How To Use One Element As Inspiration For A Whole Room Makeover
- Veronica Solomon
- Nov 27, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
I always encourage DIY-er decorators to choose one element to use as inspiration for decorating a whole room.
It can be any element that you can pull the style, mood, color palette and/or pattern mix from.
It is best to start with an item that has a pattern with several colors like a rug or a textile, and from there you can basically build an entire color palette and pattern mix. But that doesn't have to always be the case.
Here I am using this gorgeous hair on hide, very whimsical rug as my inspiration for a bedroom.
What Inspired Me About The Rug
I was immediately drawn to the "bubbles" or circular shapes in the rug, and the fact that the circles extended past the boundaries of the rug. It gives a sense of whimsy and playfulness, but the fact that it is a hide rug gives it a level of sophistication and luxury.
I was inspired to create a sophisticated whimsical bedroom where the rug would play a major supporting role for the whole space.
The Mood Board Should Tell The Story
The first thing is to create a story board or more popularly known as a "mood board" to see how all the elements come together.
The mood board is a great tool for seeing how the colors and patterns relate to one another. You want to try to incorporate as many elements as you can fit on one board and give as complete of a picture as possible.
The Thought Process Behind Each Selection
Because my inspiration piece (the rug) is a solid color, and I want to introduce more color and pattern, I needed to find a secondary inspiration that includes the color of the rug and has a similar vibe as the rug. That piece is the Milton & King Viva Tropicana Wallpaper.
I chose it because I love it, it is exotic looking with the bold botanical design, the pattern is arranged in a striped pattern which works well with the circles of the rug, and of course it contains a version of the color of the rug, which marries them together quite nicely.
Next up was the bed. I always love a canopy bed in a bedroom to draw the eye up but yet give a cozy feeling. The preferred bed to use is the faux croc upholstered bed I used in our Flower Magazine Showhouse bedroom, but the one shown will do quite well. It has a choice of upholstery fabric color options, and I chose the spruce velvet.
Next up is seating in the room. I started with the cheetah x-benches that I would place two of at the foot of the bed. Cheetah or leopard prints act as a neutral binder in a room for me. The pattern often works well with other patterns, and can be that final piece needed to bring a whole room together.
A sofa with a curved silhouette is perfect to add a greater seating area for reading and relaxing. I chose the Cara sofa in Moss Luxe Velvet by Lulu & Georgia. The soft curves and modern form makes it a perfect piece.
The Maya Rosso Levanto Marble coffee table from Interior Icons round out the seating area. I chose it because I think every room benefits from a bit of marble, but mainly because the base of it has the bubble motif of the rug.
See also the amazing Rock Crystal Bubble Lamp from First Dibs? It sures up the bubble motif. Repetition is important in a harmonious space, but be careful that it is not overdone or too obvious. For most people, these lamps would only be a dream at $8900 per pair! But it's great to dream, right?
A closer look at these babies!
Every bedroom needs a good dresser for extra storage, and this beauty - the Briallen demi-lune cabinet from Currey & Co is a showstopper. I have one in my inventory that is available for sale below the MSRP of $4740
This is not really a dresser with drawers, but there is ample storage behind the doors.
I also fell in love with the cute bone inlaid, black and white nightstand that I found on Etsy. I treat black and white stripes almost as a neutral in a space. For me, they function in much the same way as cheetah prints.
As I came across the gold floral mirror, I remarked to myself that you can find almost anything on the internet if you search hard enough. Somehow I had this picture of a mirror like that in my mind, but didn't know that it existed. It is the perfect feminine touch to add something unexpected and whimsical yet sophisticated to the room. You can find it HERE. I wish it was a bit larger, but I always have tricks up my sleeves to make something out of scale balance perfectly in the room.......... But I can't give away all my secrets now :-)
I kept the bedding very crisp and simple with most of it being a soft white with blue embroidery, and then accents of colorful pillows and a duvet that would be folded towards the foot of the bed.
The drapery fabric is the rich maroon shade velvet, that would add depth and soft luxury to the room. I would perhaps use a lucite rod with gold accents.
I found the art piece, (When We Listen For The Passage Of Time) by Paul Bond as limited edition prints on Saatchi. I love the surrealism of it, and the colors worked very well with the rest of the room. I would frame this in a gold frame
The Murano glass light fixture is a gorgeous piece that I just love! It may not be available in the US, but it could be the inspiration for a dupe if you searched hard enough on the internet.
Of course I would add accessories and style this room to perfection.
I would likely paint the ceiling and trim in a deep green pulling from the wallpaper color palette.
The Conclusion
You can see that just one inspiration piece could totally be the jumping off point to transforming a whole room; even a whole house. It is one step at a time from there and before you know it, you have a great looking space.
You can shop right from the hotspots in the moodboard below
If you need help transforming your space, reach out anytime.
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Wishing You Boldness & Great Style!
Veronica