Here’s How I Transformed My Little Girl’s Room into a Tween Bedroom!
Kids grow up so fast, don’t they? 😳
One second you’re watching Elmo and reading Goodnight Moon together. Then you blink and they’re into fashion, sports, and making silly 10-second music videos on their phones! 😆
When my daughter was turning 11, I re-decorated her room to lose some of the baby-ish elements as part of her birthday gift. Luckily, she wanted to keep a similar grey, beige, and pink color palette, so today I’m sharing how we accomplished a fun bedroom refresh! It ended up being perfect for my tween girl without it being a huge expense or time sucker.
Hip Tip: If you’re wanting a paint refresh in your home, check out these paint samples that require no paintbrush at all and peel right off your wall when you’re done with them!
Check out her before!
She’s had the same furniture and accessories since she was three! Her little antique bed was low to the ground – perfect for a little one and her tiny first tutu was the perfect toddler addition. 😍
Her room is pretty small, so I have always kept things pretty simple. The diamond-shaped accent wall was a DIY project I accomplished one weekend years ago that required painter’s tape and tons of patience!
This is what her room looks like now!
The biggest components I added were a larger bed that sits higher and a desk for homework and crafts. I’m not personally a fan of placing a bed in the corner, but for Lily’s smaller room, it makes sense so it creates more space in the center.
This beautiful iron bed was mine as a child, and my sweet Grammy’s as a kid before that. I’m so glad my parents saved it for me, and that my own daughter gets to use it now, which is super meaningful. ❤️
Shop a similar bed!
- Amazon DHP Jenny Lind Metal Bed Frame (a great knockoff of this Crate & Barrel bed!)
- IKEA SAGSTUA Bed Frame
Big girls also need space for homework!
I scored this pretty white sawhorse style computer desk on Amazon (which is unfortunately sold out) but creating a quiet space where she can do her work and crafts was important as she enters her teen years.
The Pillowfort shag rug and blue metal chair were the missing pieces that pulled it all together. The rug came from Target, but I actually scored the chair from a local store called DownEast Home (here is an identical one at Target)!
One request from my daughter for her tween bedroom was to have some trendy hanging faux succulents which I think add such a fun, grown-up element. Now they hang right beside her windows (which are also complete with pink and white Pillowfort striped curtains from Target).
Shop similar hanging succulents!
The bedding in her room really came together, too!
She picked out this pretty solid blue braided bedding from the Lauren Conrad collection at Kohl’s and I love the soft texture and feminine look of it while still giving the appearance of a more sophisticated room. We also picked up the sweet white eyelet bed skirt at Kohl’s which would even make for a great transitional piece if you’re decorating a toddler’s room.
Lily still likes flowers so although she had a frilly, floral one before, we sourced a pillow that was a bit more adult looking like this square floral pillow from Bed Bath & Beyond.
Shop similar throw pillows!
Because I believe every room needs a fantastic throw blanket, we splurged on this super high-quality pink pom-pom blanket! I love how it pulls the bedding together and adds such great texture and interest. 🙌
The new wall art was a must!
The little framed tutu wasn’t cutting it for my 11-year-old, so I visited my favorite HomeGoods and found the trendy macrame hanging piece and framed dream catcher print on clearance for around $30 – and that was for both. 🙌 You could potentially find something similar at your local store or shop all the popular macrame wall hanging options on Amazon.
The abstract painting in the middle was less than $15 at Ross which pairs so well with the other two pieces!
Shop these other boho decor ideas if you have more wall space to fill:
Finally, the IKEA picture ledges above the bed are so perfect for displaying favorite framed photos and books. Since IKEA is closed and shipping might be costly at the moment, here are similar picture ledges I found on Amazon.
We kept this versatile element in her room so she can easily change out the displays as her style and taste changes. 🙌
My goal was to design a more grown-up room while still keeping it girly!
Lily is such a fun kid with so much personality and style, and I feel like this room reflects her so well. She loves having her friends over in this space, and it’s also super functional for doing homework.
Best of all, we enjoyed completing this project together, and I had a blast incorporating her input along the way as well! ❤️
It is adorable! We just made the same change! She loves it.
