How to create a surfer bedroom

The essential design elements for girls' surfer rooms and boys' surfer rooms are basically the same. With girls' rooms, you may incorporate more pinks and purples in the bedding and, with boys, incorporate more blues and reds.

Beach-inspired walls

"Let the ocean inspire you when decorating and painting the walls in your child's surfer bedroom," says DeAnna Radaj, author of Feng Shui for Teens. "Do a paint theme of the sea on the walls, sand color for flooring, and blue or green on the walls with a sky blue color on the ceiling."

Jennifer Bhavnani, interior designer and mother of twins, went with a neutral color on 3 of the walls and painted the wall where the cribs were a calm ocean blue. She then outlined the top border of the room with surf boards, palm trees, and surf shacks.

Wall decals, such as these Tropical Colorful Bright Surf Boards Hawaiian Wallpaper Wallies, are a great way to decorate your child's walls—and you can remove them without damaging the walls. "I love wall decals (stock or custom) because you can change them easily without damaging walls or repainting. It's a great way to play out some colorful graphics on the wall and add visual punch to a theme," says Ada Vaughan of Cutey Baby.

Far out Furniture

Unless you are fully committed to sticking with a surfer theme for a long time, it is best to forgo the surfboard-shaped bed and buy a basic bed that can be accessorized with surfer bedding and pillows, which can be easily transitioned once your child is ready to move on. You also can buy a basic bed and add your own accents! "Use old, refinished surfboards as a headboard or footboard for the bed, or even a desk," says Radaj.

Look for pieces that will go with the theme of the room, but are versatile enough to stay in the room once the theme has changed, such as the Wavy Wood Drawers Piece from Diggerslist.com. Have fun exploring second-hand furniture shops and garage sales for surfer-inspired pieces, too.

Furniture accent pieces, like surfboard lamps or surfboard ceiling fans, would also make great additions to the room without being too expensive.

Vintage beach décor

Cool, vintage surfer accent pieces will really set off your child's room. Freelance designer and artist Emma Howard has this creative and budget-friendly tip, "Create a framed collection of children's size aloha shirts for the wall." She recommends looking at places like eBay, consignment shops, the Salvation Army, or Goodwill for a collection of inexpensive shirts.

Surfboards make great accent pieces! These Surfboard Silhouettes from Outer Banks Trading Group are sold in a set of 3 and can even be personalized!

Other surfer décor ideas for rooms:

• Surfboard rugs
• Metal surf signs
• Surfboard picture frames
• Metal surf vans
• Wood blinds
• Tiki cabana window coverings
• Surf plaques

As far as bedding, Potty Barn Kids has great surfer bedding sets for both girls and boys. Hang ten!

More design ideas for children's spaces

• Trends and decoration ideas for boys' rooms
• Trends and decoration ideas for girls' rooms
• Kids' playroom design ideas