For my daughter’s 9th birthday, the only thing she asked for was her room to be updated to look more “her”.  Before she was born, when I first found out I was having a girl, I spent forever picking out the perfect shade of pink for her room and was thrilled with my choice of a soft, muted raspberry.  I picked out sweet, flowered bedding and french-inspired furniture.  A perfect room for a girly girl…..except that as she got older and developed her own personality, it was obvious that she is anything but a soft, girly girl!  My little lady likes clean lines, bold colors, glitz, glam, and lots of pattern!  I truly believe that your bedroom should be your sanctuary, a place that looks and feels like you, so my husband and I decided to grant her birthday wish.

 

Time to start a design plan!

I’ve written before about the importance of creating a design plan before tackling a big project, so before we started buying anything, we made a plan for her room.  {You can click here for the full article Creative a Design Plan in 4 Easy Steps.}

 

Step 1: Signature Piece

My daughter loves fashion and dreams of being a fashion designer in Paris one day, so I thought it might be easier for her to look at pictures of fashion for inspiration, as opposed to pictures of rooms.  I let her loose on Pinterest and this is what she came back to me with.

{via Ink361}

 

Okay, so maybe you’re thinking, “How are fingernails going to help design a bedroom?”  Well, actually, they told me a lot about her style!  For one, she likes turquoise!  But a color doesn’t really tell anything about a style or how to decorate, so beyond the color, here’s what I learned from this picture:

  1. She likes contemporary designs
  2. She’s not afraid of bold patterns
  3. She likes a little sparkle
  4. She likes a bold look that is also glamorous
  5. She’s not afraid to have a lot going on in a small space!

 

See, did you ever think painted nails could tell you so much about your decorating style?  If you’ve never look in your closet for decorating inspiration, you should!  That favorite top of yours might just have a story to tell!

 

Step 2: Function

My daughter loves clothes, but hates to hang them up.  She also likes to draw and sew and display things that are important to her.  Plus, she feels bad when her friend’s sleep over and they sleep on the floor {although I don’t know why….when I was a kid that’s what was expected at a sleepover!}.  Anyway, she wanted a bigger bed so her friends could sleep on the bed instead of the floor.  We made a list of everything she needed and came up with the following:

  • Bigger bed
  • Lots of drawers for storage
  • Display areas for items as well as her artwork
  • Full-length mirror to admire outfits
  • Large work space for drawing, coloring, and sewing
  • Able to function as she grows and as her tastes change, without having to redo the entire room

 

Step 3: Style & Feel

Some of this we already determined just from the nail art, but some other words my daughter used to describe her dream room included:

  • Clean
  • Bright
  • Bubbly
  • Lots of Energy

 

Step 4: Find

Obviously, shopping is my favorite part of this step!  Now that we had a basic idea of what she wanted, it was easier for us to shop and find items that would fit the bill.  Actually, the hardest part was finding furniture because I didn’t want to spend a fortune and wanted it to be super functional for her.  I ended up customizing a ready-made piece to make it work better for her.  I can’t wait to share it with you!

For my daughter, the hardest part was finding bedding that she liked.  She was pretty excited about this reversible duvet, though, so this is the first thing we bought.

{Image via Pottery Barn Teen}

 

 

We’ve been slowly plugging away at her room trying to get it finished.  I am just finishing it this week and preparing to take photos so that I can share the AFTER with you next week!  Keep your fingers crossed that I can photograph it before she gives it her usual “lived in” look.  Lol!

Stay tuned for the big reveal!!

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4 Comments

  1. Looking forward to the reveal! With you at the helm, I know it will be beautiful. I appreciate you sharing your 4 steps for decorating – I am an impulse buyer and always have buyers remorse on something or another. :(

  2. I have almost the same bedding in my master bedroom. I love turquoise and aqua blues with whites too! Can’t wait for the reveal. I was never a pink-loving girly girly either.

  3. Marlene Stephenson says:

    Her room is perfect, so pretty. It would so fun to help decorate a girls room but all i had were boys. When my granddaughter came along i got all excited but no one ask my opinion. So guess i will just dream about it. Lol!!!

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