Two words sum up every square inch of 5-year-old Olivia’s 9′ x11′ bedroom: thrifty and pink. Both interior layout and resourcefulness are a part of the joyful little sprite’s DNA; daddy Jon is a professional and also mommy Stacey is a researcher. When Olivia began her I-want-everything-pink-and-tea-parties stage, Stacey resorted to her voted-off-the-island school furniture, spray painting skills and retail upgrading tricks to bring it all to life.
While decorating a little girl’s room pink and white ai not as radical as the creation of Facebook or cloning Dolly the sheep, to us layout fans, executing a tasteful kid’s area for under $250 is definitely newsworthy. From putting a new spin on old pieces to turning washcloths into prized little birdies, here is a walk through the pinkalicious world that is Olivia Davis’s bedroom. CAUTION: The home made Hi Kitty cookies may result in cute overload. Do not say I didn’t warn you.
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This is Olivia. Very detail-oriented, busy and coordinated, she found the time to snap her butterfly wings and do this Houzz shoot even though she had pre-existing plans eating real cookies and sipping pretend tea along with her purple teddy bear.
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You know all that crafty-crafty busy work children do all day at kindergarten that ends up on the fridge? Well, in Olivia’s case, these labors of love turned into a pertinent portion of her room’s decor. In fact, they totally dress up the mass-produced must-have kiddie fridge Olivia just can not live without (and I am sure Stacey prefers stay hidden somewhere in the basement).
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By choosing a pale pink background, it enables a lot of Olivia’s one-of-a-kind possessions to stand out. I’ll tell you one thing that doesn’t want to stand out: The plastic jar that makes up the human body and construction of Olivia’s green paper octopus. Our pint-sized enthusiast of decorating seems to find the rule that some things are best hidden by textiles.
Paint color: Sherwin-Williams SW 6589 Alyssum
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To keep the budget in check, Stacey handed her school bedroom set down to Olivia, then splurged on bedding. To keep the bedding out of completely stealing the thunder from the rest of the room’s elements, she opted to get a strong white duvet with polka dot and scalloped embroidery. If Olivia grows out of the current accent shade, purple, the bedding can just as well be accented by blues, greens or yellows.
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In its first state, Stacey’s wicker school furniture sported an overall beige look. What’s wrong with beige furniture at a kid’s room? Nothing … if you want them to get a complete lack of creativity, then put off embarking on a career in interior design until age 30. Bitter? Perhaps. Bitter since I might or might not have had a beige bedroom ? Maybe.
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Only a couple coats of spray paint afterwards, Stacey gave her previously campus-based furniture a brighter, more up-to-date look.
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As this fancy supply of lighting shows, a 2.5-inch band of brownish cotton duck, coordinating welt cord and a glue gun can quickly dress up an all-white table lamp.
Do not have a glue gun or accessibility to a fabric shop? For a similar look, consider taping off an area of your colour with painters’ tape, then adding a contrasting shade with cloth or acrylic paint.
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To incorporate a few uber-girly pattern, Stacey snuck it in thickly with bed sheets. The fashion theme has Olivia embracing her dress-up side as she snuggles with her beloved teddy.
Guess what books I was reading at age 5? Ones about shark attacks. Not the cutest subject matter but what can I say? I am from Florida and grew up on boats.
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For a little more of a high-fashion signature, Stacey suspended a triptych of prints like a debonaire poodle right slap over Olivia’s bed. Their brown frames are neutral enough for any other prints to be switched out once Olivia’s flavor turns from fashion to unicorns within the next few months.
And when I say unicorns, I mean Taylor Swift. She knows the lyrics to every hit song already. When I say, I mean me, obviously. C’mon, how can someone not like Taylor Swift?
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For a few ambience, Stacey swapped the room’s existing ceiling fan for a metallic and crystal chandelier. So far as putting up one yourself is concerned, it’s a fairly easy task if you’re not shifting the intersection box. When moving a mailbox, I strongly suggest paying a professional to do it for you. The $150 or so it will put you back is worth not getting shocked and being able to play your kid outside rather than standing on a ladder for seven hours on a Saturday. Unless standing on a ladder all day on a weekend and failing your children is something you like and in that case, SNAP OUT OF IT.
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Instead of ditching an old Target lamp Stacey bought years ago, she gave it a mini facelift by ditching the original adult-ish lampshade to get a polka-dot cent saver from Pottery Barn Kids.
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No more wire hangers! Well, okay, maybe just two. By embellishing two cable hangers with yarn and paper, otherwise dull and basic everyday objects become something lively and fun. Perhaps if Christina and Christopher would have shown this to mother Joan Crawford, she’d have let them keep a pair of those otherwise prohibited objects in their chambers. But that entire scene would have been cut out of the movie Mommy Dearest. Nevermind.
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To dress up some basic IKEA kid chairs, Stacey additional felt cushions in the form of a rosebud. To recreate this look in your kidspace, just invest in a tone on tone combination of craft felt, fabric adhesive, ribbon and scissors.
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Considering that the covers of children’ books are graphic, colorful and entertaining, Stacey chosen to keep Olivia’s favorites display by means of a dowel and beadboard book rack mounted onto the wall. My rule of thumb for keeping books looking like decor rather than clutter is to try and change the shapes and sizes, then stick with thick typefonts easy to read from throughout the room. In case Olivia were my child, some of those books would be replaced with Domino: The Book of Decorating and Elle DECOR, Style and Substance. Just sayin’.
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If ceramic teapots are too delicate for your small ones, you create them out of foam. That’s all I must say about this image.
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As Stacey’s resourcefulness proves, pretty much anything can develop into a adorable accessory even if the subject at hand is really a washcloth. By twisting, then bunching white washcloths into the form of birds and sticking eyeball stickers on these, humdrum bathroom essentials become one-of-a-kind.
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Whether it’s a paper octopus or baked products, handmade things are plentiful in the Davis household. As a reward for being such a leading child, Stacey frequently serves up milk and biscuits to Olivia and her pals during play time. What’s that you say? You want to find the cuteness that is a personalized buttermilk and sugar shaped as Hello Kitty herself? Well then, continue.
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Alas, check out the insanely adorable Hello Kitty creations that are Stacey’s very own. I may or may not have had one (or seven) and be able to state they’re so yummy as they are adorable. And if I did eat a few of these delicious cuties, it could explain why, much as I finish typing this article, I’m still on a significant sugar high.
More: Browse more manuals to good kids’ spaces