Sunday, October 31, 2010

My Toy Room to Teen Room Transformation!

My children are entering the teen years now. As they grow and change the needs of our home have changed as well. One of the bedrooms over our garage had been a "toy room", filled with plastic Little Tikes Kitchens, Legos and Trains- a place for forts and building castles. My teenage daughter suggested that we re-decorate the "Toy Room" to be more Teen Friendly. I agreed and so (sadly for Mom) we have said to goodbye to Pokemon and American Girl Dolls.
Here is the room Before (actually we have two identical rooms above our garage, they are mirror images of each other and this photo is of other side). Like all decorating projects we had Goals, Restrictions and a Budget. The Goal was a room for for sleepovers, a place to do school projects where they could spread things out (and not be near their parents), and a place to hangout with friends and watch Movies and I-Chat! Our main Restriction was the doorway size. It is only 27 inches wide. And our Budget was $2500.
Here is the room after we ripped up the old carpet. Then we painted the trim BM White Dove and the walls BM Lighthouse Landing. Paint cost $4o. Paint, as always is an immediate improvement!
The kids were allowed to choose everything in the room and I treated them like clients on our shopping trip. We found this great, thick wool rug at HomeGoods for $600. (did I mention how much I love HomeGoods for rugs??) The kids liked the Pottery Barn feel and the blue and brown color scheme. While we were there the kids scouted some great pillows that matched and two small microfiber ottomans. All together we spent $800.
Meanwhile at home, my sister, who LOVES to organize, came over and sorted through all our arts and crafts supplies and organized everything in the old bins which used to hold plastic food and Matchbox cars. Now it is a perfect go to space for all the supplies we need for projects at school.
Thank you, Sandra! Cost - priceless!
We couldn't let go of the blocks, (well I couldn't) so they stayed put and we moved an old bookcase into the walk in closet for extra storage for paper and other supplies.
Dramatic drum roll.... Here is the Before.
And the After! We found this thin couch at Macy's and once we took the feet off it fit through our tiny doorway! The sectional microfiber couch was $1400 and the bar table and leather stools $199. at Overstock.com.
Inspirational artwork was $50 on clearance! Bookcase, side table, and TV we already had!
The total Teen Hangout Room Makeover cost was.....$2489!!
We still had money left over for a Movie and some snacks!! We found some wonderful bargains, stayed with in our budget and came out with a great room! The kids are thrilled and call it their "Hang Out Room" - I call it a success!!
'
Also a heartfelt thank you to the many, many kind readers who sent me get well wishes and prayers. I am truly blessed to have so many friends in blogland. I was beyond touched! xoxo
(all photos Willow Decor and not to be copied without permission)

23 comments:

  1. Looks terrific! You packed alot into that $2489. Love the rug.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the colors they went with! Cannot go wrong with shades of blues, beige and browns. Tell the 'teen's it rocks :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. it turned out PURRRRRRFECTLY!!

    xx does the blonde doll come with the room?
    what a cutie!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great job, Gina, your kids must be thrilled! Plus, a lot of bang for your buck. Hope you're feeling better too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That rug is great. Love the new look.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gina,
    I'm impressed & I bet the kids love it. I've been there with the American Girl Dolls. That was a sad day. Looks like lot's of room for lot's of fun.
    xo Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow great makeover! And you stayed in your budget, congratulations, it's beautiful and functional.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful transformation! I think it is amazing that you did so much with a limited budget, it looks like a good size room too. I am glad you are feeling better:)

    Amy R.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This turned out totally rad! What a thoughtful mom you are! When can I come over and hang out? Ooops, sorry, forgot I'm not in the age bracket anymore, darn. Ann

    ReplyDelete
  10. G--Totally amazing! You are so talented! Zinga

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi dear, a little side trip to the hospital did not stop you from taking a room from drab to fab!

    Well done, Gina! I think the whole neighborhood is happy! (: (Because this is the place where ALL the kids will be hanging out).

    Love to you, Mon

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous transformation. The colors are lovely and the rug has to be the best piece in the room - it gives the room it's character.

    I am super impressed with your teen's choices. Would love to share this room with my readers. Maybe you can upload your story here - www(dot)decoratingideas4kidsrooms<dot)com / teenagers-room<dot)html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great makeover! Love the area rug and the dog silhouette cushions. And the ottomans are a beautiful shade of blue :-)

    I'm sure your kids and their friends will love spending time in their new hangout :-)

    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm impressed about the make-over!Your room is certainly inspirational! It's beautiful!
    You truly transformed your space. It's gorgeous.Thanks For sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Beautiful transformation! My favorite is the rug. MY favorite rug was also purchased at Home Goods. That store is soooooo wonderful! Glad I found your blog today! -diane

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fantastic makeover! Looks like a teen hangout heaven (and beyond)to me. I'm currently reorganizing my closets and I really wish I had a sister like yours!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What an amazing transformation! Well done.

    You may have heard by now that the beloved Visual Vamp needs our help.
    I am hosting an online auction this Friday to benefit Valorie and could use a bit of help spreading the word.
    Please stop by my blog for more details.

    Be blessed,
    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  18. lindas imagens.Obrigada por compartilhar.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Gina, I have not stopped by in a while....but hope you are on the mend and everthing is good. : )

    Love your room re-do but mostly I loved the " before" picture of your little girl.

    It was so classic and heart warming!

    They do grow up too fast...but always are our "babies"

    xxookelley

    ReplyDelete
  20. Fabulous makeover for the most important room in the house Gina! Glad to hear you are feeling better & yes, hospital decor can be attractive & still be functional. When will they get that it will assist in a patient's recovery!
    Millie ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  21. The 'silver lining' print if GORGEOUS and whimsical. Love it.

    Leigha

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh how I like the transformation. This gave me an idea on how to rearrange on my room. Keep it up!

    ReplyDelete

Please leave comments! I love to hear from you!

But since we have had a recent influx of Anonymous comments, I will not post comments which do not have an email account listed with them. This will cut down on spam.

If you are inquiring about a paint color, finish, etc, please take a moment to read through all the comments. More often than not it has been identified. If not, please send me a direct email.

Finally, please no advertisers. Thanks so much for reading!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.