Thanks so much!
It looks great, but what kind of desk chair is that? Seriously, it’s cute and I want it.
Hi, yes we linked a chair just like it where it talks about the desk – from target. Hope that helps!
Love it! Thank you for the ideas and resources. It’s great timing for us and similar to my daughter’s wish list.
We’ve partially updated my daughter’s room 3 times since it was her nursery (aside from switching from a crib to a bed, we’ve mostly just swapped bedding and accessories) but now that she’s almost 11yo she’s asking for a more mature and soft/cozy room and her current furniture doesn’t really work for her any more so we’ve been discussing and pinning.
Thanks so much! And that’s fun you’re thoughtfully discussing and planning ❤️👍
So cute! Can you have a post about transitioning a toddler boy to a big bed? The best mattress, frame, bed size etc would be amazing! I was thinking a full size bed but not sure about ordering a bed in a box (tuft and needle)
Thanks! And thanks for the feedback!
We bought a convertible crib but when our daughter made the transition our 2nd and 3rd bedrooms were pretty small so she ended up going straight from her crib to a twin bed. We bought the headboard/footboard from Craigslist. I think we put pillows and cushions on the floor for a while but, unlike my niece and nephew, she wasn’t a restless sleeper so falling out wasn’t a problem. We put a baby gate across her bedroom doorway and used a baby monitor so she couldn’t get into trouble if she woke up in the middle of the night. That rarely happened, although there was a period that convincing her to stay in bed at bedtime and not walk over to the gate was hard. Checking on her occasionally but minimizing interaction and going to our room (further from her than the living room) helped and that phase eventually ended.
The twin bed has worked great until now (she’ll be 11 in July). Although I slept on a twin until I moved out, since her current room is big enough we’re looking into upgrading to a full sized bed. If you plan to live in your current home for a while and your son’s room is big enough for a full size I’d go ahead and get that – the extra room would be great for bedtime stories or if he sleeps with a bunch of stuffed animals. There are lots of safety rails available or you can DIY something with pool noodles if you’re concerned he’ll roll out of bed. Until recently, my daughter was fine with an inexpensive, firm mattress.
Lina, this looks really good!! It is inviting and cozy. It will be a nice place for her to retreat to! Great soothing colors!
Oh thanks Jill! 💕
Wow! Lucky girl.
So cute! Wish my teen was a little girlie. She wants zero color & upgrades other than taking out all things for a younger child! Ugh 😥
Thanks so much! And ahhh yes my son is kinda in that mindset too with his room.
So pretty!! You have such a good eye Lina!! I would be happy with this room as an adult!!😂
Oh haha thanks so much Rebecca for the sweet comment! 💕
Any resource info for the reading lamp on the nightstand? thank you if so!
Love it! About to do the same for my 11 yo daughter. I suggested this once a few years ago, but any chance you guys might consider starting posts with who the writer is? I had no idea this was a Lina post when I read this earlier today when there weren’t any comments yet. With more staff, sometimes it’s hard to tell off top whose “voice” it is. Thanks for listening!
Oh ok thanks for the feedback – I’ll share with team. Usually our names are after title of post, unless you’re visiting from the H2S app, where author names aren’t on there currently. Thanks!!
Oh, I see. I pretty much only use the app. Thanks!!
I love when you do these types of posts. Thank you!
Oh yay! Thanks!
I’m loving all the “normal life” posts – more please! I’m still working from home and missing social interaction. I was turning to FB (the only social media account I have) to connect but all the various current events have made that a stressful place. I’ve been a reader since before my daughter was born so this bit of normalcy/human interaction has been a welcome respite lately. Thank you Hip Team!
Ah yay I love creating these with our team too! Thanks for the feedback!
Our tween upgrade included adding a tufted grey headboard, replacing the light fixture with an Inexpensive chandelier from ikea, adding a neutral white bookcase and desk, and those brilliant ikea picture shelves that she swaps around depending on her mood. Lately, the PBTeen sale allowed us to upgrade her duvet bedding and it made a huge difference. 100% agree on a larger bed. Hers is filled with piles of books 🤣
Wow that all sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing 💕