Decorating 101

Elizabeth, our son's girlfriend has come to live with us.  She is just a gem and we are so happy to have her.  I am especially happy to have another girl in the house.  All these boys I live with are finally realizing that I'm not an alien, I'm a girl, as they see her doing some of the weird things I do - he he!
Anyway, we needed to get a space ready for her since all of our home is boyified.  I can't EVEN tell you how much fun I had decorating for a girl!!!  Elizabeth is very feminine but not a fru fru lace and ruffles kind of girl so I knew exactly what I was trying to accomplish when I started out.  She has been accepted to The Art Institute for dress design so I really wanted to create a space that would reflect her personality, goals, dreams and also be a space that would inspire her to draw and sew and yet be very functional and practical as well.
Here is the before photo:

Now please keep in mind that we live in a rental house right now so painting the walls, changing the carpet, light fixtures and door knobs were not really an option since I wanted to invest in things she would be able to take with her when she moves away for school.
Thankfully the walls were just plain white which gave me a nice clean crisp canvas to work with!  I knew because of the lack of color on the walls I would need to add some major pops of color in the decorating elements.
I started out with this dress:

You may remember I posted a couple of years ago about my friend Melissa surprising me with this dress for my birthday.  I haven't been able to unwrap it and use it in my space b/c of all the boyishness so this was the perfect starting piece for this room.
Next I had my Great Grandmother's antique Singer sewing machine:

Another perfect addition (that really didn't have a place to live) for a dress designer's room!
Next I moved on to the bed.  I started with these amazing curtains and built a not so frilly small canopy:

Now I knew that I wanted to do black and this fuschia pink.  Feminine, chic, but not fru fru.  Next I found all of the bed linens:

Then I added this headboard I picked up second hand:

Every bed needs bedside tables so I added these tables and lamps which I also picked up second hand:

The tables were originally a cherry color so I sprayed them glossy black and added this frame with a pic of Elizabeth's Mom and Brother to make her feel at home.
I knew that Elizabeth would need a place to draw and sew so a desk was in order.  I had this cherry desk and chair with very granny like upholstery so I once again got out the spray paint - have I mentioned how much I love spray painting furniture - he he.  Here is the after photo of the desk and chair:

Notice the upholstery is still the old granny stuff but I just haven't found the perfect fabric yet.
Finally she needed a functional space for clothing and things.  Since the room doesn't have a closet, I picked up a clothes rack and used a set of rubbermaid drawers I had kicking around - not glamerous I know but they worked nevertheless:

I added the little basket for her to put goodies in.
All that was left now was to decorate - YAY!
I found this little dress form for hanging jewelry on:

and these pictures which literally could not be pryed out of my hands when I was leaving the store:

Are they not TOTALLY PERFECT for a future dress designer???!!!
I added this frame which I had with a pic of Elizabeth and Isaiah from Grad:

Lastly, I got some art supplies for her to create with and put them in this pretty & matching gift bag:

I fanned out some fashion magazines on the corner of her bed and voila:

This is the view when you open the door.
Moving around the room from left to right:

She was absolutely thrilled when she saw the room and I was so happy to do it for her!!  Doesn't make you feel good when you can do something to bless someone else!!
COST for ROOM:
dress - free
sewing machine - free
curtains - $20.00
other materials for canopy - $22.00
bed linens including matress cover, sheets and pillows - $111.00
headboard - $20.00
tables - $10.00
lamps - $5.00
frame - $6.00
basket - $10.00
spray paint - $40.00
jewelry dress form - $13.00
pictures - $60.00
clothes rack - $10.00
Grand Total:  327.00
I'd love to hear what you think of my little decorating effort! Pin It