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circus painted stripes on room accent wallMurals are a great idea for a theme room, as they offer a quick way to present your theme and give you a color palette for the rest of the room. Circus-themed murals range in content from animals on parade to a Big Top act and are mostly directed toward a child or nursery audience. Select a mural from an online source or shop around at your local home improvement stores to find a mural that will fit one wall perfectly. Once you have picked out your mural, look at the image and identify the main colors. Reflect the main color, most likely a red or yellow tone, in the rest of the room with wall paint. Use white trim on windows and doorways.
For an adult circus-themed room, paint the walls a moodier tone to reflect the vintage-style circus. Choose a dark shade of gray for an accent wall that will later feature some artwork, and lighter shades of gray throughout the rest of the room. For an adult circus room you want the walls to merely provide a backdrop for your other circus-themed items. -
Vintage circus posterFor a child's room, select some coordinating illustrated circus animal prints to go on the walls. Frame larger prints in white frames and display in groups of three for symmetry. Classic child-directed circus artwork will show circus animals performing, merry-go-rounds and a fun-filled Big Top.
For an adult circus-themed room, look for vintage circus advertising posters (or reproductions) as well as side show posters to bring that historical circus feel to your room. Much like the series "Carnivale," a circus theme for an adult can highlight the darker, more mysterious side of a circus show. Vintage circus advertisements will help set the mood and color scheme for the rest of your room. See Resources for links to circus-themed posters. -
For a child's room or nursery, use white furniture to give you broader range with bedding and curtain colors. A white bed frame will be perfect for yellow sheets and quilts, and white painted dressers and side tables will make a good home for more colorful accessories. A red and white striped curtain on the windows will mimic the Big Tent and bring an additional color theme to the room.
For an adult circus-themed room, use velvet-covered occasional chairs and vintage-styled sofas and settees. Furniture with 1920s and 1930s styling will complement the vintage posters and darker-toned walls and help to transport the viewer to the classic circus show era. Use up-lights to provide a mysterious glow to the room and focus viewers on the artwork. -
Carousel horseFor a child's room, find novelty circus-themed table lamps featuring cute circus animals with perhaps a traditional red and white striped lamp shade to mimic the circus tent. Place cute clown dolls on shelves and provide a variety of circus animal stuffed toys, such as lions, elephants and bears.
For an adult circus-themed room, you will need to do a bit of treasure hunting. Look at antique malls and shops as well as online auction sites to find vintage carousel horses, circus train models and other circus collectibles. Place these on side tables and on bookshelves for interest. Broaden your scope to include some 1920s and Depression-era items such as lanterns and glassware to complete the look.
