This tween girl room makeover has been a long time coming. Of all the rooms in our home, this is the one that has taken the longest to get just right. But now, we're ready for Chloe to to settle into this room for many years to come. Perhaps I should have called it a teen bedroom makeover because this room is sure to meet her needs throughout her teenage years.
Tween Girl Bedroom
This girl's bedroom has definite coastal flair and I'm thrilled with how it finally all came together.
The road to redecorating wasn't without its obstacles though. I struggled with the layout of this small bedroom and fell down a path of mixing too many trendy tween bedroom decor ideas together in one space. Before I dive into the details of this refreshed room, let's look at where it started, four years ago!
The purple walls and kid-sized furniture have given way to a calmer and more cohesive design, sophisticated furnishings, and timeless decor.
One thing to note: this tween girls bedroom makeover was done on a budget. I've reused some of the furniture, moved items from other parts of the home, and DIY'd a few accessories.
As well, from the "During" version to the "After" version, we kept the wallpaper and white paint the same, but now they work so much better in the room! The wallpaper is a faux blue grasscloth and I truly believe it is the easiest wallpaper for beginners to install. It's amazing how the new decor fits in with this blue and white beachy palette.
Tween Girl Bedroom Ideas
Let's start at the entrance. How do you decorate a tween or teenage girl's bedroom? Start with the furniture. A comfy bed, a side table, and a desk and chair are all that you really need. Once your child is a tween, you'll probably want to consider switching out the kid-sized desk and twin bed for larger pieces.
To make the most use of the space and give a pleasing view as you enter the room, we tucked the full size bed in the corner and put the desk on the opposite wall. Changing out the old Pottery Barn Kids desk and hutch for a larger but sleeker desk eliminated some of the visual clutter.
The addition of a larger rug also helped to pull this design together. I had previously used a smaller rug in this room so it wouldn't impede with the movement of the desk chair but in reality, the smaller rug made the room feel awkward and disjointed.
This jute herringbone rug is a classic. We used it in our last home in our tropical dining room and it adds natural texture and warm colour to this breezy bedroom.
A large desk is a necessity in every tween or teen bedroom. This is actually my old desk, the Emerson from Structube. It's discontinued but Structube has lots of other great and affordable desk options.
I prefer my desks to have a light, large desk surface and storage. This one has been perfect for remote learning, with room for a laptop, adjustable desk lamp, a water carafe, and the small trendy items tweens love to have (which in 2021 are scrunchies, candles, and Tombow markers).
A faux palm tree placed in a tall planter helps to fill up the corner and add vibrant colour. I like to have real or faux plants in every room. The chair is a dining chair I had in my bedroom. I've painted the dark wood legs in leftover blue grey paint to better match the colour scheme.
Tween Desk Accessories The desk area also contains two must-have accessories. First is a large pinboard. This also used to be in my home office, but it's much more suited here.
Let's be honest, kids love to have things on display. From their artwork, photos of friends, to awards and certificates, they like to have their favourite mementoes out where they can see them. A large framed pinboard keeps those items visible and contained in one spot. Chloe likes to journal so you'll find calendars, mood trackers, and hand-drawn charts on her pinboard.
The second must-have is a place to store and charge electronics. This bamboo charging station helps keep all the devices and cords neat and orderly. Chloe charges her ipad and phone on the stand overnight and I turn off her wifi from 10pm-8am to ensure there's no late night texting ;). The arm of the adjustable desk lamp has also proven to be a convenient place to store her wireless headphones.
Tween Bedroom Ideas for a Small Room Chloe's room is not large, only about 10'x11'. There's not a lot of furniture and decor in her room but what there is, has impact. Here's a few ways to maximize space and style in a small bedroom: Opt for furniture with storage. This side table (great price and it comes in a variety of colours!) has ample drawers and a shelf. It's really well made (we also have it in our guest bedroom) and the drawers slide nicely Layer your window coverings. Give your window a grander presence by layering a curtain panel over a woven window blind. Look up. Incorporate stylish lighting or fun fairy lights on the "fifth wall": the ceiling. This blue beaded chandelier is a beautiful additional to the room and invokes that coastal feeling.
Here's a closer look at Chloe's bed. I'm happy to say that the bed was the only major purchase I made for the room. Most everything else I already had so this was truly a budget makeover!
As I mentioned before, I had coveted the Serena and Lily Harbour Cane bed for a very long time but it was way out of my price range. I took a chance on this more affordable version, the Penn bed on Wayfair, even though there were no reviews on the site at the time I purchased. The white frame and caning are the peak of coastal chic. I love how the warm tone of the caning is echoed in the monstera art print above the bed.
Wayfair increased the price of the bed from $769 to $1249 CAD shortly after I purchased it which is quite a jump. One other questionable factor was the recommendation on the Wayfair site to use a low-profile boxspring. We purchased a 4" boxspring but when we added our 9" mattress, the bed was much too high with the top of the mattress only about 2" shorter than the footboard.
We ended up having to resell the boxspring on Facebook Marketplace (because we had opened the packaging and couldn't return it. Ugh!) and then just used plywood as a base for the bed. The mattress now sits at the right height.
Memory Foam Mattress
Speaking of the mattress, I'm an #EndyPartner and was thrilled when they gifted a full size mattress and pillow for use in this project. I've only ever heard great things about Endy and love that they are Canadian-made. I borrowed the pillow for myself and will report back on how I like it. It's customizable and you can remove the shredded memory foam filling to provide the level of support you want.
For a girl who typically tosses and turns all night and complains that she's too hot, the Endy mattress has completely transformed Chloe's sleeping habits. She is loving how "cozy" (her words) the memory foam mattress feels and it's literally a struggle to get her out of bed in the morning. I'm a fan too and can't imagine going back to a traditional mattress, ever.
I've dressed the bed in pretty bedding from Target. The textured duvet and organic cotton sheets have a light, airy feel. I've complemented them with striped pillows from Tonic Living and a floral pillow from Pepper B.
Tween Clothes Organization and Storage I've used the area at the foot of the bed to provide additional storage. The wicker basket? It stores all the stuffed toys Chloe doesn't want to part with but feels she's outgrown ;)
A Shaker peg rail (find a DIY tutorial here) provides a handy spot to hang hoodies and backpacks. I modified our original design to incorporate a shelf and Sean built it, but you can find similar peg rails with shelf on Etsy
I love the natural wood pegs against the white. The shelf is a cute spot to display art or a trailing plant.
Inside the closet, not much has changed. We built in an IKEA Pax closet organizer and it continues to work wonderfully. Chloe has grown so much over the last six months that half the clothes in this photo don't even fit her anymore! The PAX system is great for kids closets though because you can move and reconfigure the inserts to suit the needs of your growing child.
All in all, this tween girls bedroom functions AND looks so much better than it did before. It's a room that isn't overly adult or juvenile. It's a classic coastal room that feels calm, serene and pretty. Chloe loves spending time in her room now and I'd say that is the best indication this makeover was a success.
If you have a room that just isn't working, I hope I've inspired you to give it a makeover. That doesn't always mean big renovations or drastic changes are in order... sometimes you just need to pick different furniture and decor and move things around. Getting home right takes time and practice!
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