Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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A Graphic Kid’s Bedroom Makeover

Last fall we featured a redesign that Nancy did for her son Owen. Well, she’s back with another awesome room makeover… but this time it was for another family with a great story. Here’s her letter:

Hi John and Sherry! A while back, I entered the contest Creating with the Stars hosted by East Coast Creative, and I was teamed up with Kari from U-Create. I had the wonderful opportunity to makeover a space for a couple who have been trying for over ten years to get pregnant. Accepting this may never become a reality, they are in a foster to adopt program and are adopting three siblings. KK is the youngest out of the three and the family will be able to adopt their children in February! I made over one of the couple’s guest bedrooms into a space for KK as part of my entry for the contest. I did not let my elimination in Round 3 stop me from finishing Round 4, and I’m so glad I continued on!

Owens Before

Owens After

I’m a huge fan of white and black in home decor, but I decided to have some fun and add lots of color and prints! This was such a fun makeover, I didn’t want to leave when it was done.

Owens Wall

Originally, I wanted to use fabric on the wall.  Namely, Ikea’s black, white, and green bird print that is no longer sold in stores, but I wasn’t aware of that until I went to the store. So I decided to use a projector and six Sharpies instead. I traced some of the pattern on the wall. Instead of copying it exactly the way it was on the yardage, I moved pieces around and traced what I liked where I wanted them to go. It was fairly easy, although it did take a toll on my wrist and shoulder. But the result was completely worth it!

Owens Sharpie Wall

Owens Sharpie Wall After

There aren’t too many personal touches in the space yet (I’m one who likes to sew and create things with my hands) but leaving room for that allows KK to add her own personality to the space when she comes home.

Owens Maskros Light

Owens Dresser

 Hope you guys enjoy it too!  – xo, Nancy

Owens Details

There are tons of pictures of this playful space for KK over on U-Create’s blog, but be sure to also swing by Nancy’s for a full source list and some more details on the $5 “wallpaper” treatment she created. Thanks for sharing such a sweet room (for a very sweet cause) Nancy! And in the “what’s your favorite part?” column, Sherry’s loving the homemade wallpaper and the purple bed while I’m all over those planked walls and the painted ceiling.

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    Sherry, did you ever do a post on when you teamed up with someone to design a room or something for a competition? It was for a blog or website i think. I think it was called “designing with the stars?” Did your team win?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We participated in the same one Nancy mentioned here, so it’s fun to hear from Nancy with these room results (we were cheering everyone on as we went). I don’t think we posted about it on our blog (except before it started, to allow our readers to submit their blogs) but we did mention it on Facebook once while it was running (they really wanted to keep who partnered with who anonymous so we didn’t want to give anything away). Our team didn’t win, but it was really fun!

      xo
      s

  2. Kari @ UCreate says

    What a fun surprise to see Nancy’s gorgeous room makeover here. What a pleasure it was to be her partner in Creating with the Stars – she’s an incredibly talented gal and I’m always excited to see what she’s up to next.

    Love Young House Love! Congrats on your new addition!

    Reply

  3. Bella says

    I LOVE this room :)

    i cant wait until we get our big apartment so our son can have his own room too :)
    i love the whole black and white scheeme, we used that in our place too and i ADORE it :) and i love the big hanging light, i wanted to get the same one but we are both allergic to dust and it is hard to clean :(

    Reply

  4. Amy says

    Hi! I rarely comment, but just had to say how much I live this room and the back story. The makeover is gorgeous and so thrilling to think of the lucky little girl who will get the room AND the family! And John and Sherry, I love seeing the progress on your house, and it’s also fun to mix it up with the Reader Redesigns and Dilemnas and such. It’s all good to me! Thanks guys!

    Reply

  5. Kathryn says

    Sincerely love every aspect of this redesign! From the more-than-deserving family to the lesson in how to make (predominately) black and white anything but boring. Filing away the tips on how to do that “fabric” wall! Hello, ceiling paint! Great stuff.

    Reply

  6. [email protected] says

    Beautiful ideas – Sherry I am loving reader re-designs and dilemmas. It is great to see what other folk are doing with their homes, what problems they are facing and engaging with other readers of this site. Personally I have a million problem areas that need some inspiration so keep up the great work.

    Reply

  7. Shavonda@AHomeFullOfColor says

    Now THATS what I call a room reveal!! Its so awesome. Love all the color and pattern. Its whimsical without being too “kiddie”. You should be so proud and what a lucky little girl to be inheriting such an amazing space to call her own.

    Reply

  13. brett says

    This was a genius redesign. I love the fact that when she couldn’t get the fabric she got clever and used a projector and sharpees. I now feel inspired (but also like a dope for not thinking of something so clever). I’ve seen some great chandelier wall stickers but think a cool sharpee outline could be just the ticket for me.

    Reply

  14. Michelle says

    Love this room. Most of all, I hope the little girl loves it too and finds happiness in this home. All the very best to the new parents-to-be. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  15. Priyanka says

    Hi Sherry & John!
    Commenting for the first time, though a looong time lurker… Todays reader redesign is a wonderful example of great rooms being created by regular people and I think its awesome that you share them here on your blog or else its wud be our loss entirely not seeing such beautiful rooms… And I love it that you guys are strong and secure enough not to let some people who seem to have very inflated expectations come in the way of that. Cheers from Bangalore, India!

