“I want you to design my (tween) daughter’s room!”. Sounds awesome, right?! You can do all these fun trendy, things like bright colors and bold fabrics. Really give it that youthful PUNCH! I am not going to lie…it’s harder than E.V.E.R. Those teens and tweens can be the biggest critics on the PLANET! (Sorry teens! But you know it’s true! lol) And nothing will ever be perfect. (You are right kid…life isn’t perfect! Lol)
But to tell you the truth, this one went quite smoothly. The trick: I gave my client a homework assignment. I had the mom and the tween daughter browse the Pottery Barn catalog and circle items that the tween liked. From just that homework assignment, I was able to get a feel of what my tween client was drawn to; what her vision was for her space. In fact, did you ever do that as a kid? I can remember sitting with my sister flipping thru the thick Sears catalog that arrived on our doorstep. We would play a game to pick our “favorite thing” on a page and then on the count of 3, point to it! We had so much fun. Oh the things we did for fun before handheld distraction devices were invented.
The Design
From the items that were circled, I was able to get a feel for the vision in my tween client’s head. From there, I was able to start designing the room based on her likes and wishes. To describe her style, I would say she wanted a very clean, slightly modern aesthetic. Very minimalist. Very white and gray with just a “touch” of color but not too much pink!
Touches of Texture
When designing a very minimalist, sans color room, you must lean on texture to bring it to life. The big moment of texture that really makes this room come alive is the area rug. Once I found this chevron gray and white rug from Pottery Barn Teens, it instantly grounded the room, gave it interest and married the other elements in the space.
The other element in the room that brings in a pattern and texture is the starburst sheets which I found at Home Goods! I use to be an “all white! No color or pattern, for sheets” kind of girl. But I am loving the patterned sheets right now. It adds just another layer of texture to the otherwise stark bedding.
The Bed
How gorgeous is that bed? I love the shape and fabric! We went with a performance linen-textured fabric from Pottery Barn to give it a classic finish that will last a very long time. This beauty arrived about 4 months after we placed the order, and it was worth the wait! But, GET THIS! The bed still wasn’t the last item to come. Can you guess what was?
The Dresser
The dresser! With that cool angular etched design. Again, a texture to add interest and plays nicely with the chevron pattern we have going on in the area rug.
Get this crazy story: we knew the dresser was on backorder and waited and waited and waited and then just out of curiosity, my client called to check the status. Well guess what? It was sitting in a warehouse in Vancouver, WA just 30 minutes away! We don’t know how long it was there or why it was just sitting there! Thank goodness they were able to locate it, and it arrived within days of the call.
The Desk & Side Table
This white desk is from Crate&Barrel. We had planned on ordering a white side table to match it and THOUGHT we did! However, do you remember my article about the “HOUSTON, we have a problem?” from the bathroom makeover? Well, there is always a HOUSTON! For this project, it was the side table. It arrived fairly quickly. The client opened the box and instantly was ready to return it. We THOUGHT we ordered a lacquered white side table to match this desk, but what came was a light gray side table. I popped over to their house to take a look in person.
Even though it wasn’t what we thought we were getting, gray was a color we were using in the space. So, I encouraged them to keep the side table. I personally was a little excited to have something besides just white in the space. I like to call this a “happy accident”! And after sitting on it for a while (within the 2 weeks return policy), we decided together to keep it! And I am sure glad we did.
The Final Touches
This industry is wacky. If you didn’t have a calm and sensible sense of humor, it would not be the industry for you. But if you can find good people to work with, and literally laugh when these unexplainable things happen, then it can be so fun and rewarding.
Just like the bathroom we designed for this family (here), even adults would feel comfortable in this space. Move over, missy! Auntie Lisa and Uncle Blake might just be kicking you out of your room too when they come visit!
Product Details
- Bed: PB Teen Ava Upholstered Bed
- Dresser: PB Teen Jennings 6-Drawer Wide
- Desk: Crate & Barrel Runway Desk
- Corner Chair: Target Pink Seashell Chair
- Nightstand: Westelm Emilia Nightstand
- Bedding: Overstock Ella Jayne Duvet
- Nightstand Lamp: Wayfair Jorah Metal Table Lamp
- Curtains: Ikea Merete Curtains
- Curtain Tape: Etsy Leaf Curtain Trim Tape
- Rug: PB Teen Windward Performance Rug
- Art: Society6 Art Print
- Mirror: PB Teen Full Length Mirror
- Jewelry Box: PB Teen Jewerly Display Stand
Melissa K Manos Designs 