The island (vibe) gives you what you need…. For a good night’s sleep.
Moana is one of my most beloved Disney movies and characters. I actually did not see the original movie until several years after its release but the timing of when I watched it for the first time could not have been more perfect for the season in my life. My boys and I snuggled up to watch Moana on a rainy Sunday in September. A couple weeks earlier my grandmother had passed away after a long and painful battle with COPD. I didn’t really know much about the plot of Moana’s story before sitting down to watch it that day but the themes around family, tradition, and following your calling really helped me during a time of grieving with the loss of my grandmother.
The scene where Moana and her family sing the song “Where you are” perfectly captures the themes of tradition and how important it becomes for someone’s identity and beliefs. Moana’s people learned to use every single part of a coconut tree in order to stay safe on the island and avoid the dangers of their past as voyagers and way finders. When that tradition and lifeline is threatened, Moana’s calling becomes the only hope for her people.
This design is inspired by the importance of the coconut tree and nature to Moana’s heritage and village. I curated these pieces to create a neutral, airy bedroom inspired by natural elements and textures as well as palm trees and Moana’s culture.
Color Scheme and Mood
- Colors: Whites and creams, natural tans and wood tones, hints of green and terracotta
- Mood: Airy and neutral with lots of natural elements
Staging Level Design Ideas
Bed Frame and Headboard
Of course to design the perfect bedroom for the chief of Motunui, we need to start with the bed. I love this platform bed made from solid acacia wood. Acacia wood is one of my favorite species for decor and furniture because it naturally brings a lot of variation and character to any piece. The rustic golden brown color and pattern of the headboard really lends to a hand built, island feel for our main furniture piece of this design. The platform style means you do not need a boxspring under the mattress and it is sturdy enough to hold up to 800 pounds!
Nightstands
To continue to build that natural, airy island look for our Moana bedroom, I love the contrast of these light rattan nightstands with the rich stain color of the acacia wood bed frame. These nightstands fuse together great style and function for any size bedroom space. The drawer and bottom shelf give you lots of space for great storage. The woven border around the top of the nightstand compliments the shape of the wood design in the headboard but all gives a nod back to the details of Moana’s skirt.
Dresser
This dresser provides a simple storage option that compliments the warmth of the bed frame without competing with the rich texture of the acacia wood. This dresser is available in a six drawer horizontal model as well as a five drawer vertical style allowing you to pick the option that best fits your space. The simple gold pulls gives a little shiny glam and give a small nod to Tomatoa’s character in the space.
Accent Chair
If you have the space and want to bring in more of that lovely texture from rattan, you can add this accent chair as the last key furniture piece of this natural Moana inspired design. This chair is a great size that allows for some additional seating without taking up too much room. It is a great option to tie in with the nightstands and kick up the tropical, island feel to the next level.
Rug
Our furniture pieces have built a beautiful, neutral foundation for this design. Now it’s time to bring a little color and pattern to add another layer of Moana’s character to the space. This super soft and washable palm leaf rug draws in the importance of the island’s natural resources to the village of Motunui and brings a subtle hint of green and copper while not taking away from the overall airy mood of the room. The rug also comes with an anti-slip backing so that will also save you the cost of having to purchase a rug pad.
Comforter Set
Our bedding set is another great way to pull in our character inspiration. This 3-Piece comforter set provides a soft, neutral color pallet to encourage relaxation and peaceful sleep but still brings fun texture and detail in the tufted pattern stitching. The pattern of the tufting in this comforter set ties into the shapes of the nightstand border railing and also is reminiscent of Moana’s skirt pattern. This set is also great because it can be easily cleaned in a washing machine and is a lighter weight so you can sleep more comfortably without getting overly warm at night.
Bed Sheet Set
For the next layer of our bedding, I love this 100% cotton Tommy Bahama island map sheet set. The map pattern lends to Moana’s voyager ancestry and her desire to explore the open sea around her. The neutral brownish gray/green color helps keep our light airy pallet for the design and the 18” depth of the fitted sheet means you do not have to worry about the sheets not fitting your mattress.
