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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

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Girl’s bedroom makeover: the dramatic conclusion

Annie Elliott | January 10, 2011

When we first moved into this house, our twin daughters were 6 months old.

Floor being refinished

(They’re fraternal, not identical, but they go through stages of looking very, very similar. Age 6 months was one of those times; try as I might, I have no idea who this kid is.)

Wallpapered bedroomWe decided to keep the girls in the same room as long as we could – heck, they shared a CRIB for several months when they were first born, so sharing a room was a no-brainer.

We decided – after much deliberation, actually – that we’d give them the largest bedroom, which the previous owners had used as the master bedroom. The wallpaper was quite sweet; little blue-green flowers on a white background.

But you know that leaving well enough alone isn’t my strong suit.

Shutters

So we painted that room yellow and blue. You’ve seen pictures of that, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been bold enough (stupid enough?) to share these particular pictures, from when there were cribs in the room:

Yellow and blue kids' room

Shutters in yellow bedroom

The cribs were on your left as you entered the room. (Holy cow – the MESS!)

Then they got older, graduated to beds…

Messy kids' room

2089-60 Peach KissThen we were sucked in by the vortex that is the color pink – you remember that makeover, with Benjamin Moore’s 2089-60 Peach Kiss:

Girls' pink bedroom

Cubitec in pink room

AND THEN Ruthie wanted her own room. You remember that, too, I bet.

Light blue bedroom

Well, poor Georgie had to wait a while until the pink bedroom became her room. I think her patience paid off.

Pink bedroom with bunk bed

Pink bedroom with bunk bed

The order of things was a little backward, but that’s how life is sometimes, right?

1. Wall color/paint. We KNOW that ideally, that comes last :)

2. Window treatments. Roman Shades require so little fabric – usually about 2-1/2 yards – so splurging on fancy material is an option. This fabric was NOT a splurge, though: $7/yard on Fabric Row in Philadelphia.

3. Ikea Hemnes dresser. I’ve always loved this dresser, but some colors – gray, blue, red – are now made of SOLID PINE, not that horrible but often unavoidable MDF / particleboard.

Ikea Hemnes dresser

4. Bedding. Cotton coverlets from The Company Store, 1 pink, 1 orange – it’s the Veranda Matelasse, which I LOVE. We have it in white on our bed in the summer.

5. Bunk bed color. The bed itself is from Ikea, and we used unopened Farrow & Ball paint from our LR fireplace (a loooonnnng time ago) to personalize it. It’s too expensive to waste!

Gray flowered shade

Despite the pillow, the top bunk is Ruthie’s when we have guests and she’s kicked out of her bedroom. It was part of the “ok, ok, you can have your own rooms but…” agreement.

View from top bunk

Thankfully, the client is very happy with the way things turned out.

Green bunk bed

Annie Elliott, aka bossy color, is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She’s been doing more remote consultations as of late, so if you’re in Florida, Washington state, or Australia, help is just a phone call away.

Category: Bedroom, KidsTag: bedroom, bedroom makeover, before and after, Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Moore's 2089-60 Peach Kiss, bunk bed, children's room, Company Store Veranda matelasse, Ikea, Ikea Hemnes dresser, kid's room, kids bedroom, pink bedroom, twins

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