Whenever I start a design project, I always try to take into consideration the person’s or family’s personality—what they love, what they’re excited about, what they value, what brings them joy. My daughter Emma, currently 7 years old, adores all things flowers. She’s continually asking to purchase plants at the store or plant flowers outside in the back yard. So, inspired by Emma’s love for all things floral and her playful, cheerful spirit, the design for her room took shape, and I couldn’t be happier with the result!
Before (Listing Photo):
After:
To kick off the transformation, we painted the walls in Farrow and Ball’s “Pink Ground” – a muted pink that beautifully aligns with her personality. While I don’t think every girl’s room has to be some shade of pink, this was her request, and I was happy to find a calming, subtle shade (I narrowed down the choices for her to choose from which helped ;).
The addition of a board and batten wall, featuring 1 1/2″ inch slats of wood spaced at 18″, topped with a 2 1/2″ piece of wood, added character and visual interest to the otherwise plain walls. The upper third of the wall, painted in Benjamin Moore White Dove, a soft creamy white found throughout our downstairs, may even see a light stencil or wallpaper in the future. But for now, we kept it simple, allowing the other patterns to really shine.
A key goal for this room was to incorporate multiple patterns and layer colors. This was achieved through the accents in the rugs and pillows, like the deep dusty pink of Emma’s bolster pillow and the floral accent pillows with touches of blue. The green gingham duvet cover was surprisingly affordable (thank you, H & M!) and I like that this pop of green tones down the pink and feels a bit vintage as well.
As you may already know, I’m a huge fan of using plants in a room, and this space was no exception. The faux olive tree is from Amazon and the wreath (no longer available, originally from Target!), breathe a sense of life into the space. I also added a trailing plant (from Lowes, unsure of what kind it is!) and thrifted the pink ceramic pot for $3. The small lamp on her desk is also thrifted ($5). One of my favorite pieces in this room is her rug (the Loloi Eden Rug size 7’6 x 9’6″—the floral block print is charming and incredibly soft!). For bedroom rugs, I usually base rug sizes off of the bedframe, and in this case Emma’s is a full-sized frame.
Emma is an artist at heart, and she loves being creative, so this desk space was specifically designed for her creative spirit. The gallery wall features prints by Rifle Paper Co. and the frames are a mix of Target and Home Goods.
Additionally, I wanted to add a piece of artwork that represented her faith—I came across this Marian print from Be a Heart Design about a year ago and think it’s just adorable!
For her nightstand (Ikea Hemnes, $70) and dresser (Crate and Barrel), I swapped out the black knobs for a gold finish (from Amazon a pack of 10 for $30), and this helped soften the space and keep the metal finishes consistent and the room feeling light and playful.
As with our other rooms in our home, this space has lovingly evolved over time, and I’m so glad that she’s as thrilled about the result as I am!
