Just a girl with goals
Tween bedroom makeover. My client is 8 and a half (don’t forget the half… that 0.5 is important!). She loves reading and crafting. I need to incorporate a comfy reading place and an oversized desk area to let her imagination go bonkers. Crafting is a serious game and space is required.
Because of this, my husband and I always agree on giving our daughter the biggest room in the house. If you are new to my blog, we are a family of 3: 1 Swede, 1 little rugrat & 1 American. We move around A LOT due to my husband’s Air Force career and it gives me freedom to paint, create and transform every new space we find ourselves in for the next few years.
But back to why we give our kiddo the biggest room in the house… we don’t like toys in the living room or a spread of glittery craft bracelet pearls on our kitchen counter. If I give my daughter plenty of space in her room, she has all the areas to play, read and create.
I split her room up in 4 areas to help with the design:
- Crafting space ~a DESK
- Sleeping spot ~a BED (with storage)
- Reading area ~ a SWING CHAIR
- Play area ~ a clean corner for her to spread Lego’s or Calico Critters around.
The color palette was inspired by my daughters eyes and happy personality! A sparkling mint blue and blush salmon pink tones. I added neutral grey and a pop of black stripes to bring it from toddler room to tween. All are Sherwin & Williams.
I used peony wall flower decals on a striped painted wall to give it a statement and an eye catching focal point when you enter into the room.
Pictures below showcase lots of different areas of my daughters room.
Painting stripes on a wall includes a bit of patience and a good laser level. If you haven’t invested in one already, it is a must for any DIY home project. Hanging pictures or painting needs. You need a laser! If you want to learn a great tip for painting those clean crisp paint lines; head on over to my blogpost “Crazy organized guest room closet” and read the full HOW TO description.
I had a ton of fun creating this focal statement piece. I promise it looks harder then it was. Honestly the math was my biggest ordeal. Calculating where the stripes should go: that makes it both comfortable for the eye and the bed frame that is going right in front of this wall. Once that was all figured out, I taped, painted, and added the floral decals. Then I sat down and waited for it to dry with a cup of joe in my chipped-nail DIY hands. It felt like the room was coming together. YES!
The peony decals are from www.simpleshapes.com
If you have never ventured to the world of decals and feel a bit nervous about using decals; Don’t be afraid! These decals are VERY user friendly and create an instant, easy statement piece. I absolutely cannot stop using them.
Window treatment is a key element to designing a room. Hanging curtains can be daunting. There is a lot to learn: how to pick fabrics, where to hang, measuring, etc. The number one thing I’ve learned is to always size up! Yes I know it looks like it will fit, and yes I understand ordering the longer length costs a few more bucks. But in the end it is worth every penny. Too short curtains or curtains placed too low can be a dreadful mistake for the entire look of your room. Your eyes are drawn up and your room will feel extra spacious if you hang those rods higher. Adding a double rod gives extra layers and extra layers means extra cozy and a more finished look.
For my daughter’s room, I chose white, thick blackout curtains on a double rod, and have a sheer white privacy curtain in the back. Blackout curtains for a kid’s room are a great idea, as much for parents as the kiddo. Our daughter can sleep in so much longer, especially on the weekends. Plus it keeps her room cooler from the setting sun in the summer and warmer in the winter. Thick, heavy curtains require less maintenance after they are hung. Less wrinkles means less ironing! They’re an all-around win!
My daughter’s closet is a space I had to give myself some time with. Sort through old clothes and make space for her new style. My baby girl is growing up, and so is her closet. After that big closet mess, a Target run was a much needed therapeutic outlet to shop for some new tween-sized clothing and storage bins. Who doesn’t love an extra Target run?!
BEFORE (swipe)
AFTER
The far-east wall of the room I decided to give some color. I used a mint blue color called Watery from Sherwin & Williams and taped off arrows with oversized painters tape. Arrows for a girl who is always on the move and has the brightest future possible. Arrows are trendy and I like the sense of movement they make in a room. The light grey facing south wall is painted with Icicle from Sherwin & Williams.
BEFORE 
AFTER
BEFORE & AFTER (swipe)
A big desk area gives lots of space to create. I also added 2 chairs so we can sit down and help, or when she has a friend over for crafting. Having that extra space means less mess in my kitchen.
This area I left blank for my daughter to freely spread out. A white clean corner for her imagination to play. She set up her Calico Critters and she often runs a small school that includes students like Baby Yoda, her doll Stella and a stuffed Husky she named Alaska. With so much time home during 2020, I am so happy we chose to give her the biggest room of the house. Lots of areas for her to explore.
Now stop pinning and start doing! Have fun and thanks for following along on my DIY journey. I hope I inspired you to use some wall decals or paint an accent wall on your own. Happy doing!
Home tour video of the finished room
Find some of the goodies I used for my tween bedroom makeover right here: Shop my look.
Furniture shopping list:
The desk and bed are both from IKEA. The bed is called HEMNESS, 3 drawer day bed and is twin extra large-size; it feels like a full. Has a great trundle function below for sleepovers and offers 3 big under bed storage drawers. The desk is two IKEA ALEX drawer units with an IKEA LINNMON, black-brown tabletop.
The modern farmhouse style desk chairs & the comfy reading nook swing and the black metal industrial light above the bed are from Amazon.
Find the big grey faux fur sheepskin rug right here.
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