Monday, January 11, 2010

Teen Room: Orange & Pink Makeover



A room any teen girl would want - pretty, clean and organized! The paint color used on the ceiling and walls is SW Saffron Thread SW6663.  Great idea: hang fabric  behind the bed with Dignitet cable curtain wire and clips (from IKEA) to make bed curtains.  Sew4Home transformed this room to beautiful - it originally looked like this:





ouch!





A design board helped in making the step-by-step makeover plan.



Step One: Add storage and replace the bed

Mom and Dad headed to IKEA and solved the storage and kids' bunk bed problems super cost-effectively with: a new bed frame, two shelving units, a low chest of drawers for the foot of the bed, a couple lights and (woohoo!) a vanity, mirror and stool. They chose a light birch finish that matched the doors in the room and picked up the white woodwork.



Step Two: Improve the floor plan

It's helpful to measure and try out your layout using a computer or on paper first. Note the natural pathways through the room, and keep them open. Otherwise, experiment by moving pieces around until you find a pleasing plan. Consider your teen's activities in planning the room. The room will stay cleaner if how it will be used is part of the strategy. Lydia, for example, has a desk where she sews her own projects, and so required some extra storage for her fabric and accessories.



Like most teen rooms, the bed is the focal point. Lydia has a large room and a king size bed. Rather than pushing it against a wall, we recommended angling it for a more inviting look (side benefit: her mom cleverly put a couple storage tubs behind the headboard for more hidden storage and quick de-clutters). By including bed curtains, we added one strong vertical element to counteract the many horizontal surfaces.



Step Three: Pick a color scheme

Lydia loves her saffron-colored walls, and the paint is nearly new. So, that color was set in stone and would become the secondary color in our palette. Lydia chose pink for the primary color, which balances beautifully with the saffron. A room looks best with three dominant colors used in unequal proportions. For the third color, we choose turquoise as an accent to give the room depth.



To finish reading the step-by-step teen room makeover instructions visit Sew4Home.