Most expectant parents prepare a nursery for their baby. Well, we're expecting, too, but our "baby" is fourteen, so preparing her room has been a little different! For starters, a newborn has no opinion about what colors or style he/she likes. Feed 'em, change 'em, they're generally pretty happy. So the nursery tends to reflect the style of the parents. And there's no wondering if they'll like it. Another big difference? Parents of newborns usually have months to get it all ready!
In our case, we've had very limited time to get things ready. The first time we heard anything about Anne was on May 20th, through an email from our caseworker. We met her June 11th, and as soon as it looked like things were moving forward, we realized we had to transform the playroom into a bedroom. Cleaning things out of there was a big job, and most of the stuff was Kathryn's so she had to go through it. Making decisions about what to keep/give away/throw away was difficult, but she did a great job.
Once we'd gone through everything, we gave a few things to friends, made a Goodwill run, trashed some stuff, and organized what was left. That meant moving it upstairs to an odd room we call "the little room" because it's like a large doorless walk-in closet right at the top of the stairs. We bought a shelving unit and Kathryn has been doing great with putting things back up there when she's done playing with them.
The next step was to ask Anne what she likes, as far as decorating styles. She said, "Animal prints, especially zebra. And bright colors, like lime green." If you've ever been to my home, or seen photos here on my blog, you know that my style is sort of an eclectic English cottage style, with colors like sea glass green and pale sky blue, soft floral prints, teacups here and there, and lots of antiques. Nowhere in my house is any sort of animal print, and the brightest color we have in this house is the solid red sofa. So my challenge was to create a room Anne would like, even though it's so different from my own personal preferences.
I began web-surfing for ideas about cool teenage rooms, then went wandering in the aisles of Target (love that place!) for inspiration. I found my inspiration in the form of a Kleenex box. (Yes, I'm a big enough decorating dork that I buy tissue boxes to match each room. It's a sickness, I know.)
Anne currently shares a room with two other teen girls, so we know she's looking forward to having her own room, and we want to make it special. Perhaps we've seen a bit too much HGTV, but Ken and Kathryn and I really like the idea of surprising Anne with a totally decorated room. We already had a twin-size antique bed in the playroom, and I emptied out a dresser (full of scrapbooking stuff I should've cleaned out ages ago!) to use in her room. My mom gave us a spare bedside table that was just the right size. A friend gave us a mirror to hang over the dresser. My cousin Tia gave us a lime green butterfly chair she'd never used, as well as a lime green faux fur throw. I ordered a brown and cream zebra-print quilt from Walmart online (not available in the store), and painted the walls a lavender color. At Target, I bought a set of sheets in a slightly lighter green I'd call more apple than lime, and a faux silk balloon shade in pale green. I found a lamp base at Walmart that is curvy black metal and mimics the zebra pattern without actually being a zebra-print lamp. We brought in more bright colors with a lime green magnetic wipe board to hang on her closet door, a purple beaded lamp shade, and a hot pink picture frame. When we're all here this weekend, we'll take a family photo to put in there. The stained wood furniture and the black in the mirror and lamp keep the bright colors grounded, and the wall color is bright enough but still calming--essential for a bedroom, in my opinion. (The color is correct in all three photos; the walls just look different based on how the sun is shining.)
I never would have thought I'd like a room with bright colors and zebra print, but I do; it just feels happy and has personality. I love that it is partially made up of gifts from friends and family, which creates instant "history" (the same reason I've always loved antique furniture).
This whole room re-do was all pretty budget-friendly since we didn't have to buy any furniture, and the things I did buy were very reasonable. The quilt was just $34 (including pillow sham), and that was the most expensive thing in the room. Right now the walls are a bit bare, but we have an idea for something really cool.
In our case, we've had very limited time to get things ready. The first time we heard anything about Anne was on May 20th, through an email from our caseworker. We met her June 11th, and as soon as it looked like things were moving forward, we realized we had to transform the playroom into a bedroom. Cleaning things out of there was a big job, and most of the stuff was Kathryn's so she had to go through it. Making decisions about what to keep/give away/throw away was difficult, but she did a great job.
Once we'd gone through everything, we gave a few things to friends, made a Goodwill run, trashed some stuff, and organized what was left. That meant moving it upstairs to an odd room we call "the little room" because it's like a large doorless walk-in closet right at the top of the stairs. We bought a shelving unit and Kathryn has been doing great with putting things back up there when she's done playing with them.
The next step was to ask Anne what she likes, as far as decorating styles. She said, "Animal prints, especially zebra. And bright colors, like lime green." If you've ever been to my home, or seen photos here on my blog, you know that my style is sort of an eclectic English cottage style, with colors like sea glass green and pale sky blue, soft floral prints, teacups here and there, and lots of antiques. Nowhere in my house is any sort of animal print, and the brightest color we have in this house is the solid red sofa. So my challenge was to create a room Anne would like, even though it's so different from my own personal preferences.
I began web-surfing for ideas about cool teenage rooms, then went wandering in the aisles of Target (love that place!) for inspiration. I found my inspiration in the form of a Kleenex box. (Yes, I'm a big enough decorating dork that I buy tissue boxes to match each room. It's a sickness, I know.)
Anne currently shares a room with two other teen girls, so we know she's looking forward to having her own room, and we want to make it special. Perhaps we've seen a bit too much HGTV, but Ken and Kathryn and I really like the idea of surprising Anne with a totally decorated room. We already had a twin-size antique bed in the playroom, and I emptied out a dresser (full of scrapbooking stuff I should've cleaned out ages ago!) to use in her room. My mom gave us a spare bedside table that was just the right size. A friend gave us a mirror to hang over the dresser. My cousin Tia gave us a lime green butterfly chair she'd never used, as well as a lime green faux fur throw. I ordered a brown and cream zebra-print quilt from Walmart online (not available in the store), and painted the walls a lavender color. At Target, I bought a set of sheets in a slightly lighter green I'd call more apple than lime, and a faux silk balloon shade in pale green. I found a lamp base at Walmart that is curvy black metal and mimics the zebra pattern without actually being a zebra-print lamp. We brought in more bright colors with a lime green magnetic wipe board to hang on her closet door, a purple beaded lamp shade, and a hot pink picture frame. When we're all here this weekend, we'll take a family photo to put in there. The stained wood furniture and the black in the mirror and lamp keep the bright colors grounded, and the wall color is bright enough but still calming--essential for a bedroom, in my opinion. (The color is correct in all three photos; the walls just look different based on how the sun is shining.)I never would have thought I'd like a room with bright colors and zebra print, but I do; it just feels happy and has personality. I love that it is partially made up of gifts from friends and family, which creates instant "history" (the same reason I've always loved antique furniture).This whole room re-do was all pretty budget-friendly since we didn't have to buy any furniture, and the things I did buy were very reasonable. The quilt was just $34 (including pillow sham), and that was the most expensive thing in the room. Right now the walls are a bit bare, but we have an idea for something really cool.
