The following article is a guest post by Carlos Trejo.
Work stress, relationship blues, household drama — life comes at us in all directions sometimes, leaving us feeling emotionally drained and thoroughly in need of a change of scenery. Before you confine your weekend to your sofa and binge-watch your shows to get the recharge you need, think about creating your own personal sanctuary — a fandom room that expresses your personal style and interests. Call it geek decor or nerdy home decor if you must, but a personal fandom retreat is apt to become your favorite place in your home — a space where you can chillax with friends, binge watch in comfort, read, or simply feature a collection of decorative items that makes you smile.
First, assess your space.
When it comes to Fandom decor, you can draw inspiration from your favorite films, books, video games, or any other cultural sources that strike your fancy. You can transform a nook beneath your stairs into Harry Potter’s hidden chamber or your bedroom into Maleficent’s boudoir of enchantment. The key is to choose a theme that resonates with your interests so that it will delight you each time you visit the space.
Of course, before you head out to shop for a Death Star-sized flat screen for your Star Wars-themed media room or a life-size Pikachu for your Pokemon personal den, you’ll need to assess your space carefully. Keep its measurements handy so that you don’t have to estimate sizing considerations while you’re shopping for items like draperies, carpets, furnishings, and decorative items. Be sure you note the dimensions of windows, walls, and the floor.
Make a Plan
Take time to develop a plan for your fandom renovation project. Research how others are transforming similar spaces into fantasy retreats that celebrate their favorite characters, video games, or films. Depending on the items you intend to showcase in your space (i.e. bobbleheads, models, posters, action figures, etc…) you may need to install shelving or custom displays for your new decor. Use apps to keep track of your ideas or create a board on Pinterest to ‘pin’ your ideas. Once you have a working plan, you can begin to transform your space.
Ideas for Your Fly Fandom Room or Nook
As you consider the design for your fandom space, always remember that this is YOUR domain. In it, Luke Skywalker and Mr. Spock can live in galactic peace and harmony. You can maintain a narrow interest — like classic Spiderman only — or you can combine elements of your favorite genre to reflect all of your fictional icons. The following are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing as you develop your fandom decorating plan.
Superhero Universe
Character examples: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Wolverine, Aqua Man, and assorted villains such as Lex Luther, Green Goblin, Joker, Cat Woman, and Poison Ivy.
Use the following tips: Paint or wallpaper, open shelving for action figures, poster frames, character-themed fabric, or vinyl wall decor.
How to Set It Up:
To create your superhero room, you’ll probably want to use a vibrant color scheme that’s indicative of your favorite heroes — green for The Hulk, blue and red for Spidey, or red and gold for The Flash. If you’re planning a hybrid space to honor multiple heroes, consider painting each wall a different color to coordinate with different characters.
Fortunately, this is a dynamic theme so you’ll have lots of props, collectibles, and decorative items awaiting you in the marketplace. You can also replicate many commercially available items with DIY creations. Here are a few ideas to inspire your Gotham or Metropolis-themed space:
Comic book ceiling fan blade covers
Bat sign nightlight
Captain America shield curtain tieback holders
Gold lasso drapery tiebacks
Pumpkin bomb fan pulls
‘Pow’ word bubble vinyl wall decor
Marvel-themed slipcovers for sofa or chairs
Fantasy
Fantasy examples: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia, Maze Runner, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Alice in Wonderland, Neverland, and Arthurian legend.
Suggested Materials: Paint, wallpaper, tapestries, fabric, real and synthetic houseplants, custom built-ins, shelving, and picture frames.
How to Set It Up:
The fantasy theme is richly imaginative. You might want to recreate a setting from your favorite fantasy genre, such as the Wonderland tea party, the Bilbo Baggins Shire home, the Mad Hatter’s workshop, or King Arthur’s round table chamber. Here are a few tips to inspire your fantasy decor plan:
Oversized wardrobe (Narnia)
Round green door (Lord of the Rings)
Queen of Hearts draperies (Wonderland)
Vases of white roses (Hunger Games)
Narnia-themed chessboard
Hogwarts-style artwork
Shelving to display collectibles
Sci-Fi
Sci-fi examples: Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Dune, E.T., Back to the Future, The Matrix, Frankenstein, and Avatar.
