Looking to add a touch of the tropics to your home décor? Here are some easy tropical home decor ideas to get you started!
Island living is something that many of us aspire to. Wherever you live though, there are many ways in which you can inject a dose of tropical inspiration.
What Is Tropical Home Decor?
If you’re dreaming of sandy beaches and palm trees, then you might be picturing tropical home decor. This style is all about relaxation and paradise, and it can be achieved with the right furniture, colors, and accessories.
The history of tropical interior design can be traced back to the 18th century, when Europeans began to live in tropical areas. They brought with them a love of all things bright and colorful, and this is reflected in the style of furniture and decor that they created.
Today, tropical home decor is still all about providing a sense of escape and relaxation. It’s the perfect way to bring the outdoors inside your home.
How to Create a Tropical Home Decor Theme
When decorating with a tropical theme, it’s easy to go over the top. However, we suggest starting small and adding one or two tropical accessories to begin with.
A tropical island vibe can be achieved with items like palm tree lamps, bamboo furniture, and tropical wall art. From bright and bold colors to natural materials like bamboo, these tropical accents will help you create a warm and inviting space. So whether you’re dreaming of a beach vacation or just want to bring a bit of the tropics inside, these tropical style ideas will help you get there. Enjoy these simple interior design tips!
9. Start with a Neutral Base
Tropical style is all about mixing and matching patterns, so start with a neutral base to give you a blank canvas to work with. Light-colored walls and floors will help to brighten up your space and make it feel more open and airy – perfect for those hot summer days.
8. Decorate with Plants
One of the most popular Pantone colors is Greenery. Nothing spells tropical style more than leafy green plants. From the structural shapes of Monastera and rubber tree plants to softer ferns, there’s something for everyone. Palms, and bird of paradise are two other excellent choices.
Try mixing different styles of tropical plants together for a lush jungle ambiance. Place these real plants in terracotta, rattan or wicker pots or hang them from the ceiling in macrame baskets – they’re making a come-back!
Another stylish option is a handmade macrame wall hanging shelf. Remember to spray your plants regularly with a water bottle to increase humidity and your tropical house plants will thrive.
7. Bring in Natural Elements
Tropical style should evoke a sense of relaxation and escape, so bring in natural elements like wicker, rattan, and bamboo to help create that feeling. Look for furniture and accents made from these materials, or add them in through textiles and wall coverings.
A great way to create a tropical space is by adding a vibrant tropical theme wall. Whether you opt for bamboos, pink flamingos or a fern print, there are some great feature walls available.
Tropical style is all about mixing and matching patterns, so don’t be afraid to go bold with your prints.
6. Get Inspired by Hotel Decor
Take inspiration from tropical homes or hotels, such as the luxurious Kanopi House treehouse in Jamaica. Consider investing in a day bed – perfect for lounging around.
Here, the island vibe has been further enhanced with a subtle seashell fabric. The dark wood day beds contrast beautifully with the white fabric and green accessories.
5. Bring the Outdoors In
Isn’t this outdoor bathroom stunning with its roll-top bath and rain shower? We spotted this one at GoldenEye, the iconic luxury resort in Jamaica where Ian Fleming penned his James Bond novels.
Having said that, not everyone lives in a climate where an outdoor bathroom is practical or desirable. So how about installing a high tech rain shower inside your home instead?
If you accessorize with stone or wooden furniture then you could almost believe you were outdoors. Complete the look with a free-standing towel bamboo ladder, unless you have young children in which case it’s better to opt for a securely fixed rail.
4. Incorporate Bright Colors
Tropical style is known for its bold, bright colors. Think fiery reds, vibrant oranges, and sunny yellows. Incorporate this color palette into your space through fabrics, artwork, and accessories.
One of the best Pantone shades is Living Coral, a vibrant color that will breathe life into any decor. This color works particularly well for pillows, rugs and paired with gold accents.
While green is a key element in any tropical look, don’t forget to throw a few contrasting colours into the mix. Team hot pink with turquoise for a vibrant look or paint your garden furniture in bright shades for an instant pick me up, like these loungers at GoldenEye.
3. Keep It Cool
If you’re lucky to live in a hot climate or if you just want to emulate tropical home decor, then a ceiling fan is a great investment. There’s something so relaxing about watching the blades whir away.
In the former study of Ian Fleming at GoldenEye, the white panelled walls standing out against the dark wooden shutters. Notice also the softly curving shapes of the chairs, stools and plant pots contrasting with the angular tables, picture frames and shelves.
