellent example of quite an ordinary room being made extraordinary with some very simple theming.  The mirror is a simple and non-permanent item to change for a themed frame and the shower curtain is also really inexpensive and easy.  

And finally, Saratoga Springs, which to be honest isn't my style at all.  What I can appreciate, and the reason I chose this resort as an example is the theming.  The themes here are Victorian and Equestrian but neither are over the top.

I want to focus on the equestrian theme, at a first glance at the Studio room, there isn't a theme screaming out to me.   The first hint at a theme are the pictures on the wall, equestrian themed prints, nothing too eye-catching but a nice detail.  

The next themed item i noticed were the cushions - a much more obvious theme here, but on a smaller item like a cushion, you can be a bit more bold with a theme.  

This is definitely something that would translate easily into a "real" home.  I think it would be a good idea if the reverse of the cushion was plain so you can flip them over if you fancy a change or if, like me, you have visitors that just don't appreciate Disney or your particular theme.

The next detail is probably my favourite from the whole room, it is the bedside lamp bases.  Again, much more obvious theming but still quite small in the room so it would work in real life. There are similar equestrian themed lamp bases available, or many other animals if you have a different favourite you want to include!

So I hope those 3 examples have given you some ideas, I think I'm going to go and make a little mermaid headboard!