10 Essentials You Need for the Perfect Teepee Bedroom
Fact: kids love teepees. They love to play in them, hide in them, read in them, color in them… actually, there’s not many things they don’t like to do in them. But why limit the fun to the teepee? Why not extend the theme and create an entire bedroom in a teepee style? Obviously, you’re going to need a teepee. A teepee bedroom without a teepee in it is no kind of teepee bedroom at all. You’re also probably going to need a child… although I’m sure teepee themed bedrooms exist for adults, they might be a little niche for the mainstream. But other than a teepee, a child, and a good imagination, what else do you need? For a start, a few of these must-have essentials…
1. A Flower Garland
When you’re creating a teepee bedroom, a bit of whimsy doesn’t go amiss. And what could be more whimsical (and more delightful) than a flower garland or two? Unless you plan on re-doing it on a weekly basis, it’s best to stick to artificial flowers. Of course, you could buy one, but it’s more fun (and just as easy) to make your own. We Are Scout recommends you start by cutting two lengths of twine measuring around 20cm long. Take your longest piece of foliage and wrap it around and along the others to make a bundle. Make a second bundle the same way. Overlap the bundle by around 25cm before tying them together with twine. If you want a longer garland, add more bundles. Attach a length of twine to the branch and hang it up. If there’s any sparse areas, poke in some additional pieces of foliage. Create mixed posies of flowers measuring about 15 cm long. Tie the posies to the garland to finish. Once you’ve finished making the garland, the next step is to figure out the best place to hang it. Depending on what else you have available, most people find that the entrance to the teepee itself is the safest bet.
2. A Statement Painting
If you were planning on sticking a few posters on the wall and calling it a day, forget it. The teepee bedroom demands proper art work – the bigger, the bolder, and the brighter the better. Before you choose a piece, consider the rest of the decor. If you’ve gone for a whimsical woodland theme, a few prints of hares, rabbits, foxes and other woodland creatures would fit in well. If you’ve going for a desert theme, look for paintings of cacti or some snaps of footprints in the sand.
3. A Dream Catcher
It’s whimsical, it’s colorful, and it’s the perfect accessory to the teepee themed bedroom. Hang a dream catcher over your child’s bed, and not only will you give them sweet dreams, you’ll also be one step closer to their dream bedroom.
4. Fluffy Floor Pillows
Teepee’s aren’t about sitting upright on a chair. They’re about lounging. While its (just about) acceptable to introduce a chair or two to the teepee bedroom, you’ll also want to make sure there’s plenty of soft-landing spots for your kids to plonk down on. A few soft, fluffy floor cushions will do the job nicely, and contrast very well against our next essential, which is an altogether pricklier proposition…
5. Cactus Lightning
Every bedroom needs a light or two, but not every bedroom needs a cactus lamp. The teepee bedroom is an exception. As circu.net writes, a cactus styled light fixture will bring the feeling of the desert to your kid’s room, serving as the perfect complement to the teepee and the perfect contrast to all those fluffy floor pillows you’ll be adding.
6. Patterned Bed Linen
Floral bedspreads or Winnie the Pooh sheets might be cute, but they’ve got no place in the teepee themed bedroom. Add some flavor with some bold patterned bedding. The more colors, stripes, designs and motif, the better.
7. Bunting
Bunting is fun, colorful, and a must for a teepee themed bedroomed. Hang it from the teepee itself, drape it over the bed, use it to section of a reading nook, or go the whole hog and swathe the entire ceiling in it…. whichever way you decide to use it, just make sure it’s there. If the bedroom is looking a little ‘beige’, choose flags in as many different colors as you like. If there’s already enough going on elsewhere, avoid adding to the chaos by limiting yourself to 2 or 3 colors, max.
8. Fun Fabrics
A kid’s room is where you can really let your imagination run riot. Apply some creativity to your choice in fabrics and you’ll soon have a teepee bedroom to be proud off. As decoist.com notes, teepees themselves are a great place to try out some bold, colorful fabrics, but why let the tent have all the fun? Whether it’s with drapes, throws, pillow cases, or rugs, go big, go bold, and go fun.
9. Lantern Lights
We’ve already touched on the importance of whimsy in the teepee bedroom, but we’ve not yet mentioned one of the best ways you can introduce it. Lantern lights are a fabulous way of dressing up a reading corner or illuminating a boring piece of furniture. You could even try threading them over a bed headboard if you want the bed to be the star of the show. If the teepee itself needs a helping hand to make an impact, a few strings of mini lights above it will do the job nicely.
10. A Teepee
Yep, we finally got there. The number one essential for the teepee bedroom (and probably one we should have mentioned early) is, of course, a teepee. Without a teepee to ground it, a teepee bedroom is just a bedroom – a fabulously decorated bedroom, of course, but a bedroom none the less. With a teepee at its center, it can be anything your kid’s imagination wants it to be. The right teepee can be a hut in the woods, a lookout shelter on a hill, an underground chamber, an igloo in Greenland. Give your child free reign over how they want to decorate the teepee… not only will it make them feel an essential part of the process, it might even give you some inspiration about how best to decorate the rest of the room.