Tropical furniture made from rattan, wicker and bamboo looks good in most homes, being lightweight and sturdy.
2. Create a Romantic Atmosphere
Bedrooms in particular lend themselves well to tropical home decor. For an elegant island vibe, add billowing muslin curtains to your bed.
You can either install a four poster bed frame such as this one in the beautiful Alila Ubud, Bali or simply opt for a muslin bed canopy. It’s a lovely look for a children’s bedroom too!
1. Tropical Decor Themed Party
If you don’t fancy changing your whole decor and want a temporary injection of tropical style, consider hosting a tropical themed party instead. Dining rooms can be decorated with tropical flowers and rattan pieces to give an exotic vibe.
Flamingo sunglasses or Hawaiian paper leis to hand out to guests will get the party started. Serve up a pina colada, a passionfruit daiquiri or virgin mojito for a taste of tropical paradise.
If you have a swimming pool, then animal inflatables are a must. For your outdoor table setting, go bold with tropical decorations such as tropical dessert plates, a bamboo bar cart and cocktail umbrellas.
Use hollowed out pineapples as serving bowls and dish up ceviche, tacos and other tropical treats. For more tropical decor ideas, see our selection below.
In Conclusion: Tropical Home Decor
These easy tropical home decor ideas will help you create a piece of paradise in your own living space. From bright colors to leafy prints, these tips will help you turn your ordinary home into a vacation destination.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these tips for tropical decor ideas. We would love to hear how you have injected island style into your own home.
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Read all our style tips here.
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I love the photos you’ve used in this post. I love to add colour into my home, it makes me feel so much better. These are some great tips for tropical decor 🙂
I agree that colour is a real mood booster, Olivia! Glad that you enoyed the post
I like the layout of the rooms…..my house is laid out in orange and creamy white,of course that is cheetah fur so I rather think your color scheme is much more fitting. Question,how/what would you use to clean the wood?
I love orange but I hate fur! It’s best to use a good old mop to clean the wood floors but with a microfibre pad that you can put in the washing machine.
You’ve chosen some great tropical items. Always nice to have some colourful decor in your home
I agree that colourful decor really brightens up a home, Melissa
I love this! Using tropical plants can really bring a kind of vintage glamour to a room too 🙂 I really wanted to use them in my wedding decor but my family laughed at me for wanting to use “potted plants”. I’ll have to show them that I was actually really on trend… ! xxx
Lucy
I love the idea of using inspiration from your travels to decorate your home.
If I could, I would have each room themed as a different country!
Love this post Suze! I’m a big fan of day beds – I hadn’t actually considered buying one for home. Billowing muslin curtains are beautiful too
A day bed is perfect for lounging around on, isn’t it!
What gorgeous ideas! I love the idea of adding in tropical items to home décor. It makes it feel very exotic and as though I would be on holiday 24-7!
Wouldn’t it be great to be on a permanent holiday! At least with tropical decor we can get that illusion 😉
Such great inspiration Suze! I am loving all the white upholstery and wooden floors / windows, it is such a great contrast.
Ash
White is so relaxing and I agree, the dark wood makes a great contrast
Ahhh I love this post!! We have recently been adding more green plants to the house and it feels amazing and looks so much closer to what we want!!
I love the tropical decor. Reminds me a lot of being on holiday
I love rattan, wicker and bamboo for conservatories it works really well there. Plants can really add to the appearance of a room.
Love these tips, I’m in the process of redecorating my place and I’m trying to bring in as much greenery as possible x
Love the idea of bringing outdoors in… just maybe not in UK climat 🙂
I’m naturally attracted to earth tones with lots of greenery so these ideas certainly appeal. As I just moved into a new home I am deciding what colour my bedroom will be. I certainly want to feel like I’m sleeping in a comfortable relaxed space so these ideas are food for thought.
Such beautiful decor! I live on an island, but I’m afraid it’s not a tropical one – quite the opposite direction in fact, lol! Still, I’d love to decorate like this.
Great tips, I have a lot more wooden furniture than I used to and love how it makes a room to feel more natural.
I need that ceiling chair from ciel. the material is beautiful!
Great decoration tips – I love to brighten up the home with some greenery, it makes such a difference!
Miriam xx
www.londonkitchendairies.com
Plants, mirrors, bedding and throws can make such a difference. Some beautiful pics Lucy x
Great photos and great tips too. I love to add green to our home. x