My young client wanted a makeover on her bedroom. She had shared her bedroom with her older sister for years, but her sister moved to a basement bedroom so she was now claiming the entire room for herself! My client and her parents wanted a fresh new look but they also wanted to use as many of the existing pieces as they could. It was so fun to create this space for her and especially fun to see how different things can look even while still using so many of the same pieces.

One of the major changes in the room is the layout of furniture. My client didn’t use the floor space in her closet so we moved the dresser in there. We also removed one of the beds and brought in some other IKEA pieces to create the “built-in” window nooks.

Many of my client’s inspiration pictures had costly built-ins that we just could not do. I wanted to give her the same feeling and look even though built-ins were outside of the budget. The wall had just enough space to fit three separate IKEA pieces. By adding in the shelving above the IKEA units and some pillows and blankets on top, we got the feeling of built-ins but at a fraction of the cost.

The new layout makes the space feel much bigger, but still contains lots of storage and display areas. We created zones in the room: dressing area, bed area, reading nook area.

We repurposed the bed, the lamps, the mirror, and the art above the bed. I especially love the art piece above the bed because my young client is a budding actress and we had this frame to work with and a map of New York City. I made sure that Broadway was in the center of the frame.

I love doing open shelving in tween/teen rooms because it gives them an opportunity to play with their space as they get older. They can personalize them and switch them up depending on what they are into at that particular moment.

I also love to include some sort of pin board so they can hang pictures and tickets without having to tape things to the wall. I styled these shelves with my client’s books, decor, and personal art pieces.

This room cost only $500 to create, but it was a big transformation. Now my client has her own personal space that reflects the things that she loves! She has a functional room with lots of storage, cozy nooks, and display surfaces. This room proves that you can make a really big difference even if you don’t have a big budget. Do you have a room that doesn’t feel quite right? Reclaiming Home can help.