Throw Pillows
I feel like there are two teams of people in this world: those that love throw pillows and those that despise them. For me, I am 100% team throw pillow because i love the added coziness as well as the extra details and textures pillows can add to a design. Trying to keep with our airy and natural Moana space, I chose these pillows to give some added color and nods to another of our favorite characters from the story. The beautiful deep terracotta 2 pack of pillows bring in some rich color that resembles Moana’s shirt while the tan and white crab pillow is another tribute to Tomatoa, our favorite shiny crab villian. Just to note, both of these item listings are just for the pillow covers, meaning you will need to buy the pillows separately if you do not have the inserts already.
Table Lamp
Now that we have the basis of our bedroom with the furniture and bedding, let’s pick some other fun decor pieces to add more details and layers of Moana’s story. Though these table lamps do not scream light and airy, the pattern and shape bring in some much needed Maui inspiration to the space. The dark color contrast helps ground the design amongst all the other natural, light colors in the room.
Artificial Tree
To bring in even more of that island feel and highlight again the importance of natural resources for the villagers, I have added this artificial palm tree. It comes in 3 heights so you can choose the level of impact you want it to have in your room. It also comes with the planter basket, which is another layer of the natural aesthetic of the design. The plant itself is a very rich green color which adds some color while still keeping that peaceful feel needed for a good night’s rest.
Paddle Wall Art
If you want to add some wall art to continue to dress up the space, I have 2 neutral yet interesting pieces for this design that bring in more fun Moana nods. This first piece is a wood boat paddle wall art piece which calls back to Moana’s voyager heritage. This is a very large piece and could be great focal art to hang above the headboard of the bed.
Crochet Wall Decor
If you want a soft and more feminine wall art piece, I love this cream Macrame art piece. This is another piece that brings in elements of Moana’s skirt and connects back to the comforter above and the rattan nightstands. There are several other designs of the Macrame art from this store but I really love the beads on the this specific pattern. This piece is also quite large at 43” wide and over 30” long making it another great option as a focal art piece to hang above the bed.
Wood Boat Tray
As a last small detail, you can add this wood boat tray on the nightstand to hold little items in a dedicated location. It pulls in Moana’s boat that her and Maui sail on to get to Te Fiti but also provides some additional function to the space. The wood tone of this piece tie back to the rich brown stain of the bed frame and dresser to round out the design.
Structure Level Design Ideas
If you are interested in taking this natural, airy Moana inspired bedroom to the next level, here are some products and ideas on how to add some structural design details to your design.
Palm Leaf Wallpaper
This peel and stick, removable wallpaper is a great option if you want to add some additional palm tree texture to the space without the full commitment or mess of a traditional wallpaper. The neutral colors keep the design light and airy but allow a warmth to the room so it still feels cozy. This wallpaper is re-positable which is a great option if it’s your first time hanging wallpaper.
Faux Wood Ceiling Beams
If you want to add a stunning ceiling feature to the design, you can install these faux wood beams. They are available in six stains and can be ordered in different lengths and depths, which allows you a lot of options to customize the beams to your space easily. The beams are lightweight and seamless which allows for easy installation.
Gold Palm Ceiling Fan
I am someone that needs to sleep with a fan on but ceiling fans are often not great from a design perspective. This fixture is very cool because it takes a traditional ceiling fan shape that everyone has probably seen so many times but changes it to a gold finish to make it fresh and modern. This fan also has a ton of great features including 3 light temperatures, reversible motor for summer and winter air flows, and an ultra quiet motor.
Summary of final design
This bedroom was a very interesting take on a light and airy space while still drawing on inspiration from a very colorful character and story. I loved finding the elements that brought in the other Moana characters in a way that they all still worked together in the space. I hope this design helped you find joy and happiness bringing Moana to where you are.
Are you drawn to light and airy room decor like this design? Or do you enjoy more colorful spaces? Let me know your style in the comments!
If you are interested in more character and story inspired home design and decor ideas, check out my gallery at afairytalelife.com or connect with me on Instagram or Pinterest!
Last update on 2024-10-21 at 18:41 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API