Cami's bedroom got another update while the girls were gone out west. I've slowly but surely been working on their rooms, trying to create something for them that looks pulled together and fits into the overall look of our home, but still incorporates all the things they love. With Cami, that meant lots of room for Littlest Pet Shops, her dollhouse and Barbies, and all things natural -- lizards, horses, rock collections, and more. She's a fan of pink, glitter, and feathers, and music is a big part of her life, too.
Originally, she had our room, which features a light pink wall color, so we went with a green/pink color scheme. Eventually, we traded rooms (we got tired of having the smaller room) and so Cami moved into this room. The wall color in here is light yellow, but that ended up working well with the pinks and greens we'd been using.
We're lucky in that Cami has a number of pieces of furniture that have been made for her by family members or passed down to her from us, so I wanted to use them whenever possible (plus, that saves money). Just recently, Chris took the desk that his grandad (Neal) made for him, added a stronger top, sanded it down, and painted it for Cami. She picked out the paint color (Tree Frog Green) and the pink crystal knobs. We also painted a hand-me-down chair from Gigi's old kitchen set (Chris's grandmother). Cami has decided she wants to scrapbook, so she needed a place to work. This was the perfect solution:
Her desk lamp is one I decorated years ago for a scrapbooking magazine assignment; it just happens to pick up the color scheme in her room perfectly.
Continuing on around the room: the bookshelf actually belongs to Cass but works better in Cami's room. Neal (great-grandfather) made it for her when she was tiny.
On top I use a denim foldable basket (that was originally designed to hold diapers in a baby's room) to corral all the bits of paper and notebooks and pencils that she ends up collecting. The pencils are all in small jam jars; she can just take them out, put them on her desk and use them, then stick them back in the basket when she's done. Simple storage.
The cubby shelves are the most useful thing we ever purchased. We had a chest of drawers in here for a while, and while it did provide storage for Cami's clothes, nothing ever got put away in the right place. So we switched to the cubbies, and they've been perfect. The cubes on the top shelves hold socks, underwear, pajamas, and shorts, while the bottom ones hold LPS pets, barbies, and other small toys. It's so much easier for Cam to put things where they belong, and she doesn't fuss about cleaning up because she knows where everything goes.
She's got a couple of Black Apple prints framed in her room, as well as this cool wood-cut dog that Grandad made for her:
Her bed is even a hand-me-down -- it was part of the bunkbed set that Chris and Eric used when they were little. It's perfect, though eventually I will paint it white (unless I can find a sweet vintage iron bedframe instead). She had a tulle canopy for a while, and then I found this giant leaf canopy at Ikea and knew that it was absolutely perfect for our nature-loving girl. (I don't think they sell the canopy anymore).
The quilt was made for her by Grandmother. Some of the doll squares were actually made by Grandmother's mom (Mutsy, Cami's great-grandmother). I love that the fabrics all have a story behind them and that she's able to have something that means so much. Plus, it's the perfect pattern for her, as she loves dolls. The blanket beneath that is actually the bedspread that was on my bed when I was growing up.
The pink curtains on the windows ended up being too narrow after we hung them, so my mom added a piece of green fabric to either side and decorated it with flower buttons to hold them together. The result is really cute and was a really simple solution to too-narrow curtains. Plus, the green (although it looks yellow in the photos) was another great way to tie the colors in her room together.
The nightstand is another great thrift store find; it's white wicker and only cost $35. I thought that was a steal, since usually wicker furniture is really overpriced when I see it at thrift stores. It provides great storage (which is essential, since Cami is seriously a packrat). The orange doll carriage is something Cami spotted at a flea market and bought for $12.00.
Chris and I moved the desk in and rearranged her room while she was on vacation; she came home and was thrilled with the results. I am too -- it's a sweet little girl's room and it matches her personality so perfectly. I love how everything came together, and it cost us very little to do it.
Her room is colorful! I'm just curious about the color of its ceiling. Is it painted yellow, too? You should always check the state of her room. She wouldn't want her room to be stained with rainwater or whatsoever. Always check if the walls have cracks or if the ceiling has leaks. It would be uncomfortable for her to sleep or stay in there if those will bother her, especially during winter and rainy days. ;)
Posted by: Brendan Gertner | August 03, 2011 at 10:29 AM