January 29, 2013

Teen Room Reveal


We moved to the farm in October, and by the last week of December, we were already starting our first makeover project.  Seriously, we. are. nuts.  But there is a GOOD, sweet reason.  That reason is my precious 13 yr old daughter.

When we built the house, we decided to paint her walls grey and use her hot pink duvet cover.  
Hot pink and grey sounded so hip/cool/teenish in theory.
But when we moved in, it really wasn't working.  My sweet girl never complained, but I could tell she didn't love it.  I didn't either.  Several people mentioned her "lavender" room and we both cringed because neither one of us love that color. I think the reflection of the hot pink onto the grey resulted in lavender.   So one day I suggested that she look at Houzz.com and show me rooms that caught her eye.  Unbeknownst (what a big word) to her, all of the rooms she showed me were hot pink and black.  
So we came up with a plan.
My talented husband spent his vacation days measuring and applying firring strips to the wall.  We then painted the lower 3/4 of the walls white (glossy trim white) and the upper 1/4 Tricorn Black (SW6258).   If this technique looks familiar, there is a reason.  We did this same color combo on our son's room in our last house.

She was thrilled with the results.

With the board and batten, the room feels bigger, yet more cozy.

As usual, we were doing this makeover on a very tight budget.  So we chose items that would really give the room the punch it needed.  The zebra sheets and sparkly turquoise pillow were a gift from my mom.

The zebra clock is from Dollar General.  Crazy find!  
The zebra lampshade on her desk came from Garden Ridge, $7.
Curtain tie back brackets were a clearance find at Ross, 2 for $2.99
The deal of the century were the IKEA curtains.  Two 96" curtains for $9.99.  Glory hallelujah!

Making a space your own doesn't have to cost much.  You just have to be willing to look in odd places.  ;)
It's hard to believe she's already a teen.  Rather than wish she were little again, I'm trying really hard embracing this season of life.  Because, after all, every season is beautiful when it is filled with life!

Linking Up With
Southern Savvy Style, Elizabeth and Co., The Winthrop Chronicles, If It
s Not Baroque  Home Stories AtoZ, Imparting Grace

15 comments:

Little Oak Table said...

DANG!!!! That turned out AMAZING!!!! I LOVE the black and white! So sharp and fun! Ya'll out-did yourselves on this one! I know she'll love it!!! Such a cozy, sweet space!

Happy 13th!!!

Susannah said...

What a lovely room! I'm amazed you did it for so cheaply!

Betty@SouthernGrace said...

Really pretty. I love it! My 12 yr old has hot pink & purple. I like this much better.

Richella Parham said...

Way to go, Mom!! Her new room looks great. And lavender would have made me cringe, too, so I can certainly understand why you didn't stick with the grey!

Kelly said...

Wow...looks great!!!!

Sandy said...

It turned out so cute! And I love that you are still using the desk that Dad made. By the way, she bought the pillow with her own money... Love seeing your talent at work.

Jordan said...

Very cute! I know of your family from PBC - I spoke to your husband several years ago before I joined the church. I no longer attend PBC, but I enjoy your blog.

Dena said...

so cute. love it! :o)

Lauren said...

Love the black and white walls. My personal favorite. I am hosting a link party and would love it if you would link up. Thanks.

http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

So happy I stopped in from SSS...this looks wonderful! This is my daughter's color combo...can't wait to show her!

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Really pretty - a fun mix of color and pattern!

Richella Parham said...

Gretchen, I love everything about this post. Your daughter ended up with a smashing room, and I so appreciate what this labor of love reveals about your heart and your husband's heart! I featured you at this week's Grace at Home--thanks so much for linking up!

Liberty said...

LOVE those walls! beautiful!
Blessings
http://www.16ballsintheair.com/2013/02/happy-ash-wednesday.html

cindy said...

Oh Heck Yeah. Every teen needs a room like this! I'm doing this wall treatment in our new home for sure. Love the drama with the black....We surprised my teen daughter with her new room while she was away on a missions trip. I set up a camera to film her reaction when she walked in. Heeelarious!!! I think it really makes our kids feel special when we take time to really make their rooms reflect them :) Here's the link if you want to peek...we're moving now, so the room is all neutral and blah to sell. http://cottageinstincts.blogspot.com/2010/10/teen-room-big-reveal.html

Cindy said...

Very cute room -- hope my daughter doesn't see it! Lol! Stopping from Kelly's Korner!