"I'd love to hear any of your ideas for this room."

I don't think guest rooms should have a "theme". They should be as neutral as possible and not inlcude personal photos of the owners on the wall or photos of wild carnivore. The room should be calm and relaxing and the circus theme or jungle themed would not do it. Do you have some pics of island greenery? A close-up of a leaf or something like that that could be matted and framed, instead of a mural of a palm on the wall? Have you collected anything from your trips that could be used in the room? Pottery? Baskets? Coral? Shells? This could give you that "island feel" that you desire for the room.

What kind of furniture is in the room already? Painted or natural? Are you getting new bedding and window treatments?

Make the rug a focal point for a tropical island feel.

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Make your guest room restful and fluffy with nice bedding. Use natural window treaments.

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If the rest of your home is in bright colors you can carry that over to the guest room in a cheery manner.

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If you like a riot of color keep the other things simple in a guest room.

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thanks dilly dally,

I guess you are right but I want to put those pictures some place.
I love both the pictures you posted. I'm planning to do the other room with a palm tree theme but I love the palm and elephant ear leaves.

One thing that I forgot to mention: we just finished taking the wall paper down from that room. The top paper came off in one pull BUT the bottom paper was terrible. I can't believe they were coordinating papers. We treated the wall the same - good quality sizing. It took three days to get it all off. So if we want to paint, we have lots of prep work on the wall. Not as much if we put up new paper. NOT sure what we want - paint or paper.

I agree with dilly dally....and as a guest, I would not enjoy sleeping/being in an over the top theme guest room.

Here are some examples of animal bedding...

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Or... how about going for a British Colonial look, ever timeless, with just a little touch of animal print? I think a whole room in animal print may be tough for a lot of folks to take, but a spot of it here and there can be great.

As far as your pictures, I would enjoy seeing them. If you know who your guests are likely to be, you might think about their tastes.

I'm going to be a dissenter here. Just because a guest room has a theme doen't mean that the room can't be inviting and restful.

I would enjoy staying in a room surrounded by the pictures you've described. However, the palm trees painted on the wall might be just a tad too much. They might compete with the framed photos.

The pictures sound exciting! They would be perfect for a family room or to fill a hallway or an office. Vacation photos are just not the thing for a guest room or a dining room. Of course there are no such rules as "never". Some nice panoramic photos of exotic locales could look nice. Maybe done in Sepia tone against a brighter colored Eggplant or Lime color wall?

Consider vintage print posters for the palm themed room:

They are making a lot nicer wallpaper designs these days. You will have lots of great choices if you go that route.

If you decide to paint to avoid ever having to strip wallpaper again........maybe think about doing a stenciled glaze for the leaf design? It would look sort of like wallpaper but more subtle and random, sort of a tone on tone sheer look that does not jump out and bite, like a palm tree mural would. You sound creative, and interested in doing something personalize for the rooms which is great. Don't rush anything in the roar of excitment of doing a new room from scratch like this person did:

{{gwi:1569673}} Or this: {{gwi:1569674}}

Keep things serene and then add a touch of whimsy:

Silly monkey and palm lamp:

Avoid the urge to "palm tree" everything from switchplate covers to wall hooks to lampshades to toothbrush holders.

Look for vintage items that incorporate palm trees. They were very popular during Victorian times and in the 1920s. Avoid the 1990s trend palm tree stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Palm Tree Vintage Prints

Wow, you guys are great.

monablair, The palm tree would not be in this room - it would be in the other guest room. or not!!! I guess it would fit better in Florida - a friend did that in her bedroom down there and it looked really neat.

I love that monkey palm lamp dilly dally. I have a fruit bowl with a monkey banana holder. I should be living on an island or someplace warm - NOT Wisconsin. I love the decorating in Forida.

Oceanna, I really love that first picture. That's exactly what I was thinking of. Where is that picture from? or do you know who sells the bedding. The wallpaper looks very sharp. I want that room!!!!!!!!!

luxuriousliving, that's what I'd like for the other room.

allison, thanks for the comment.

You guys have me more excited about doing this than this morning. I'm thinking of skipping out of volunteering at the library tomorrow and going shopping - NO I'll wait and start looking on Wednesday.

thanks everyone.

Datura, I thought that room looked neat too. Maybe it's a faux painting on the wall? Here is a link to the bedding...

Link to bedding

And here is another one...

Here is a link that might be useful: Animal bedding

Datura, those photos oceanna posted are of African themed rooms. They are nice. (I love, love, love that yellow Zebra room.) Make sure you don't mix up too many themes in one room or even in one house. You mentioned Cancun in your first post and also dolphins and tigers, and the palm tree. Don't get too many things going on at once by adding in the giraffe bedding or zebras. Make sure all the flora and fauna in the room go with each other.

