Inspiration: Princess Rooms You Can Live With

Confession time: Personally, we're not into the "princess" look. Having two boys means that we probably won't ever have to cross that bridge (though, hey! who knows?), but we can't help wondering how we'd handle a princess-room request in a parallel universe. So we started digging through the Ohdeedoh archives and found these gorgeous rooms that belie the commonly held belief that all princess-inspired rooms must be syrupy-sweet and feature certain franchised animated-film characters whom *ahem* we won't trouble to name here.

These rooms run the gamut from sophisticated to playful, but some common ideas are:

Avoid the over-use of pink, and instead use it as an accent color.
Rather than pink, try neutral colors like gray or white, or dramatic shades of purple or orange. The pink that you do use will pop against these backdrops.
Tented beds and/or ceiling decor are a must.
Layer bedding and pillows in a mix of colors, patterns and textures.
Fairy lights are a nice touch, too.
Just have fun with the theme instead of taking it too seriously. Remember that the whole princess thing is a phase and that the core of the room's design should be just as lovely even with all the princessy elements removed.

Rooms pictured, from left to right:

Tented Beds
Irene's "Master" Bedroom and Playroom
Asian-Themed Ceiling
Princess and the Pea Playroom
Princess Room

Comments (7)

the purple/grey combo is really nice, for any room.

posted by doubledutch on July 31st 2009 at 2:42pm
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Thanks for the tips, Tammy. I took a lot of notes! Do you have any advice on what to do if they request "shabby chic"?

posted by DarrenB on July 31st 2009 at 3:20pm
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I LOVE the Princess and the Pea look from the 4th image, but doesn't seem SUPER practical.

posted by strongodares on July 31st 2009 at 3:35pm
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Ha! Darren, how did you know this post was written with you in mind? What to do if they request shabby chic? Hmm... write them out of the will? ;)

posted by TammyE on July 31st 2009 at 5:19pm
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It's the overkill of pink, purple and sparkly that gives princess rooms a bad rap! Sophisticated color palettes give any child's room longevity, and can still satisfy even a little girl's sparkly pink inner princess!

posted by www.bethfredeinteriors.com on August 1st 2009 at 8:59pm
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Oh how beautiful are these princess rooms!!!

On the other hand I love natural fabrics, and I think this is very important for our kids health. I have always thought it is hard to find natural and colorful and beautiful, but it is not. There are so many natural clothing stores for kids, and nowadays it is luxury we can afford.

I have just tried linen as natural fabrics for my kids bath and bed collection and I fall in love with it. Some tips why linen is good for our kids health are here: http://www.linenkids.com/page.html?id=2

posted by Jovile on August 3rd 2009 at 1:05am
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The first one is really lovely.

I don't think I would describe the "Ava" room as a princess room, although it is pretty and feminine.

posted by Miranda on August 3rd 2009 at 11:21pm
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