Recently, I had the great fortune to be asked to help re-design a bedroom for one of my favorite teenagers.  She has recently started high school and was ready for a bedroom that was more mature and that could grow with her.

Dakota has very distinct style and taste.  She prefers things to be simple and really likes clean lines.  She also really prefers neutral colors and natural elements (wood, baskets, cotton textiles, plants).

Although her original room had good bones and great lighting, we both felt it just needed a little more personality and finessing.

We had some challenges when we were designing her room:

1. The slanted ceilings in the the Cape style home. We had to figure out how to maximize their space without resulting in anyone routinely hitting their head on the slanted sides.

2. The room is a bit small so we had to maximize space.

3. We had stay within a reasonable budget of $400.

After reviewing different images of rooms that Dakota liked/pinned/cut out – we both were able to get a good sense of her style and the different elements she was looking for.

We also drafted up a “to scale” version of her room on paper.  We measured the wall lengths, the width of the door and window as well as the closet. This allowed us to get a better idea of the scale needed for the furniture, rugs, and lamps.  It allowed us to figure out how we could rearrange some of the existing pieces of furniture in her room.  For example, her desk, bed and dresser.

Here are some “before” photos of her room:

 

 

 

 

Once I had a good understanding of her aesthetic – I put together a design board for her.  This allowed us to see how all the colors, textures and elements of her future room would interact.

We revised the design board a couple of times as we went along. The design board we developed is shown below.

 

 

 

Finally, I went out and purchased a few key items.  A rug, night stands, table lamps, and – of course – paint.

We spent about 4 hours on a Saturday installing the design as we had envisioned it and here is the result:

 

 

 

 

The black wall added a sense of coziness and style.  Dakota really wanted the string lights since they add ambiance and make the room feel magical in the evening.

Now, she has a room that can grow with her in the coming years.