Reader Rooms: Fun and Funky Girls' Room

I've known Melanie for almost five years. She sort of danced into my life, or rather, we danced into hers, when Greta was three years old. Melanie owns the wonderfully fabulous dance studio in our town, and Little Miss Greta could not wait to get her groove on. Fast forward four years, and Greta just turned seven. She's still spinning and tapping and jumping and jiving. Frankie launched her own dance "career" last year, and boy, can she shake her little booty. A new year of classes starts next week, and the girls can't wait.

     

Greta ♥'s Dance, and Frankie always dances with a :)

Melanie sent me an email asking for help with her daughters' room. Addison was almost three years old, and she was about to have a new roommate, an adorable baby sister named Brynn! I was thrilled for the opportunity to jazz up the girls' room, and Melanie and I talked for awhile to devise a plan. Currently, the girls' room stood with light brown walls and touches of pink added in the bedding, drapes, and accessories.

Addison and Brynn's room Before - Not very vibrant.



Addison slept in the crib-converted-toddler-bed {which Brynn would soon need!}, and a changing table, glider chair, and a low chest also sat in the room. Melanie knew she wanted a space with bright colors for her girls - maybe raspberry, teal, lime green. She wanted to incorporate Addison's dress up clothes into the space and knew she needed room for a twin bed, a crib, a dresser, and a changing table. A little sparkle and flash topped off the wish list. Let the fun begin!

First, we assessed the girls' furniture for what could stay, what had to go, and what needed to be added to the room. We decided the glider chair could be moved to another spot in the house, as could the low chest that used to sit against a wall. The crib and changing table would obviously need to stay, and Melanie would need to acquire a twin bed for Addison. Another priority was a dresser to hold extra clothing; two girls = lots of clothes! With a plan in mind for furniture placement, we moved on to ideas for jazzing up the space. 

Melanie and I planned for a chair rail to be installed high on the walls of the girls' room to allow for two paint colors - a two-tone effect for more fun. I gave Melanie lots of bright blue paint options for the walls, and she chose a beautiful teal {Blue Jewel by Behr} to go above the high chair rail, providing a bright pop of color, and a more muted teal {Behr's Windwood Spring} for below. Melanie's parents had been keeping the headboard and dresser that she'd used as a child, and they said she could take them for the girls' room - score! She planned to paint them both to match the room {a girl after my own heart!}. Her hubby got the chair rail installed pronto, and he and Melanie busted out the brushes and rollers and had the walls painted in no time.

With the original color scheme of teal, raspberry, and lime green in mind, we kept our eyes peeled for bright bedding to match. Since the walls were shades of teal, we looked for bedding options in raspberry and lime to add to the funky, girly vibe of the bedroom. We eventually hit the jackpot with a bright pink quilt and decorative pillows and accessories in other jeweled tones. Melanie's mother-in-law pitched in to sew a gorgeous lime green crib sheet and changing pad cover. This bright and fancy room was coming together!

We began to think about finishing touches for the room: a new lime green valance to replace the light pink drapes around the window, pretty jeweled light catchers to hang in the window and make the sunlight dance, and a sparkly chandelier to add pizazz. New lime and teal baskets for the changing table took the place of the old light pink caddies to hold all sorts of changing table necessities. I suggested that we wed function and fun and display Addison's dress up costumes with a mirror for her own special staging area. The fancy dresses now hang in a row of hooks beside a tall mirror, perfect for a princess!

And now for my favorite part: Before and After shots!

Before - Brown and a little Blah!

After - Bright bedding, accessories, and paint shine under the new chandelier.

Addison used to use the crib as a toddler bed.

Custom lime crib sheets and a bright blue dresser pop in the room.



A little sleepy...



Addison's new bed is fit for a dancing
queen! Lots of color and texture for lots of wow!



The glider chair and pink drapes were removed.



New window treatments, costumes on display,
and a fun and organized changing table complete the room.



Melanie writes: "I am so excited about how these little changes have made my home more warm and inviting. Working with Susie has taught me to always be looking around for inspiration. I am starting to see decorating ideas everywhere and then thinking "now how can I do that myself?" With her help...I am truly "Loving Where I Live!"

Yay! I'm so happy to have a part in inspiring others to love where they live. I had a blast helping Melanie in the process of converting her girls' room from brown to bold. I'm not the dancer Melanie is, but this transformation makes me want to jump for joy!