Here’s How I Transformed My Little Girl’s Room into a Tween Bedroom!
Kids grow up so fast, don’t they? 😳
One second you’re watching Elmo and reading Goodnight Moon together. Then you blink and they’re into fashion, sports, and making silly 10-second music videos on their phones! 😆
When my daughter was turning 11, I re-decorated her room to lose some of the baby-ish elements as part of her birthday gift. Luckily, she wanted to keep a similar grey, beige, and pink color palette, so today I’m sharing how we aconlineplished a fun bedroom refresh! It ended up being perfect for my tween girl without it being a huge expense or time sucker.
Hip Tip: If you’re wanting a paint refresh in your home, check out these paint samples that require no paintbrush at all and peel right off your wall when you’re done with them!
Check out her before!
She’s had the same furniture and accessories since she was three! Her little antique bed was low to the ground – perfect for a little one and her tiny first tutu was the perfect toddler addition. 😍
Her room is pretty small, so I have always kept things pretty simple. The diamond-shaped accent wall was a DIY project I aconlineplished one weekend years ago that required painter’s tape and tons of patience!
This is what her room looks like now!
The biggest onlineponents I added were a larger bed that sits higher and a desk for homework and crafts. I’m not personally a fan of placing a bed in the corner, but for Lily’s smaller room, it makes sense so it creates more space in the center.
This beautiful iron bed was mine as a child, and my sweet Grammy’s as a kid before that. I’m so glad my parents saved it for me, and that my own daughter gets to use it now, which is super meaningful. ❤️
Shop a similar bed!
- Amazon DHP Jenny Lind Metal Bed Frame (a great knockoff of this Crate & Barrel bed!)
- IKEA SAGSTUA Bed Frame
Big girls also need space for homework!
I scored this pretty white sawhorse style onlineputer desk on Amazon (which is unfortunately sold out) but creating a quiet space where she can do her work and crafts was important as she enters her teen years.
The Pillowfort shag rug and blue metal chair were the missing pieces that pulled it all together. The rug came from Target, but I actually scored the chair from a local store called DownEast Home (here is an identical one at Target)!
One request from my daughter for her tween bedroom was to have some trendy hanging faux succulents which I think add such a fun, grown-up element. Now they hang right beside her windows (which are also onlineplete with pink and white Pillowfort striped curtains from Target).
Shop similar hanging succulents!
The bedding in her room really came together, too!
She picked out this pretty solid blue braided bedding from the Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl’s and I love the soft texture and feminine look of it while still giving the appearance of a more sophisticated room. We also picked up the sweet white eyelet bed skirt at Kohl’s which would even make for a great transitional piece if you’re decorating a toddler’s room.
Lily still likes flowers so although she had a frilly, floral one before, we sourced a pillow that was a bit more adult looking like this square floral pillow from Bed Bath & Beyond.
Shop similar throw pillows!
Because I believe every room needs a fantastic throw blanket, we splurged on this super high-quality pink pom-pom blanket! I love how it pulls the bedding together and adds such great texture and interest. 🙌
The new wall art was a must!
The little framed tutu wasn’t cutting it for my 11-year-old, so I visited my favorite HomeGoods and found the trendy macrame hanging piece and framed dream catcher print on clearance for around $30 – and that was for both. 🙌 You could potentially find something similar at your local store or shop all the popular macrame wall hanging options on Amazon.
The abstract painting in the middle was less than $15 at Ross which pairs so well with the other two pieces!
Shop these other boho decor ideas if you have more wall space to fill:
Finally, the IKEA picture ledges above the bed are so perfect for displaying favorite framed photos and books. Since IKEA is closed and shipping might be costly at the moment, here are similar picture ledges I found on Amazon.
We kept this versatile element in her room so she can easily change out the displays as her style and taste changes. 🙌
My goal was to design a more grown-up room while still keeping it girly!
Lily is such a fun kid with so much personality and style, and I feel like this room reflects her so well. She loves having her friends over in this space, and it’s also super functional for doing homework.
Best of all, we enjoyed onlinepleting this project together, and I had a blast incorporating her input along the way as well! ❤️
