A promise made to my pre-teen to revamp her whole bedroom was an interior challenge I knew I was going to really enjoy. As a child I loved nothing more of a weekend than re-arranging my room so it felt like a completely different space – not sure my folks loved the constant scraping of furniture above their heads – but it kept me busy!
My daughter has had a vintage /shabby chic style room ‘Foreverrrrrrrr’ (shabby chic- thats code for messy, right?) so it was time for action. She also has some pretty strong ideas about what she does and doesn’t like so obviously there was going to be some negotiation involved!
Coinciding with her starting senior school and needing a proper desk, it was the perfect opportunity to redecorate. The thing is with pre-teens is they turn into teenagers and teenagers can be notoriously fussy and fickle, so this had to be future-proof AND funky. Tough gig.
Here are some before pics of the room – it’s quite large and has a big bay window which throws in loads of light. Problem is, she is a light sleeper, so we needed it to be dark at the right times. She is also fabulously messy so storage was still key.
I should mention that I did not have the luxury of time on my side so no trawling over websites or antiques markets to find that special ‘piece’. Once you start a kid’s room, you need to crack on as they need access to all their ‘stuff’ so it was all systems GO.
Firstly, the carpet had to go, it was the most revolting shade of dusky pink interspersed with green stains from fun times with glow-slime /silly putty (thanks Granny). We opted for white floor paint on the floorboards and a rug. There are already experiments in bath-bomb making, forays into make-up (and no doubt illicit hair colouring soon) so it seemed sensible.
Onto the walls – Honor picked the paper herself and I loved her choice – this is Nordic Tree print from Next who have a genuinely on-point range of great quality papers. I have used them before in our basement and found them good to work with. Its modern and cool but I don’t think it will date PLUS its black and white so a fab backdrop to all the colour that exists with her ‘stuff’ (mess).
I chose the paint which I kept a surprise from Honor until the final reveal and used Mineral (again from Next as the delivery was the next day and I didn’t have to lug paint around). It’s an uplifting shade and I think works perfectly in conjunction with the paper. It’s not too feminine and not too bold but not insipid either. Bland was definitely not on the brief!
The bed was cabin style with a desk underneath for homework and a chair for reading, playing her guitar and chilling out. I styled it up with throws and cushions and it handily converts to a single bed so it’s great for sleepovers too.
The pictures are from Ikea with some white frames from Next which are very reasonably priced – she loves the theme of travel and this was a good way of introducing it without being too gimmicky.
To continue the travel fun, I added a globe and made her a gallery wall where we hung lots of trinkets and souvenirs from places we have visited (my word this girl loves a gift shop!)
The sink was here when we moved in and we were going to remove it but as she is getting older its proving very useful, so the boys don’t have to queue for the kids’ bathroom when she is faffing. I added some accessories from the bathroom section at Next in a dark teal which I think look great against the white and mineral colour wall.
The curtains have an amazing blackout lining and really do the job of keeping it dark. There were a few colours to choose from in different drops and widths. I think they are a pretty neutral shade so would look great in anyone’s bedroom, so you aren’t tied to one room with these.
What I have tried to achieve is a look which can be changed as she gets her own style and tastes as she grows up. The accessories are what bring the colour to the scheme and these can be switched up without any major hassle. The Next paper and paint offer some longevity and that’s the key to the compromise – she loves it and I do too. What are the chances of her keeping it tidy?
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