Suggested Materials: Open shelving, wall hooks, paint, wallpaper, vinyl wall decor, film posters, fabric, and commercial merchandise.
How to Set It Up:
Sci-Fi is a popular genre and ideally suited to nerdy room decor. You’ll find numerous products and film-themed merchandise to help you pull your outer-space-themed decor together. Again, you can recreate a scene or setting from your favorite Sci-Fi tale such as the Mos Eisley Cantina (Star Wars) or the control room of the Enterprise, complete with Captain Kirk’s chair. Here are some ideas to inspire your Sci-Fi setup:
Galaxy-painted ceiling
Display of Imperial masks (Darth Vader, stormtroopers, bounty hunters)
X-Wing Fighter drawer pulls
Glass case for spacecraft models and merchandise
Han Solo carbonite door cover
Martian-themed curtains
Dune-inspired beanbags
Film posters for walls
Sitcoms and other TV Shows
TV examples: Friends, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, The Munsters, Happy Days, Cheers, Charlie’s Angels, The Addams Family, Gilligan’s Island, and I Love Lucy.
Suggested Materials: Framed posters, life-size character cutouts, show props, display shelving, display cases, fabric, and commercial merchandise.
How to Set It Up:
If you’ve fallen in love with the cast of Friends or found that Lucille Ball is your celebrity soulmate, you can have loads of fun decorating a special room to celebrate your fandom. Some shows, like Cheers, lend themselves to certain spaces, like your bar area. Use the following ideas to inspire decor for any space you have in mind:
Michael’s office (The Office)
Central perk dining area (Friends)
Big Bang-theory draperies for the TV room
Al’s Diner from Happy Days
Large posters of characters
Quirky prop displays (The Addams Family)
Animation and video games
Examples: The Simpsons, Mulan, Snow White, Frozen, Super Mario Brothers, The Little Mermaid, He-Man, WarCraft, Minecraft, Toy Story, Futurama, Terraria, Family Guy, Fortnite, Minions, Spongebob, Tom and Jerry, and Japanese anime.
Suggested Materials: Vinyl wall decor, wallpaper, commercial merchandise, branded fabric, shelving or shelving units, glass display cases, and cool animation artwork.
How to Set It Up:
Create an insulated fictional world in any room of your home or an area of your house like a basement. Whether you’re a Disney fan or an avid gamer, you can adopt a theme that transports you to an animated world. Here are a few ideas to consider:
Elsa’s frozen bedroom (Frozen)
The seven dwarf’s cottage (Snow White)
Ursula’s dressing room (The Little Mermaid)
Ariel’s master bathroom and spa (The Little Mermaid)
Simpson-themed draperies and wall coverings
Super Mario Brothers game board for walls
Vintage toy displays (Toy Story)
Fortnite skins for wall decor
Classic cartoon characters in frames
Other pop culture heroes, historic icons, and beloved characters
Other examples: Barbie, Ragnar (Vikings), Edgar Allan Poe, The Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, horror movie villains, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Wizard of Oz, Moby Dick, Willy Wonka, Sherlock Holmes, Holly Golightly, Elle Woods (Legally Blonde), and Jane Austen.
Suggested Materials: Paint, wallpaper, commercial merchandise, picture frames, shelving, display units, historical document or prop reproductions, glass display cases.
How to Set It Up:
You can create a fandom room that offers you the ideal escape from the everyday world. You can transform your bedroom into the Raggedy Ann retreat or Barbie dream house you’ve always craved, or create a media room dedicated to your favorite musician in your attic — from Elvis to Eminem and Public Enemy to Dolly Parton — or character, like Bond, James Bond. It’s your personal retreat, and the only limit is your imagination (and maybe your budget.) Here are some ideas to inspire your renovation project:
Edgar Allan Poe-inspired library
Pequod-inspired bathroom (Moby Dick)
Woodstock-themed recreation room
Elvis in Las Vegas theme
Dollywood-themed bedroom
Austenite library or reading room
Beatlemania family room
Transforming a spare room — or even one of your essential rooms — to celebrate the icons you love is an enjoyable project that never ends. You and your friends will love spending time in your weird and wonderful fandom room You’ll surely add to your collection over the years, and ultimately, you may end up with a veritable museum or shrine to the object of your fandom.
