Many of the 'Befores' of our Before and After posts are hopeless spaces where any bit of attention would be a marked improvement. But sometimes the room itself is fine and it is the needs of the occupant that dictate the change. In this case, a little sister was moving into her big brother's room. To make things interesting, the makeover was a birthday surprise and had to be completed in just one day. The suspense is killing me!
Voila! Jen at I Heart Organizing was hired to not only design this little girl's room but to make the one-day transformation happen as well. She gave the homeowner a few tasks, like priming some furniture and painting the base coat on the walls before their arrival. Then she and her husband swooped in and got to work. Painting stripes on the walls, refurbishing some existing furniture and installing a closet system are just a few of the new details Jen added. We especially love the customized tree decal with the 3-D flowers, and the way she softened the legs of a utilitarian desk by simply wrapping them in twine.
They managed to get it all done as darkness descended and there was one very happy little birthday girl as a result of their efforts. Well done!
• See more: I Heart Organizing
(Images: I Heart Organizing)
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What a lovely, elegant room. I really like it.
Fabulous. A room a child can grow with - I particularly like the colors. Really nicely done.
A really cute room for little sister. But what did her brother get? I hope a little more thought went into whatever room he moved to.
This is a nice reminder that even small changes can make a large impact in a space. I love that bed!
Love the gray stripped walls! So much!
Beautiful
A little bit bigger bed and I could live in that room......lovely and room for her own touches!
Because boys like books and girls like pink.
I like the wrought iron bed with a quilt it gives it a classic storybook charm.
@DINAMJ - Eh, there's no indication to suggest those books aren't still in there. Actually, the way the room looks suggests to me that the parents had already moved their son to a different room and he was already past the age of reading those books, therefore they stayed in that room.
@DINAMJ: if this was facebook, I'd totally "like" your comment. =)
@apartmenttherapy: I have two questions; #1. Why was a designer needed to do this relatively minor alteration? & #2. Since people seem to need a designer for a project like this, any suggestions on how I can get into the business, so I can be hired to redesign people's rooms?
Lovely! Fantastic job!
@DinaMJ I "like" your comment too. @funkytown.. really?? that's your comment?
I love the room and all the thoughtful little details. I'm sure they are wonderful parents and gave their son a fantastic room, and I'm sure the designers are booked solid! I would book them, that's for sure, unless Urbansouthuna wants to do it.
@DinaMJ - love the comment.
The furniture is cute as is the paint job but the room doesn't really look like a little girl's room. Where is all her stuff? Her books, her toys, her dolls, her clothes? I'm hoping she moved it in there after they took the pictures.
They should have framed some of her artwork and put it up on the wall instead of those generic matchy-matchy pictures that "pick up the color of the bedspread". Even a designer should be able to figure that one out.
Being a Californian, my first thought was "get that mirror and those frames away from over the bed!"
Sweet room, though. I like the idea of hanging buckets with S hooks. My daughter has a bunch of buckets full of art supplies that I plan to try that with.
IN ONE DAY! Super. Nice transformation.
Surfmama, maybe I should have said: AT, is this the true "Before" picture of how this room looked when the brother was living in it? If not, then AT should have shown us a better Before shot. If so, then my original comment stands. I think this girl's room is super cute. I especially like the bed. But why would you put that much effort into your daughter's room (including hiring a designer) and not do as much for your son?
Pretty. Where is this pouff from?
Nice. I'm a girl (elderly, but female) and I hate pink -- the amount here isn't too offensive, though. Like the overall color scheme and love the mural!
This is a great transformation. Just enough "girly" in her bedroom without being too mainstream. Lovely.
Some folks don't like designing rooms themselves. That's totally fine! If EVERYONE did DIY all the time, how would artists make a living? :)
Love the tree mural, especially with the 3D flowers. Kind of makes me think it would be fun to have a tree with easy removable leaves so they could change with the seasons!
Eh, they probably just sent their son to live in the dog kennel... I mean it's obvious, in judging the first picture, that we can instantly assume they treat their daughter better.
This room is gorgeous, and that striped wall iYs really well executed! Love that by changing a few elements, it can be a room for an older girl as well.
Hiring someone is often a great tool, especially if you're time poor or don't feel able to create the space you can imagine. That being said, there's no way I'd let any old AT reader loose on my house!
I love it. I think it looks very fresh and relaxing. The bed is gorgeous.
A top effort for a single day's work!
But it's not very interesting to me in terms of design or even organization. The stripes on the bedroom wall look dated, the mirror is uninteresting and the artwork over the bed lacks punch. Thank goodness the bed frame is unique. But for one day's work, it's still a good effort.
@Urbansouthuna The "designer" of this room appears to have a stronger focus as an organizer. It looks like she's freelancing as a room designer to boost blog interest. So she probably didn't charge that much, if anything.
The big brother's room has toddler/baby books and a side guard that is generally used when they transition from crib to bed....sooo..if he's her BIG brother..why does it show a 'regular' child's bed and room? She's a pretty grown up baby.......but the room is very light and pretty..and love the large blackboard and buckets of chalk etc..
Good grief, you people are psychopaths. I'm sure this little girl reads books, has toys, and is loved and respected by her parents just as much as her brother - stop trying to create the story of these people's lives from three photographs!
I was just going to say that I like the fact that the hot pink pouffe reinforces the subtler pinks in the room without creating pink overload. It's very clever. As is the beautiful tree mural. THIS is why people hire designers - to get a fantastic effect that will be enjoyed long after the expense of hiring the designer for a day has been forgotten.
Yay, Jen! So glad to see your makeover here :D It's gorgeous and everyone agrees!
What a lucky little girl to receive such a wonderful birthday surprise. (And what strange, strange comments these house tours and makeovers elicit from people.)
Very cute!
And Yes, some girls do just love pink. Despite my best efforts my 4 year old daughter loves pink and flowers and rainbows and butterflies and everything 'girlie' you can imagine. Hopefully she'll grow out of it, but right now why not let her have things in her room that she loves.
Thank you for saying it, @Blandwagon. The peanut gallery has gotten pretty vicious and jaded lately.
The room is adorable.
@BLANDWAGON...perfect commentary. Could not have said it any better.
Agree BLANDWAGON. Some people apparently have too. much. time. on their hands.... ugh.
Cute... Maybe some day it won't matter what gender the child is in a well designed space. Pink=girls is pretty 20th century...