How Nancy Drew, Ramona, and Your Other Favorite Children’s Book Characters Would Decorate Their Studio Apartments

Welcome to UnReal Estate, where we take characters from pop culture and reimagine their fantasy spaces into homes fit for the “real world.”

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you spent the bulk of your childhood with your face buried behind a book. (Join the club!) When we were growing up, books gave us the opportunity to embrace our childhood wonder, transport ourselves into another world, and even learn something new. And after devouring a couple of books from the same series, it was easy to feel like we actually knew the characters we were reading about. We could imagine what they sounded like, the outfits they wore, and their emotions—and, most importantly, the places they called home.

Whether your favorite series was packed with illustrations or you used your imagination, one thing’s for certain: Your favorite character’s rooms were nothing short of fabulous. But just because you’ve graduated to longer books doesn’t mean you’ve stopped fantasizing about your favorite character’s well-curated spaces. In fact, you’re probably still wondering what those iconic bedrooms would look like in 2019.

So, in true Apartment Therapy spirit, we’re dreaming up how four classic characters—Ramona, Nancy Drew, Eloise, and Junie B. Jones— would design their homes today:

Ramona Quimby might’ve been considered “a pest” back in the day, but in 2019? She’d be a total maximalist.

“Her style would reflect her personality: fearless and unique,” says Alessandra Wood, interior design expert and vice president of style at Modsy. “Her room would be a reprieve from the world that didn’t always understand her.”

Beverly Cleary’s leading lady has never backed away from being her authentic, bold self, so she would definitely fill her room with jewel tones such as a ruby red, canary yellow, and sapphire blue. Conventionalism isn’t Ramona’s strong suit, so she may even ditch the traditional bed frame, place her mattress on the floor, and cover it in an array of printed throw pillows and blankets. A multi-colored rug would tie the bold color palette together, while a statement-making starburst light fixture would pack on the style from floor to ceiling.

Of course, Ramona would totally mimic the eclecticism of her bed on her walls.

“Marching to the beat of her own drum, Ramona would likely have a gallery wall with pieces she collected over the years—even some she created herself,” Wood says.

In addition to pictures, posters, and the occasional old-school doodle, Ramona would also hang a few floating shelves—and load ‘em with healing crystals. She needs all the good vibes she can get!

As River Heights’s savviest sleuth, Nancy Drew is committed to sifting through all of the evidence and cracking the case. She certainly has a well-appointed design eye—and she’s a minimalist through and through.

“Nancy Drew, ever-curious, smart, and practical would have a bedroom that reflected those traits,” Wood explains. “Her style wouldn’t be trend-forward, as her practical nature wouldn’t want the space to ever feel dated.”

We envision Nancy living in a classic New York City-style loft, complete with big windows, vaulted ceilings, and exposed brick. She’d let her space’s charming bones do the talking and fill it with practical, Scandinavian-inspired furniture. In keeping with her form-first mentality, Nancy would decorate her room with a speckled woven rug, leather mid-century sofa, and simple, black dome light pendants.

Like any detective, Nancy’s desk would be the main attraction of her living quarters. She’d love the practicality of a simple desk, but would accessorize the surface with her trusty magnifying glass and a framed picture of Ned Nickerson nearby (awww!). Above her desk is a sizable corkboard so she can hang up clues, maps, and pictures of her suspects.

While Nancy’s space isn’t necessarily small, her sleuthing spirit can’t help but buy a bunch of space-saving ottomans and coffee tables with hidden storage compartments. In fact, she even has a Murphy bed lurking behind two seemingly unassuming French doors!

While we’d like to think that Eloise eventually moved out of the Plaza Hotel, she would still pile on the glamour in her new space.

“As someone who grew up in the Plaza Hotel, Eloise would love classical European styling and French antiques,” Wood says.

Taking cues from Marie Antoniette, Eloise would turn her bedroom into a makeshift palace with a dainty color palette of pastel pinks, purples, and blues. Like any wannabe princess, her extravagant bed would be the center of attention, complete with pristine white silk sheets and ruffled throw pillows. (Of course, she would have a pink, satin dog bed for Weenie as well as a gilded cage for Skipperdee.)

Eloise would want to make her space feel regal, but it wouldn’t feel outdated. Eloise has style (and isn’t afraid to show it), so she’d give her space a modern twist with a shag rug, a trendy round mirror, and a rose gold serving tray for breakfast in bed.

But while you can take the girl out of the Plaza Hotel, you can’t take the Plaza Hotel out of the girl.

“Her bedroom might mirror a hotel room with a little mini bar and certainly a TV so she could lounge in bed and watch Netflix for hours,” Wood predicts.

To complete the hotel-inspired look, Eloise would bookend her bed with matching nightstands and sconces.

Junie B. Jones always brought a fun, youthful attitude to every situation—and decorating her bedroom would be no exception.

“Her space would be bright and cheerful, just like her,” Wood explains.

Junie would splash her room in warm, inviting colors such as millennial pink. As if bright colors aren’t enough, our favorite headstrong and humorous girl would add some pun-tastic posters that pack a punch.

“She might have a few quirky pieces that reflect the modern world like a ‘Fri-yay’ pillow or a piece of art that says ‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ in a script font,” she predicts.

Instead of sticking to sleek (and somewhat boxy) mid-century furniture, Junie would opt for fun, curved furniture. After all, your space should always put a smile on your face—at least that’s something Junie would definitely say.

Polished accessories like a solid rug and a globe chandelier would give her home a grown-up flair. As Junie B. Jones said on that stinky bus, books are her favorite things in the whole wide world, so she’d definitely stack them in a floor-to-ceiling bookcase.

Want more UnReal Estate? Check out what the “Game of Thrones” castles would look like as modern-day homes!