    Reply

  16. Vivi says

    So much to love about this room: soothing color choices balanced with interesting prints, the surprise of the dark ceiling, the ease with which the room can suit a young child as well as an older one, and the sweet backstory. I’m inspired.

    Reply

  17. Amanda says

    What a beautiful room. Great job!
    Just had to ask though… did anyone else notice the ‘before’ photo? It almost looks like there is a ghost sitting on the bed. Have I just been reading too many spooky things around Halloween?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I like it for defining a certain area of adding color. I think some rugs layer in better (natural fiber, something thin/flatweave) so I’d do that over a big thick wool or shag one I think, since it might be weirder if it gets really thick.

      xo
      s

  19. Amy says

    I was a kid who grew up in the late ’70’s and early ’80’s, and if I took a Sharpie to my bedroom walls, I think my mom would have had a colossal meltdown (even though she was pretty open minded about a lot of other things)! On that note, must add that project to the do-list — there are a few dreary basement walls that could use a face-lift. ;) Thanx for sharing. :)

    Reply

  21. Laura & the Shell says

    What I love most about this room is that Nancy did full wall treatments on two walls without letting it overwell the room at all. And seeing as this was a room for someone else’s kid, she did a fantastic job of not filling the space up with her own personal touches. Great balance – a well designed space with lots of flexibility for KK to add her own personality. Great work!!!

    Reply

  24. Jen D says

    As cute as this room is, beware of sharpies!! We used a similar method to draw fish on my son’s wall (aquarium theme). After he outgrew that, we have primed and painted those walls at least four times and the sharpie marks still show through the paint. Epic fail!

    Reply

  25. Victoria says

    This room is so amazing. A truly beautiful creative spirit shines though so much of this room. I love the story that this is for a child that will be adopted as I was myself.
    The black and white is stunning, the chandelier enchanting, the purple bed, the green chevron rug so beautiful. I also love the clever use of a projector to put that gorgeous pattern on the wall. I am stealing that idea. I also like how the pattern on the bedding echos the pattern on the wall. The grey ceiling is inspired and the wall planking is as well. This room, for the most part, says welcome home, we love you.
    My only negative reaction was to the big game hunter trophy inspired severed zebra head. I think these ego icons of dead animals especially do not belong in children’s rooms. I think it sends the message that animals are lesser beings for us to use, kill, and display for our egos and decoration. I love images of animals used in decor but a severed head hanging on a wall is a very specific reference to a barbaric practice. I will be so happy once this design fad has run its course. Stop the madness – please!

    Reply

  27. Paula M. says

    I love the combination of the bright white paint with the organic touches (the wonderful stenciled walls, the fabulous ceiling light) and dashes of color (the chevron rug, the purple bedposts, etc.)

    The closer I look, the more elements I see that I like – the planked walls, the ferris wheel photo, etc.

    Great job!

    And yes, let’s hope the boys get a fun, bright, made-over room, too!

    Reply

  28. Timothy says

    I’m with you John! That feature wall and the dark ceiling are so cool! i also love the light fixture and that rug really gives the room personality.

    Reply

    • nancy@ owen's olivia says

      It was added. The home owner’s liked the personal touch I had added to Owen’s room, and they requested a similar wall. Time was of the essence, so I opted for MDF instead of real wood to make this project *somewhat* of a breeze. :)

  31. Jaimi says

    My daughter (6 yrs old) LOVES everything about this room and has requested a similar wall treatment however, I’m stuck on exactly how to accomplish it. I know Nancy used a projector but was it the old school method where you make a transparency?? HELLLPPPP!

    Reply

    • nancy@ owen's olivia says

      The projector I used attaches to a ceiling for a home entertainment system. It can connect to a computer, which is what I did. It projected whatever was on my computer screen onto the wall. So a digital projector I guess? An old school projector would work as well, although you’re limited to what you put on the transparency and might need to make a few to create a more in depth all over design. Good luck! :)

  33. Stacey says

    There are so many elements of this room I love. For starters, the ceiling. The gray paint makes it appear as though the ceiling goes on forever. Then there’s the stenciling, which is so simple and complex at the same time. Of course, the lighting fixture is “perf,” as my teenage daughter would say. The black & white shade and the zebra head…oh, and the headboard. Did I miss anything. It’s so clean, crisp and fun!

    Reply

  34. Stacey says

    P.S. My friend’s daughter is an amazing artist and recently painted a giraffe that would suit this room perfectly! That may be what caught my eye. Her painting has many of the elements this beautiful room has.

    Reply

  37. Kate says

    My favorite part of this makeover was finding the exact dresser I grew up with as a kid (I mean EXACT) which was a hand-me down from older cousins painted white in this room. The original is this ugly yellowish finish with a speckled effect that was truly ugly. To think, painted white it’s a really nice looking piece of furniture! Oh my wasted youth! My mom still has the matching desk that went with it, painted a random color, in her bedroom. I’ll have to tell her to look at this!

    Reply

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