By Julie Schmale

Our daughters have shared rooms since they were little. They are 7 and 12 and even though they are quite good at sharing, the age difference makes it hard for our tween to have privacy and presents too much temptation for our little one.

It was time for our tween to get her own space. In this blog you’ll find our thoughts on the process and inspiration for your own space.

This was a learning experience for me…. What I had in mind was nothing like what my daughter was dreaming of!! Give me pinks, golds, black and whites and I’m good! But she had her heart set on teal or light blue. NOT my go-to colours.

I have very strong opinions, but in this case, I really wanted it to be a room that spoke to her -not me. I worked hard to set my opinions aside and come up with something SHE was going to love. On the flipside, I didn’t want a crazy room with bright and bold colours everywhere. When it comes to giving your child freedom to choose, I suggest letting them browse on Pinterest and save pictures they like in order to find out what they’re drawn to. Then pre-select a few options you can also live with yourself, and then let them pick from that.

The wallpaper options I gave her had amongst them one that was mostly light blue/teal (to honor her desire) but she chose a floral wallpaper with white, black, green, purple and blues. I absolutely love this wallpaper! Good choice! Reasons why this is a good pick: It’s colourful but still bright and light. The flowers are large which is nice in a room that inevitably will have lots of “little” nick nacks. The black in the flowers makes it a bit more grown up and it ties in the black furniture pieces. It will transition well into her teenage years, even if her taste changes. And it’s a peel-and-stick, so it’s SUPER easy to put up! -and more importantly very easy to remove later.

I love how Shea McGee of Studio McGee says, “Too much of a good thing and it falls flat!” In this case, wallpaper on every wall would have made the room waaaay too busy -especially if you also want to display Lego sets, books, and artwork. Same idea with the paint too! If we had painted every wall light blue, everything in the room would have taken on that colour and it would have all been too much! This pops of light blue instead, you can appreciate it rather than be overwhelmed by it.

We have never really bought furniture for our kids before, so this was quite fun!

My goal was to select items that she can grow up with, take with her when she leaves, or we can use elsewhere in the house if she no longer wants them. Her shelving unit is a sleek black metal with glass shelves. Right now they have Lego on them, but later on when they might be more decorative, they’ll look even better!

The fuzzy chair was a compromise. She was drawn to the egg chair that hangs from the ceiling, which I absolutely LOVE as well. There is just no way I am hanging a swinging chair in my house, that I know the kids will all push to see if their bodies can reach the ceiling! I inquired a bit more about this hanging chair thing, and it actually boiled down to the fact that what she really wanted, was a cozy reading nook. THAT I’m on board with! So the fuzzy chair was chosen for it’s comfy feel, price and the fact that it looks like a teddy bear (she’s not completely grown up yet -and when she is, this chair will still look good!).

The rug -I had again pre-selected some options that I wouldn’t be too childish, too busy, and blend in well with a variety of different colour schemes. This one she was sold on right away. I was a little nervous about the gold/yellow in the rug and the purple in the wall paper. These two colours are opposites on the colour wheel, and when you mix opposites, they create life, tension, and interest. And with the other gold accents in the chair, the lamps and wall hanging, I figured it would work.

At Liliidae we encourage our customers to order a sample of their rug first, before ordering the actual rug. It is so important to see the colours in real life, in your home, and to feel the quality before committing.

Like stated earlier, I really wanted this room to be a place inspired by my daughter, a place she will enjoy to be, feel proud of, and where she can be who she is. And that is a good place to start; what does my child like? What are they in to? What are they all about?

Our daughter loves drawing, colouring, and crafting – therefore the art desk instead of a regular desk, and the gallery shelf on the wall above the desk so she can display her favorites. The cart beside the desk is so handy! Storage is key to keeping the room tidy.

She loves friends and memories made with friends and family– therefore the wall hanging where she can put up photos, notes, or cards.

She loves stuffies – therefore the shelves to display her beanie boo selection, and the basket to house all her larger ones. It’s nice to have them out so she can see them, but also contained so they’re not all over the place.

Lego - she has lots of shelf space to display her finished creations, and we also found some great storage containers that slide under her bed to house all the extra Lego pieces and other stuff. The lids on these containers are fantastic because they have a lip on them, so she can disassemble her Lego on those and keep her pieces contained on them. This is exciting for me too, because it frees up my baking sheets that often disappears from my kitchen for Lego purposes. If she doesn’t finish, just put the lid with all the pieces on back on the tub and slide it under the bed! Easy peasy!

I am a big believer in making your space as functional as possible. Thinking through “How will this REALISTICALLY be used?” There is no point in making a home pretty, if it lacks storage and function. Especially for a child. It won’t matter how pretty it was the day it was finished, if it is not easy to tidy up, it will always be messy and a point of tension.

To re-cap:

Get your child to gather inspiration from Pinterest. This is not so you can copy whatever they have found, but to help you determine what they are drawn to.

Pre-select things you can also live with, like paint colours, wallpaper, area rug etc. Present them with some options that all fit together, and let them put their room together from those. If they dislike all the options you have given them, figure out why -and then go back and do it all again :)

Select furniture that will grow up with them. Think of things that could work both if they take them with and if they leave them behind. For a smaller child, the main goal is likely furniture that suit their age. For a tween as in this case, the goal should be long-term.

Add extra little things that make their room feel like them. Our daughter is very excited about lots of the things that went into her room, but she was especially thrilled about the “E-pillow” because it’s her first initial.

This was a very fun project to take on. What makes me the most happy is that she loves it! I was hesitant to give the girls their own room because I didn’t want them to become split and unwilling to share, yelling at each other to “Get out!”, slamming the door shut…. You get it…… But I also think it’s good to have your own space, especially now with Covid, being in our homes more, all in the same space -we’re a family of six, so there is always lots of activity. I have been pleasantly surprised by how they all get invited in, how they gather on her rug to build Lego or draw. She has taken ownership of her space and keeps it quite tidy -and she’s so excited to show her friends.

So I would say we accomplished what we set out for: A space with lots of personality, function, and Room to Tween

Sources

Liliidae: Wallpaper / Area Rug. Structube: Bedframe / Lamps / Bedside Table / Chair. IKEA: Desk Chair / Black Shelving Unit / Storage Boxes / Utility Cart / Basket / Wire Wall Hanging. Amazon: Pillow Cases