In the Mood: Mer's new Sophistication

My darling little sister is now 18, and now that she is officially an adult, she needs a more adult room. Since she just so happens to be getting a new room, there is no better time than the present to spice things up! I used her want of a red wall as a jumping off point. We went out and she picked the flooring she liked, and she also bought a nice new grey duvet cover (for a great, super cheap deal I might add). So, without further adieu, here's my idea of how to make over her new room.

OK...so here's what I was thinking for Mer's room. She is such a fun, happy, positive person, so I wanted to come up with something that would both reflect that, and encourage it. She also needed a space for both sleeping and working, as she is soon to be off to fulfill her post-secondary dreams. I tried to incorporate both fun, bold patterns as well as some different textures. Since flooring is going to need to be bought, we have to accomplish this room makeover on a budget, so I chose a good mix of inexpensive and DIY.

1. Since Meredith wanted red, something like Behr's "edgy red" would be great for a focal wall behind the bed. Since the room is not very large it adds some drama without making the room seem smaller. As for the other three walls, I chose Benjamin Moore's "cloud white", a creamier colour offsets the red better than a stark white, I would also paint the ceiling this colour for a more seamless look. As for the trim, Behr's "aging barrel" will do a good job of tying the darker knots of the wood she chose with the darker stain on her bed.

2. Like me, Meredith loves to read, so this clamp lamp from Crate & Barrel will easily affix to the bed, so she can lay in bed reading, without having to get up to turn off the light. (because every one knows that really sucks) The brushed, grey, metal finish adds some neutrality and also some nice texture. (Also goes well with that nice new duvet hehe)

3. This mirror is similar to the one she has (I would paint the existing black frame the same brown from the trim).

4. For another added pop of colour one or two of these wall files can be hung above the desk to house important papers, or magazines...or whatever really. They are super cute and functional!

5. As for the work space, I would recommend getting rid of your old bulky desk, and bringing in something more streamlined. Something like this desk would be ideal. It still gives you the work space, but looks a lot less bulky, which is better for a smaller space. The finish of the desk also ties in nicely with the colour of the laminate floors.

6. The flooring she chose, called "Paradise Walnut" and is a fairly realistic wood looking laminate.

7. The great new grey bedding!

8. Instead of having a traditional bedside table, placing two floating shelves beside the bed will give you a place to put that book you're reading...or anything else you want to put there.

9. Another bold statement is to add a fun DIY paper lantern pendant lamp to replace the old ugly typical "boob lamp" covering. Because no one wants to stare at lamp boobs as you lay in bed.

10. As for curtains, something neutral, yet fun will be a good compliment to everything else going on in the room. Something like this simple repeating geometric pattern curtain from Etsy draws from both the bedding and the cloud walls.

11. A red rose pillow on the bed for one more pop of red.

12. Stencils are so much fun, and easy (although sometimes time consuming) to do. Something like this tiger stripe stencil done in a tone on tone, on the red focal wall can be a subtly bold way add some more drama to the room.

By adding a fun colour, and some unexpected patterns and texture, this room can be transformed from boring and typical, to fun, dramatic and sophisticated. Perfect for someone like my amazing sister, ready to embark on her next stage of life. I hope you like my ideas Mer, and I can't wait to help you with some DIY projects to make your room awesome!