How to Brighten a Dark Room

The first tip I would share with anyone asking how to brighten a dark room would be to figure out whether the room actually needs lightening or brightening. I learned the hard way that they are not one and the same. You can add more light through natural sources, through adding lamps and light fixture as well as mirrors to reflect and amplify but still have a dull, lifeless bedroom that has no personality. Basically what you have is a well lit room that lacks pizzazz!

What you need to know is how to brighten a dark room without sunlight and running up the electric bill. You can buy a new comforter set choosing bright fabrics and change the wall color to something cheerful if you have the funds for a complete makeover. But if you are looking for less expensive decorating ideas look for ways to rev up the engine of the paint and bedding set that you already have in place.

Bright, energetic artwork is a cheap way to pump life into an otherwise lethargic space. Choosing art prints and accent pieces with movement and bright colors is the key to bringing your bedroom to life. Skip the dark colors, the still life pictures, landscapes and the floral arrangements. Look for prints that have twirling, spinning graphics and a bold splash of color for the best results. Even though light colors will never never brighten up a dark room. Dark colors can make the space seem small and dim.

Dancing prints work well with most teenage girls bedding bedding sets as well as sports prints. Basically, anything that is bright as well as lighthearted should do the trick.

Faux Fur Throw Blankets

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I went shopping today and it's like I've just discovered faux fur throw blankets. What has kept me from getting excited about these inexpensive decorating wonders before is a mystery but you can bet that I am going to be using more of these in my decorating projects in the near future, especially during the chilly months yet to come.

The reason I latched onto this one is not for a bedroom makeover that I'm working on(although it would be fabulous with the right teen girls's bedding set). I'm going to wrap this baby up and give her as a Christmas gift. In fact, I may buy several more for friends or to add to my stash I keep on hand to give as last minute gifts because faux fur throw blankets (Pottery Barn brand will be more expensive but still a bargain) are a great gift idea in the less than $40 or $50 price range.

Return to Tween and Teen Girls Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to see more great Christmas gift ideas for your friends.

TWILIGHT BEDROOM ACCESSORIES

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We know now that Twilight theme bedrooms are here to stay so it's natural that some girls' Twilight bedroom accessories are in order to complete the overall look of the room. After all, without some appropriate Twilight decorations all you have is an attractive dusty, purple comforter that only the most dedicated movie fans will correctly identify as Bella's Twilight bedding set seen in the film!

After tweens and teens, who keep their vampire bedroom designs the whole year round rather than just for Halloween, expressed the need for cute stuff that would complement their Twilight bedding sets I started looking for decorative items other than the usual posters and cardboard standups of their favorite characters.

I made a search of the movie's promotional items (destined to become highly collectible memorabilia, I'm sure) to see if there was any merchandise that would make tasteful Twilight bedroom accessories and decorations.

My favorite by far was the very rare Edward and Bella jewelry box. I found switchplates that would qualify, but they were in my opinion not a good match in style to the comforter set. I can't imagine why the marketing team didn't do a better job in offering curtains, area rugs and even bathroom accessories that would promote the film AND look good with the very popular bedding sets.

Return to Teenage Girls Twilight Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to see if I can dig up more Twilight bedroom accessories for vampire fans' bedrooms.

LIPS BEDDING

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Would you classify lips bedding as retro? I’m on the fence as to whether a comforter set with big pink or red lips on a black background qualifies. Yet something in the graphics takes me back to the 80s and gave me the urge to experiment with using fabrics covered in them as well as decorative items in this shape for a college dorm that I am contracted to decorate for a girl who with the first glance at her outfit and her "big hair" made me think of a very young Madonna.

For this room that would actually be both a bedroom and sitting room, there was a need to tie the lips bedding set(or whatever style my college girl preferred) and the seating together in both color and design. As college girls usually don’t object to lots of color in their living area I thought that in light of the theme of the bedding that I would at the very least look for some pillows shaped like lips.

Boy howdy, did I ever hit the jackpot! Not only did I hit pay dirt in the pillow department I found the perfect sofa that would coordinate with the print of the fabric in the bedding set. I lucked up and came across a funky, red lips couch. The sofa will only sit two comfortably as it’s only about four feet wide, but the scale actually works with the small size of the dorm room better than a big sofa. And the red is a good match to the shades of red in the lips on the comforter. Granted, a lips shaped sofa is not for everybody, but for this young lady who is a throwback to rock stars from the 80s it was the best find ever.

