Two years ago, I posted about our girls’ room for the first time. Back then, they were all sharing, and still little:
But now our oldest two are going on 11 and 13. Too old for pink pom-poms and rag dolls, they say. So we’ve been doing a little here and a little there to make their new bedroom grown up.
It all started with these little Anthropologie frames I’ve had for several years. I used to have the pair hanging in our old dining nook. They are sweet, but sophisticated. Grown up!
We painted the walls “Sea Salt”, a Valspar color. I love the combination of gold and bluish-green. I found the perfect gold fabric to drape the ends of their beds. I simply hemmed a yard of fabric for each bed. Easy.
I contemplated coordinating pillows at the head of the bed, but we chose to keep it simple. Pillows would have detracted from the detail of the headboard, and taken the focus away from the little framed mirror. The absence of throw pillows means their beds are quick to make each morning.
Their matching bed frames came from craigslist for $75 a pop. I painted them a creamy white, and found some matelassé coverlets from Homegoods to match.
Space is at a premium, so we use baskets under the bed for storage.
We found the bird cage picture hanger from World Market.
The girls are infatuated with birds, so it was the perfect addition.
We played musical pets during this photo shoot :) Here’s Paris trying to get her lovebird to pose on the bed post (it was unsuccessful, as he didn’t want to leave her elbow)…
The curtains we kept simple but romantic with $13 patterned sheers from Target.
I used $2 strings of beads from the craft store to drape the curtains back. A bit of a bohemian vibe.
We used an old cubby to hang above the other bed…
but switched out the original hooks for these World Market knobs to hang their necklaces:
After telling my mother approximately 1000 times how much I liked this particular dresser, she finally gave it to me. :)
It’s here only temporarily though. I’ve been picturing it in our downstairs bathroom. Can’t you see a sink in it with a wall-mount faucet? Yup, me too.
The lamp was a thrift store find, and I like the vintage flair it gives to the space:
I gave the girls my “watch dog”, along with the loan of my watches.
Seems my whole wardrobe is on loan these days. My oldest daughter is starting to outgrow my shoes. Like I said, a lot can happen in two years!
I wonder what the next two years will bring. :)
PS. I bet those lights were highly affordable, accessible and in plentiful supply.... unlike said hemisphere.
Just sayin'.
As much as I would love to go all out and change things every time we move (or move things around), the irksome budget constrains me.
So if you think you’ve seen this room before, it’s because you have. Served up three different ways… here, here and now here! This time we unbunked the beds and painted them apple green. The makeshift bolster pillows became accent quilts again.
Instead of pink pom-poms, I chose to hang white paper lanterns, both plain and eyelet. You can find similar ones here.
Do you see the tree outside the window? That’s one of the reasons we bought the house. We love our trees!
The lanterns above the beds are cheap exterior lights from Home Depot.
For a bit of feminine whimsy, I attached a white ruffle ribbon around the glass shade with craft glue.
On the left wall of the room we framed out an old mirror with some of the downstairs wall planking and painted it pink. I love how it reflects the light. And the tree!
I’ve long admired Katie Daisy’s artwork on Etsy.
Joyful is how most people would describe Eva and Charlotte who share this bedroom. So when I saw this print, I knew it was perfect. It is them!
And for Charlotte’s bed, I sewed up a Swedish inspired heart and filled it with lavender. Since Charlotte is blind, this gives a personal touch to her bed that’s all her own. A little squeeze, and lavender scents the air.
A variation on the same sweet and girly theme.
In other news… the downstairs is coming along. You’ll be happy to hear that the planks are staying! But nothing is finished quite yet. Soon, very soon!
before
Once again, the teensiest bedroom in the house has become our “master”… the smallest to date! But we’ve determined to make it work. More on that organizational challenge in a later post.
before
The first crazy week we were here, I painted over the sunshine yellow walls until all was well and neutral again. But then the following morning I woke up staring up at this:
I’m into the whole texture thing but not of the popcorn variety. Our ceilings are only 7 ft. high which means our top mattress lies just a few feet below, which means we lie even closer. Mixed with the charming florescent light fixture and rusted air vent, it all made for the most unpleasant view first thing in the morning.
Since we couldn’t take the time or the money to rewire a new light, re-vent the heating and air, and scrape off the popcorn, I decided to veil the uglies with a canopy instead. I found inexpensive sheer cotton curtains from World Market and cheapo curtain rods from Lowes.
We screwed the rod hooks to the ceiling in four places, and I sewed the ends of the curtains together to drape over the rods. It turned out like a dreamy tent which brings back memories.
I can’t tell you the difference it makes to the whole mood of the room…
and to the mood of its inhabitants.
Although, Bailey’s mood is rarely altered.
Unlike me, he keeps a sweet disposition…
no matter what he sleeps under
or wakes up to.
Did you think our bedroom looked a little bare in the last post:
Yeah, me too.
So I added a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Romantic touches here and there.
Like these crewelwork framed pieces passed down from two generations. They add a sweet vintage touch:
And this darling purse belonged to my grandmother who recently passed away.
Whenever I dress up I really do use it. It always makes me think of her and the elegance she exuded.
Do you dress like your house? I do. At least conceptually. Simple with a feminine twist… that’s me.
I used an old battery crate turned upside down to serve as an ottoman. The chair is from Wisteria:
Oh, and I painted the bed on a complete whim. I woke up one morning and decided it needed to be our island color.
But now I think it’s a little too light. And not quite right.
But good enough for now.
