How to Decorate a Room for a Party

Planning the Decorations

Consider the occasion. The type of party that you’re throwing will play a big role in how you decorate. For example, you’ll probably decorate differently for a festive birthday party than you would for an elegant 25th anniversary party. If you’re hosting a holiday party, such as a Christmas or Halloween get-together, you probably have a good idea of what the decor should look like. Take the occasion into consideration as you start to think about decorations. You should also consider who the party is for. For example, if you’re celebrating a child’s birthday, you’ll probably want to make a bigger statement with the decorations than if you’re decorating for an adult’s birthday.

Think about the venue. The room that you’re holding the party in may affect the way you decorate. For example, if you’re having the event at a private dining room in a restaurant, you may not be able to decorate as extensively as you would for a party at home. You should also take the size of the room and the height of the ceiling into account because the dimensions may limit the decorations that you can use. If you’re having your party at a restaurant or other commercial venue, it’s a good idea to call and ask what types of decorations are allowed. You don’t want to be surprised the day of the party.

Choose a theme. Some parties, such as holiday gatherings, have ready themes that may it easy to plan a decorating scheme. However, if you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other milestone, it often helps to choose a specific theme to help you organize the decorations. Try to come up with a theme that reflects the interests of the guest(s) of honor. For example, if you’re throwing a birthday party for a friend who likes to go sailing, you might settle on a nautical theme. For an anniversary party for a couple who likes to gamble, you might choose a Las Vegas or Monte Carlo theme. Movies, cartoon characters, and TV shows make fun party themes that are easy to customize for the guest(s) of honor. A tropical or luau theme can be a festive general party theme. Pick an interesting, distinctive time period, such as the roaring ‘20s or the ‘60s, as your party theme. You can even have guests dress up according to the trends of the era. If you love to travel, consider giving your party an around the world theme. If you’re throwing a party for a big sports fan, use their favorite team as inspiration for the event’s theme.

Plan a budget. Before you start planning the party’s decorations, it’s important to know how much money you have to spend on decor. Start by devising a budget for the entire party, and then break it down into individual categories, such as food, beverages, entertainment, and decor. Once you know how much money you have to decorate the room, you can start to deciding how best to invest it. If you’re having trouble coming up with a budget, you may want to use an online budget calculator from party websites, such as Evite, to help.

Covering the Decorating Basics

Cover the walls. The walls are an obvious place to start when you’re decorating a room for a party. If you’re celebrating a specific milestone, such as a birthday, anniversary, or graduation, you may want to hang a banner for the event on the wall. Photos, posters, artwork, festive garlands, and other signs that you can find the party supply store are ideal options. For an party that honors specific people, you may want to hang photos of them on the wall. For example, if you’re celebrating your parents’ anniversary, decorate with copies of their wedding photos or other meaningful moments in their lives. If you’re celebrating a friend’s birthday, you may want to use baby photos to decorate. If your party has a specific theme, you can use photos or artwork that fit the look, such as photos of your favorite movie stars for a Hollywood theme, on the walls. You don’t have to ruin your walls to hang photos or other artwork on the walls. Use removable mounting tape on the backs, or run a piece of string or ribbon across the walls and use clothespins or binder clips to attach the photos to the string. If you have scraps of ribbon at home, make a fun garland to decorate the walls or any columns or railings in the room. Loop the small scraps around the longest piece of ribbon and tie them off in bows for a festive look.

Dress up the ceiling with streamers and balloons. You don’t want to overlook the ceiling when it comes to decorating the room for your party. Simple streamers and balloons are usually the best way to go. Hang the streamers across the ceiling so they all meet at the center, where you can arrange a cluster of balloons to hide the tape. You can also place balloons at the ceiling’s corners for added color. When you’re hanging streamers across the ceiling, you can keep the crepe paper straight or twist it as you go to give them a spiraled effect. While you can arrange balloons in haphazard bunches, it’s also fun to create flowers out of them. Gather five or six balloons in the same color to serve as the petals, and place them around a yellow balloon that be the flower’s center. Tie all of the balloons together, and use tape to attach the “flower” to the ceiling. You don’t just have to hang the streamers across the ceiling. Instead, try having them hang straight down from the ceiling to create a curtain that guests can have fun passing through. In addition to simple latex balloons, you may want to add a few foil balloons. They come in a wide variety of shapes and themes, so you can probably find some that fit your party’s look to a tee.

Set the mood with lighting. It’s an easy detail to overlook when you’re decorating for a party, but the right lighting can make a room feel more festive in a hurry. Simple string lights usually used at Christmas come in variety of colors, including multicolored, and you can hang them across the walls, windows, and ceiling, or wind them around railings and columns. You can also hang colorful paper lanterns from the party supply store to help dress up the room. If you want a more elegant look for your party, opt for white string lights instead of colored strands. String lights are also available in fun shapes, such as hearts, stars, seashells, and chili peppers, so you may be able to find a variety that fits your party’s theme. You can also use candles to give the room a more sophisticated feel. Just make sure to place them in locations where they won’t be knocked over and keep them away from flammable materials.

Tying the Decor Together

Choose finishing touches for your theme. Once you’ve hung some banners, streamers, balloons, and lights, it’s time to add a few decorations that help bring the party’s theme to life. For example, if you’re throwing an Oscar or a Hollywood themed party, you want to create a red carpet for the room by laying down a piece of red fabric for guests to walk across. For a dance themed party, you may want to hang a mirrored disco ball in the center of the room. For a child’s birthday, a pinata that fits the theme makes an ideal decoration. At your local party supply store, you can find inflatable decorations in a variety of fun shapes that fit an array of themes. For example, you might place an inflatable palm tree in the corner of the room for a tropical party, or an inflatable treasure chest in the corner for a pirate themed party.

Add colorful tablecloths. You might not think tablecloths make a big difference in readying your room for a party, but they can add some fun color to help tie the entire look together. They also protect your table or other surfaces in case there are any spills during the party. Choose a bold or bright color that matches the other decorations at the party. Consider laying tablecloths in two or more different colors for a festive look. Make sure to choose one that’s slightly larger than the others so the bottom will peek one from underneath the top layer. For a casual party, disposable plastic tablecloths are the best option. They are inexpensive and come in a wide range of colors, so you can some that match the rest of your decorations. For an elegant, sophisticated party, you may prefer fabric tablecloths. They can be somewhat expensive, though, so if you’re only going to use a certain color for the party, you may prefer borrowing one from friends or family members.

Find a striking table centerpiece. Whether you’re having a sit-down dinner or a buffet style meal at your party, it helps to have an eye-catching decoration for the center of the table where you’ll be serving food. A floral arrangement is a traditional option -- you can purchase fresh flowers or use artificial or dried flowers to create a centerpiece for the table. If you’re not a fan of flowers, you can substitute balloon or create a custom centerpiece that fits your party’s theme. For example, if you’re throwing a zoo theme party, you might use stuffed animals to make a centerpiece for the table. For a Christmas party, a large bowl filled with fruit, pine cones, ornaments, and garland can make a simple but beautiful centerpiece. For a Halloween party, a jack o'lantern is the ideal centerpiece. For a child’s birthday party, you can put vases or jars filled with colorful candy, such as gumballs, rock candy, gumdrops, and lollipops, in an arrangement to create a centerpiece for the table. Create a simple centerpiece for an elegant party by filling a large bowl with water and adding floating candles.