Return to Tween and Teenage Girl Lips Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to find lots of cute decorations that will coordinate with the lips couch and bedding.

Pink and Black Wallpaper for Girls' Bedrooms

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You will not get any argument whatsoever from me that the current leader in pink and black wallpaper for teenage girls’ bedrooms is polka dots. Whether the dotted walls were created using polka dot decals and stickers or by using a stencil to paint the circles by hand; dots have ruled the roost for the best part of several seasons in the area of bedroom wall decor.

Far be it from me to suggest that the time may have come for black and pink wallpaper cutouts in polka dot designs to step down in favor of some other trendy color combination. Frankly, I am just as in love with them as when I decorated my first bedroom using them quite a few projects ago. But I must confess that I have been tempted to experiment using some of the cute
pink and black wallpaper borders that have just been released.

I would never suggest that pink and black stars, pink and black hearts or even
pink and black wallpaper with skulls to use as bedroom wallpaper to match the gothic bedding sets that goth girls love are an improvement over dots, just another option. There are even twisted, psychedelic checkerboard designs for retro bedrooms that when exposed to a black light that might give mom an aching head but tickle her daughter’s fancy for 1960s décor.

Other pink and black decorating ideas for girls bedrooms that I can hardly wait to try feature Parisian shopping scenes, wild animal prints like cheetah or zebra and shoes and purses for a little diva who hangs her hat on shopping for the latest, fashionable bedroom decorations.

Return to Teenage Girls' Bedding Sets, Pink and Black Bedroom Wallpaper and Decorating Ideas for more tips on how to decorate stylish rooms for your daughter.

RETRO PEACE SIGN WALL DECORATING IDEAS

After finding several cool, retro comforter sets I began to wonder how to build more retro peace sign presence in my decorating projects. As I have mentioned before, there is more and more evidence that a slightly modern 60s flower power frame of mind is creeping into this decade.

While I’m not wild about tie dyed fabrics or psychedelic black light posters of Jimi Hendrix decorating the walls of my own bedroom, I would be crazy not to enjoy jumping in the time machine and looking through vintage decorating magazines at the pictures and reading the articles filled with the funky decorating ideas from the days when hippies were having their heyday.

One theme that repeats itself in practically every photo is all of the different varieties of retro peace signs on the walls. A few stood out because of their unique design and method of display. For instance, one colorful decoration I plan to file in my flower power bedroom decorating folder for use later is so GROOVY!

First I will cut the heads off of large silk daisies (think Gerbera) and then I will stick the daisy blossoms on the wall of the bedroom in the shape of a large peace sign using adhesive. The cool thing about this is that I can hand pick the colors according to the retro peace sign comforter sets that my customer has selected to decorate her room.

I could easily find some vinyl flower power and tie-dyed peace sign wall stickers but I would not have as much control over the color scheme plus the decals are one dimensional rather then the eye popping 3D look that the artificial flowers give me. I’m beginning to really get why flower children loved those flowers and peace signs! To see more Tween and Teenage Girl Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas that will take you back to the fun and carefree days of peace, love and rock and roll.

PINK AND BLACK DECORATING

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Pink and black decorating is going to be a blast this spring! Sure, we’ve had the pink and black comforters and comforter sets around for a few years. But just when you think we have seen all that there is to this winning color combination the manufacturers tickle us well, pink, and show us that they still have a few tricks up their collective sleeves.

It’s obvious that they have reached back into days gone by to get the job done. But there’s nothing wrong with reviving old school glamour, sophistication or for that matter a little old fashioned collegiate decor and performing a little pink and black decorating using argyle print fabrics.



If you think that patterns taken from old fashioned knee socks that golfers use to wear pulled up to the bottom of their knickers that we have only seen in black and white films from your great-grandmother’s era can’t be inspirational; think again my dear. An attractive pattern is what it is. And what it is when you put that classic argyle graphic together with funky, modern colors in a pink and black bedroom for teenage girls is unbelievably striking.

So how do we successfully eliminate the image of old golfers and create an argyle bedroom design that is more in keeping with what teenage girls want for the bedrooms?


First off, don’t use those floor length argyle curtains. The window treatments and pink and black comforter set together in one small space is too much. Use a topper or a valance with shades, sheers, beads or blinds. Too much argyle or plaid will blow your pink and black decorating plans for your bedroom sky high.