Are you looking for a Mexican flavored room? Tropical? African desert? Hawaiian? Florida with pink flaningos? What is your vision of the workable theme?

oceanna, thanks so much for the fast reply. I usually don't like to order any type of fabric online but this is really neat. I like to feel the fabric first. Some look good in pictures but feel rough. I guess 180 thread count is ok. I could look around for something that is the same 50/50 cotton ploy blend and see what it feels like. Are those Bed in the Bag Comfort Sets usually good quality? I've never heard of this place - have you ordered from them?
Kimlor is the manufacturer. I'll have to check them out

Thanks again.

dilly dally,
That's my problem - I like a lot of things: mainly anything tropical. Not really African desert. And not pink flamingos. The picture didn't make me think of a giraffe so much, I just liked it. It seems more like a print than an animal. The zebra one looks relaxing. I'll be careful not to mix things. thanks for your help.

Now if you use British Colonial style you can mix it all together in one room. Remember the British colonies ranged from Hong Kong, India, Australia, parts of Africa, the Carribean, Canada, the US, among others.
I found this info:
The Victorian era of the mid to late 19th century saw the British extend their empire around the world, from Singapore to East Africa, from India to the British West Indies. With them, they brought their language, their ideas on government, their custom of afternoon tea, and their furniture and designs. The Victorian Era was a rather formal time and the British, although they enjoyed traveling to the distant outposts of the Empire, didn't want to forego the comforts of home. They brought the solid and sturdy furniture designs of England and adapted them to the tropics. Along the way, they adapted Asian and African motifs into those traditional designs. This mange became British Colonial style and it is easily recognized by its sturdy, yet sometimes fanciful pieces, of teak and mahogany as well as its use of rattan, leather, and animal prints.

Hardwoods, such as teak and mahogany, were particularly suited to the humid climates of the Empire. Unlike softer woods, like pine, that tended to warp in the tropical humidity, these woods stood up to the most extreme conditions and were readily available in most of the colonies. Often furniture was carved by native craftsmen using British designs, and you'll frequently find little flourishes of Asian, Caribbean, or African art, intermixed with the original carving. If one looks carefully at that mahogany four-postered bed, you'll notice, perhaps, a carved pineapple atop the posts.

The Colors and Prints of British Colonial Style

Both exotic and practical, British Colonial design emphasized muted colors, such as browns, beiges, and straw, in sharp contrast to the flowery prints popular at that time in the motherland. The colonial palette reflects the tropical lushness of nature, which, whether in the West Indies, Africa, or Asia, was never far away. One of the hallmarks of British Colonial design is the contrast of hard sturdy wood with the bright sunshine and cheerful colors of the tropics. Animal prints, Indian sari fabrics, and detailed and realistic botanical prints added interest and emphasized the colonists' fascination with their adopted lands.

You mention living in Wisconsin and liking palm tree stuff. Years ago their were tons of Tiki and Hawaiian lounges throughout the state.

Remember this one?

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Later it was named {{gwi:1569683}}

You mentioned the jaguar you spent time with in Cancun. Jaguars are native to Mexico. (Nobody ever believes me when I tell them that though.) Jaguars appear in Aztec art. Maybe use some Aztec art in the room and the bright colors associated with it since you like color for the room.

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They are taking care of this cute jaguar at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Often times they will sell related art for some of their star animal residents. Maybe you can find something jaguar related in their gift shop like a nice pillow?

dilly dally,
I can't download the lounge pics. I think I remember being in some Tiki bars years ago.

Yes, most people don't realize that about jaguars. That's where Pete got his. Most of the people clearing land would just shoot them but many called the police and they would call Pete and he'd come and get them. We stopped to see him two years ago and he now has a black jaguar. It was beautiful but he didn't go right up to it like the others. We saw it's teeth more than anything. We also got to visit the two babies that we spent time with - they aren't little guys anymore. I've gone in the cages with him (cats aren't tied up) but the black one was chained up on the second floor patio. He also had a male and female tigers and their babies were born a week before we got there. We got to hold one. Their markings were so beautiful.

I didn't realize Milwaukee had a jaguarat their zoo. We'll have to visit it some time.

Yes, I'll have to check out Aztec art. I'll have to page thru some of the books we have about the Mayan culture too.

I'm heading into Madison tomorrow to check out wallpaper. Our wallpaper guy is coming over tomorrow morning to repair something and I'll have him look at the shape of the walls in the bedroom and see if he suggests paint or wallpaper.

thanks for your suggestions.

There was a huge thread about a year or so ago about West Indies...breezy style. It had over 100 posts on it. Let me see if I still saved it. Yay..I still have it and many of the photos are still viewable. I LOVE this style.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coastal Breezy West Indies thread

My only suggestion would be to avoid anything cheesy...stick with things that look like real animals, or fine art animals, not something that looks like it was taken from a theme park. A little animal print goes a long way.

The gift shop at the zoo in my area does not sell cheesy theme park things.

I bought a nice emu egg resting in a Lucite stand there. It goes well with my MCM Home. Stand was included but they sold other nice brass stands if one wanted to "upgrade" to a different look. Emu eggs are dark green and have a beautiful patina.

There are other nature items like REAL dragonflies, butterflies and scorpions mounted in Lucite dioramas or preserved in glass or resin. I love this scorpion paperweight.

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There are portraits of some of the resident animals done by professional artists. They have lots and lots of stuff that is high quality and not cheesy. In fact, it is probably one of the very few places in the area that sells high quality decorating items for a jungle or island theme.

I am curious as to how the room is coming along.