If there is one thing you will rarely find on my blog, it’s talk about children or babies or kids of any type. The only reason for this is because we don’t have children. So yeah, it’s sort of not really on my radar. However, I know many of you out there will have kids and so maybe this post will resonate.
Now, just because we don’t have any kids, doesn’t mean we don’t like them (a common misconception when people find out we are in fact childless) – in fact, there are 2 particular ones that I especially adore. My two nieces (well, technically, they are Wayne’s nieces but as I’ve known them most of their lives, I think of them as my nieces too) are just the coolest, funniest, sweetest, most well-behaved and adorable kids I know. I love them dearly and they love me too. So when their mum (Wayne’s sister) approached me about helping out with redecorating their shared bedroom, of course I was going to say yes.
These are my two gorgeous clients. The older one looks like she’s pulling the ‘I’m a TEENAGER for godssake stop taking silly pictures of me’ face but you can see she’s trying not to crack a smile! The little one is just a ham, she’s so funny. I can’t tell you how much I adore these kids.
At the moment, I’m absolutely chocka with work so this will be something I’ll probably be working on in fits and starts but the first thing I really wanted to do was have a look at some great looking kids’ rooms so that I can get an idea of what the girls would like.
Now my nieces are aged 7 and 10 – certainly not babies any more but not exactly teenagers. So we need a cute, tween-inspired room that’s not too grown up but not too baby-ish either. They are totally the girliest of girls and so while I’m all for no such thing as a ‘gender’ colour, I have a feeling that pink is going to be high on the request list Β – however, you never know – they might surprise me! We’ll see…
Anyway, here are a few really lovely girls’ rooms that I am going to be sticking into my ‘inspiration’ folder when I go to chat to the girls about what they’re looking for.
Now, if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you will know that I believe Christine Dovey can do no wrong. And the design of her daughter’s room is proof of that. I mean, blush pink and gold, black and white and flowers and everything that is good and right with the world? Yes.
Of course, you also know I do love a bit of Emily as well – and this cute makeover is probably closer to what I’m thinking about for the girls – full of feminine colour where pastels and brights mix quite happily.
We’re going to be working with a minuscule budget so while it’d be great to throw lots of money at this one, that’s just not going to be possible. So I’m also looking for some creative ideas that won’t be too costly to adopt and DIY solutions that won’t break the bank.
I love how simple and yet effective this is – using some offcuts of wallpaper to line the backs of simple wooden boxes is a great way to show off a collection. And the girls have a lot of STUFF so this cute ‘boho’ look might work well.
And while I’d love to use some wallpaper somewhere in the room, it might be more cost-effective to use something like wall stickers or a stencil to create a fun pattern in the space.
I do love the idea of using polka dots too – it’s such a simple pattern that the girls won’t outgrow any time soon.
I’m not a massive fan of blackboard walls (sorry to those of you who have them – I know they are very popular!) but I could see it definitely working in a kids bedroom and these are some beautiful examples of that. Also, that mini peacock chair is just amazing, isn’t it?
Of course, my bloggie mate Elizabeth of The Little Black Door redesigned her daughters’ bedroom for the One Room Challenge and I loved the outcome. Notice how theΒ colours are mismatched and yet it all gels so nicely thanks to those fabric-covered lampshades which the palette is pulled from – and that pink ceiling! So good. Perhaps I can push the girls out of their ‘pink everything’ comfort zone with something a little more inspiring and eclectic.
So like I said, we’re in very early stages at the moment and there will be a lot of challenges along the way – the budget is tight and the room isn’t very big (the girls have bunk beds which probably won’t change and we’re working with some other existing furniture) so it’s all about getting some creative ideas flowing and seeing if we can cram in some big style in a little shared space.
I’m looking forward to sharing the progress with you as it happens! Have you decorated a kids’ room recently? Anything I should be aware of along the way? I’ve never done a kids’ space before so this should be fun!
Image credits: Christine Dovey / Emily Henderson / Family Living / Petite Vintage Interiors / 11 Magnolia Lane / ES DesignΒ / The Family Love Tree /Β Β Jones Design Company / The Little Black Door
Thanks so much for the lovely mention!!! Looking forward to seeing you what you come up with for those gorgeous nieces of yours!
Aww you’re very welcome! Scarlett’s room was fab, I wanted it for myself ;) xx
I love the inspiration :) Designing kid spaces is so fun! Can’t wait to see your creativity! xo
I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun! Looking forward to getting started xxx
We decorated our then 10 year old daughter’s room 4 years ago. At the time she wanted vintage & florals. Now it’s Scandi with all white furniture and a desire to paint over the floral/chinoiserie wallpaper. (sob). My advice would be to try and keep the major stuff as flexible as poss, so that when the next phase appears, it doesn’t cost a fortune to change it!
Ha! They do grow up quickly – great advice, thank you! xxx
Ahhhh Christine Dovey is just the coolest ever and on top of it super sweet! She seriously can’t do wrong and of course Emily can’t either.
My daughter’s been begging me to paint her room black with chalk board paint. I’ve been nixing it but like what you have up there.
Can’t wait to see this.
Yep, definitely two of my design heroes, I need to stop talking about them here or they are gonna find out – erm I mean THINK – I’m some crazy stalker ;) xxx
This room is going to be fantastic. What lucky girls! I can’t wait to see it!! And thanks for the shout out my dear. xo
Very welcome hun and thanks for the inspiration ;) xxx
Yay! I am so excited to see what you come up with! I am sure it will come out gorgeous :) I recently did my 4 year old daughters room and had such a great time putting it together. I used that same photo of Emily’s for inspiration. Here is a link to a photo of it…although it has changed a bit since, as rooms constantly do when you have decorators fever lol :)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/12244230212703235/
Oh wow, I love what you did with your daughter’s room! It’s gorgeous! Thanks so much – a little more inspiration for this space ;) xxx
Awww, thank you Kimberly! :) You’re too sweet.
I love the idea of pastels, girly with a dash of boho. Rugs are great for adding a bit of character. Also I would go for more “grown up” furniture that stays with them until they move out. I know that’s like looking long term but I always prefer furniture which I can use in other rooms. Can’t wait to see how it’s shaping up.x
Good tip! Alas, most of the furniture is staying and there’s not a lot of room for putting much more in there so mostly going to be paint/wallpaper/stencils and a few storage options and accessories :) Working with what we’ve got really! xxx
So many options! All so lovely and so fitting for two budding teens. They all look like wonderful spaces that will also allow the girls to grow! When picking out the finishing touches for whichever route you decide, consider a felt ball rug. It’s color customizable, able to match any taste or personality, and versatile enough to be repurposed, rearranged, reused in any space!
Good heavens that hot pink peacock chair though!!!! Also those girls have no idea how lucky they are to have you as an auntie to pimp out their room. Csnt wait to see this project.
Great article about girls room decoration. This will help anyone who is looking to decorate their daughter’s room. Felt ball rug could be another choice for floor decoration. The best thing with felt ball rug is it can be customised according to the rooms overall design. Thanks for the nice article.
The ideas for girls room decoration is very inspiring. If we could be careful while selecting colour combination, the room looks beautiful but selecting the right colour sometime becomes hard. Thanks for sharing a great idea.