Think chic, black and art deco or retro without going vintage in accessorizing this room. The print on your bedding set and curtains is enough. A retro black lamp on the bedside table and a pink message board decorated with black ribbons (and maybe some feathers around the frame) will repeat the X pattern of the argyle bedding without being too busy. And remember that an argyle bedroom is just one of the areas where we can put our black and pink decorating skills to work.

Return to Tween and Teenage Girl Bedding and Bedroom Decorating Ideas for more tips on decorating with unique colors and giving old patterns a trendy new look.

PRINCESS CROWN CANOPY

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Your tween has her Disney bedding set and it’s time to add touches like a princess crown canopy over the bed, decorative accessories and accent pieces. The most common decorating mistake when it comes to decorating a teenage girl’s bedroom is to consider the project to be complete after making the bed. This is not only a waste of a pretty comforter but the room will look half finished from that day forward. It’s surprising how many decorators (and their clients) are satisfied so long as the wall paint colors and window treatments don’t clash.

Polishing and perfecting a girl’s princess decor is so easy and inexpensive if you know what direction to take in selecting decorations to tie things together in a pleasing manner. That being said, the worst thing that you can do is rush out and buy lots of little dust catching doodads and tiaras to decorate wall shelves and table tops. Less is more when it comes to accessories. Clutter is guilty of ruining the look of even the most beautiful bedroom design. That is the reason I wanted to kick off my series of princess theme decorating ideas with this easy to mount Disney princess
crown canopy.

The example is a half crown canopy that would work over many different styles of girl’s bedding, not just those decorated with Disney Princess bedding sets. The crown shaped bed canopy has a rod in the back with the mounting hardware which makes it less complicated than a DIY wooden wall crown that you cut out from a pattern as it is not only ready to hang, but very lightweight which puts less strain on your sheetrock.

If you tired of the color of your Disney Princess gold wall decor you can easily prime it and paint it pink, blue or any color that you need to match your bedroom’s decorations. White sheer panels descending from under the Disney princess crown canopy give your decorative technique an elegant look that your future queen will adore. Unless you have a very large space to fill, you can consider the wall over the headboard of the bed decorated to perfection.


Return to Tween and Teenage Girls Princess Bedding Sets and Bedroom Decorating Ideas to see more Disney Princess bedrooms and decorating ideas.

ARTIFICIAL PALM TREES - FAKE PALM TREES WITH STYLE

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Artificial palm trees are the true and faithful friends of decorators that have floor space to fill and a limited budget with which to do so. When colors clash or the home décor is too bland, you can count on a few cheap, fake palm trees to carry the eye upward and give the room depth and as unusual as it may sound; an atmosphere of relaxation and life.

At one time, these beautiful reminders of our summer vacations lounging on tropical beaches sipping cocktails from a coconut shell through a straw were just that; nothing more than sweet memories of a pleasant time. Live plants simply didn’t thrive in the pervasive, dry air found in homes with artificial heat. The lack of humidity left them with dull leaves and few of the attractive characteristics that made them so appealing when they surrounded the tiki huts on the sandy island beaches.

To successfully cultivate a home garden filled with tropical houseplants outside of their native, sub-tropical environment requires dedication, planning and a lot more maintenance than most people can handle. A quick and easy fix for most land locked homeowners would be to pick up some inexpensive artificial palm trees, bedding sets and decorating ideas for tropical rooms and decorate the bedroom in a tropical style that will not only recreate their visit to paradise but extend it indefinitely.

ELEGANT FAKE PALM TREES

The occasions when you hear the term fake and elegant in the same sentence as it pertains to home décor are rare. However, in the case of the different styles of artificial palm trees the terms are appropriate. There are different styles and levels of quality in artificial plants. For the upscale tropical bedroom nothing will do but to locate beautifully constructed silk palm trees. These fabulous fakes may seem expensive until you consider how cheap a shabby fake potted plant would look next to your carefully selected comforter set.

FUN LIGHTED PALM TREES

Cool,funky teenage girl bedding, bedroom designs and decorating ideas centered around neon colors, travel posters and a floor full of fluffy pillows don’t require high end palm tree decorations. Artificial palm trees for teenage bedroom styles don’t have to pretend to be real to be decorative and effective. Inexpensive, inflatable palm trees hung from the ceiling, the light fixtures or lighted palm trees made of metal can be used as wall decorations along with other stuff that you picked up at some party store for a song.

As a matter of fact, you should not be surprised when your friends get a look at your cool palm tree decor and want to borrow your artificial palm tree decorations to use as decorations for jungle theme baby showers and outdoor pool parties.