Today I wanted to share this sweet little girls’ room that I did for a friend whose daughter was turning 10 and wanted her room updated for her “big” birthday.  Living in a historic home in downtown Charleston, the family was planning on growing with the house for many years to come, so it was important to make updates that would work as long as the girl was living at home, and using accessories that could be switched out when needed.

A “hang out” nook for the girl to entertain friends when after school playdates or sleepovers happened was important. Old nightstands were painted pink and repurposed into book nook “benches” capping the foot of the bed. I found a fabric that had all of the colors we wanted to work with, so it set the tone of many of the other details and accessories. We had custom cushions made to top the benches which also provides extra friend seating. A ladylike vanity and stool offer her an area as her grooming practices grow.

The table and chairs were already part of the bedroom, so we just repainted them to give them a little facelift, which provides an area for homework, crafting, or snack time.

For the built in shelving above the bed (an architectural feature already existing), a streamlined look was necessary. Before books, craft projects, etc were able to scatter about freely, but by finding simple and washable canvas baskets we were able to sort everything and give it a clean feel.

Tuesday Tip: we dressed up a simple and readily available white cotton duvet by finding trimmings in colors from the fabric we were using throughout and had a seamstress attach it to the duvet. Such an easy and affordable trick to give your bedding a designer look.

The home’s original windows offer so much light, so in addition to drapery we had roman shades made from the designer fabric. The heavy brass hardware and drapes can be lasting fixtures in the room even if the design scheme needs to change.

All images by Corbin Gurkin