I think everyone has that child . . . the one who surprises you by how very different they are from you. My daughter and I are very different when it comes to the homefront. She has no real interest in decor . . . organization . . . cleaning her room . . . (YET, I am hopeful!, **sigh**). Maybe that’s typical of an almost 13 year old??? Anyway, while she was away this summer (12 days total), I worked diligently to get her bedroom in order and have it nice, comfy and organized for when she got back. And the best part . . . most of the changes I made were little to no cost because I used pretty much everything we already had! Due to the time frame that I had to complete this pre-teen/tween bedroom refresh, I will share tutorials and projects in later posts, but if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask! I hope you enjoy the tour! This post contains affiliate links. Should you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
This refresh was a long time in the making, so a lot of the items had been collected over time and was just sort of being stored in the space with no rhyme or reason.
 |
| BEFORE |
When I bought the little desk it was supposed to double as a nightstand for her, but she preferred it near the window, and I think she made a great choice!
 |
| BEFORE |
I originally planned to not use curtains, but when I had no place to use these gold and rope photo holders, a light bulb went off and I thought to give it a try. I’m not sure if I’m sold on them or not though.
I adore this wall art from Evelyse Rosa Designs. If you follow me on Instagram you might recall, the adorable watercolor she did of my family, she is definitely one to check out!
The frames were originally white and blue, but I painted over the navy with gray and added a little teal for interest.
I love this little vignette. I made over the round mirror that I’ve had for years with some white paint and added some sequin trim to mimic a sunburst mirror. I went a little crazy with gold duck tape (duct tape) and trimmed out this basic dresser AND added some accent pieces of duck tape (that sounds so classy, right? 😉 ) to the thrifted rattan swivel chair, that my hubby spray painted black.
My daughter inherited the devotion books from my late grandmother, the crystal kitten was given to her from her grandmother, and serves as a perfect bracelet holder . . .
It’s no secret that we live in a small home, and small homes = small closets. A few months back, I created this open closet system for her and it has worked out really well, even though she still has clothes in the real closet, the stuff she wears most regularly, are easily within reach.
We added some twinkle lights, because, what tween girls room is complete without twinkle lights?? (okay they’re just white Christmas lights, but twinkle lights sound more official, Ha!) Either way I had to capture some glow-y bokeh with my 50mm lens.
The antlers were a T.J.Maxx clearance item, that were given an update with my favorite Rustoleum gold spray paint.
 |
| BEFORE |
How cute is that EMOJI TONGUE OUT PILLOW from Walmart
I love the playfullness it adds to her room.
The Ikea spice racks were given a coat of white paint and are super useful holding her large collection of nail polishes, her ties (she is going to a uniform school this year where neckties are required) and her perfumes.
I easily customized the spice rack to also keep her jewelry organized.
Her closet door and mirror got a coat of gray paint. I just love this paint color, and happens to be the same paint that I painted my closet doors in my master bedroom.
After an 11 hour road trip, my daughter arrived to see her refreshed space!
Her expression was priceless!
I gave her chandelier a couple of coats of spray paint and replaced the bulbs with more retro looking globe bulbs.
 |
| BEFORE |
I created a gallery wall that she can add to when she’s up to it. I incorporated a few free printables found through Pinterest, and some pics of her three brothers. On the bed, I added lots of comfy pillows to lounge on. The bed skirt and the “throw” at the end of the bed are both scarves, which I purchased for less than $5 each. (Similar here)
If you happen to be curious about the super awesome, super soft rug, you can find that here
When she has serious studying to do she can swap out the swivel chair for this little bentwood chair, which is probably a little more ergonomically correct. With this room complete, she will be ready to start her new school, this week, with a clear mind! I hope you enjoyed the tour friends!
For more teen room inspiration, check out Shutterfly’s round Up here: 75 Rad Teen Room Ideas
Until next time!
Linking up With:
Inspire Me Monday
Tutorials & Tips Party (Home Stories A to Z)
Thrifty Decor Chick-Before and After Party
Great post – as usual, Carli! I love her new tween bedroom and her expression shows that she LOVED it too!!! Great job 🙂
You're the best! Thank you Chari!
Great job Carli! Your daughter is beautiful so its only fitting she has a room to match. I love it!
Awww,thank you Erin!😘
Carli, first of all your daughter is so adorable! Love the changes you made to her room and more importantly she loves it!!!
Thank you Brandi 💓!
Carli, stunning transformation! Love all your attention to details and I know your beautiful daughter must be thrilled with the results!
Thanks so much Stacey, for stopping by! My daughter is quite pleased 😊
Carli your daughter is truly your twin! and the room! wow! its looks really good I can't decide what I like the most. This is a tween girl room home run for sure.
Hahhha!, You have to see my husband Liah, she is definitely his twin 🙂 Thank you so much for your sweet comments and for always stopping by to comment, I appreciate it;)
You nailed it. Love the colors and great pics by the way. It's feminine but still cool. That bed skirt! I die! Love love love it all.
Thank you Pamela!!!!! Yes, the bed skirt!!!!! I really, really, really dread buying "real" bed skirts, so it was definitely a score creating this one from a $5 scarf! Thanks so much for stopping by!
What a wonderful makeover Carli! So many amazing little touches, like the cat holding the bracelets. Love love the gray closet door and not to mention the darling art work from Evelyse {I also use some art from her for Kayla's room makeover!}. Your daughter is just such a pretty young lady and love that shot of her walking into her room! Great job!
Aw how sweet is this Carli! Her expression is priceless! What a great job you did!
The pinks and greys with the gold is such a perfect colour combo! This room is gorgeous – I'm definitely using this as inspiration when I eventually get time to do my girls' room. Thankyou for the beautiful post!
Thanks Kate for your sweet words!
This is fantastic!! So many great ideas! My daughter is 9 so we aren't quite at the tween refresh stage yet. But, she has a tiny room that is somewhat challenging to work with because its the room above the garage, so it has a really steep angled ceiling and no closet. She was originally in a regular room but preferred this one. We got her a rolling closet but I want to create a more permanent fixture that's off the ground. This post has given me some serious ideas! Thanks for sharing!
So glad you found this post helpful!Thanks for stopping by!
I like how the window sheers are attached! Very cool.
Why Thank you!
What a lovely room for a lovely young lady! I had to laugh when you said that you and your daughter are different when it comes to the home front and that she has little interest in décor and cleaning her room. That pretty much sums up my own daughter. I'm so glad I found your blog via Chic Little House.
Thanks so much for stopping by! And yes it is most definitely a struggle—-still
Carli, all of your details are fantastic! The cord the drapes are on, the fringe on the bottom of the bed skirt, and the rug are wonderful details.
You are the most wonderful mother in the world to have done this for your daughter.