My oldest daughter Rachel’s birthday is the first week of January. Each year we struggle with gift ideas because Christmas was only two weeks ago. What else would this vibrant tween want or need?

Well, actually maybe more than we think. We only allow one gift from us and of course a gift or two from Santa. We are such bah humbug parents, aren’t we?

Birthday Bedroom Refresh

When Rachel turned 10, she asked that we paint her bedroom to any color she pleased.

The designer in me found this especially nerve-wracking because what I see in my mind’s eye definitely may not be in her tween design plans.

Well, I forgot that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Dark Walls

When she first mentioned she wanted dark blue, I didn’t think she meant it.

But oh boy, did this girl mean it!

We had three choices, Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, Stunning or Old Navy, all over each wall and we looked at all of them different times of the day.

My biggest concern about dark walls for a tween was that it looked too moody and mature. I still wanted her to enjoy youth and innocence and not go goth yet. Just kidding, she never would. Not her personality. But she is a true introvert.

Benjamin Moore’s Stunning took first place. And I now appreciate it even more two years later. It really is stunning! It has undertones of purple in broad daylight, it is a happy dark blue. We have never looked back.

It’s time to get shopping!

This month as most are doing, we decided to update and organize her room to the next level.

And when Home Goods reached out to help with this design adventure, we both said yes please!

We started off with this desk. My *best* Home Goods find yet!

You know that feeling when you find a treasure that’s finally on sale or just an unexpected surprise and you end up taking it home beaming with pride. That was how I felt! And I still feel it to this day!

It is the perfect desk for my daughter because she is a  complete minimalist. She hates clutter and is a neat and organized girl boss. I never have to worry about her leaving clothes on the floor or candy wrappers under her bed. That honor goes to my younger two. Ha!

The desk has clean lines design and three pull out compartments so Rachel easily can keep her favorite pens, pencils and desk accessories hidden. Gotta give her pesky two younger sisters no reason to come and snoop around!

Functional Seating and Storage

As my daughter matures, her friends come over and “hang out”. Done are the days of play dates. Now they just chill together in their rooms more.

Rachel didn’t have that much seating for her friends, so that was first on her list when we arrived at the first store.

Nothing appealed to her. Some were too modern, some too childish. We did stumble upon this cowhide bench. Unsure if it would fit in her room, we took it home anyway. Voila, it fit perfectly in her room!

The bench also acts like a book shelf. She is a avid reader and leaves her books everywhere! Now she can put her favorite books on this bench and read whenever she wants!

We headed to a second store for more storage and organization ideas.

Next up baskets. Home Goods is THE place to get any kind of baskets whether for function or aesthetic. The price you will get beats any other store.

Pro tip: I always look at Pinterest or other visual inspo then I try to find copycat looks at Home Goods. Almost 85% of the time, you can find something similar!

We found a large hamper basket for her laundry and some storage baskets that were metal and rattan for under the bench. She loves throw blankets so this is a easy way for her to organize and utilize space.

And of course, adding a turquoise geometric pouf so an extra friend can hang out for the win! This one from Home Goods looked like it was tailor-made for her room.

Don’t overthink home decor

As we headed to our third store, yep, we were determined, weren’t we?

We found this cute mid-century dip-dyed legs nightstand. But it didn’t look exactly like this picture.

At the store, the knobs were pink wooden hearts. Part of being a creative is seeing a vision that is futuristic.

Pro Tip: When you love a piece overall and it’s within reason and budget, go ahead and buy it and DIY it! Don’t overthink at the store. Especially if you can return. I knew I had two brass knobs leftover from the work loft cabinets. I wasn’t sure however if they would fit. I took a risk and it paid off.

Low Maintenance Style

Rachel loves low maintenance style. Her wardrobe consists of solid t-shirts, stripes, jeans and leggings. Very rarely will you see a print on her. So with bedding, I was pleasantly surprised that she was more open to pattern play!

Her favorite color is obvy blue. And the bedding had blue and turquoise. But the print was too busy for her.

We noticed the underside of the quilt was one repetitive pattern that she loved. So I suggested we flip it over and use that instead. Rachel agreed and we checked that off our list!

The perfect chair

For two years now, Rachel has been sitting on an old wooden dining Ikea chair from my graduate school days. Which is all fine but I went through a white chalking phase. Did you?

OH LAWD. Everyone and their mother touted how easy it was and how wonderful it looked! Just put it on anything and everything and your space will be transformed!

Uh, yeah. No. Nothing I “chalked” ever looked effortlessly stylish. Long story short, the chair I painted was grey due to daily use and just needed to go.

Keeping with the navy blue theme and playing off the turquoise accents in the bedding, we found the most amazingly perfect chair! Both of our eyes got as wide as could be and we squeezed each other’s arms tight!

This turquoise quilted faux leather rolling desk chair screamed Rachel’s name.

Creating an Illusion

As with designing any space, mirrors provide the illusion of grandeur and openness we all seek.

No lyin’, Home Goods is another go-to place for all kinds of mirrors. Why spend hundreds more when you can find it here?

I believe in high low designing and this is where Home Goods offers the best in low budget items with the high-end look.

We opted for a $29 mirror (yes $29!!) that was playful. The diamond texture offered visual interest. It didn’t quite fit above the bed but was just cozy above the cowhide bench.

Last Spring I was at the Long Beach Antique Mart, a version of the Rose Bowl Flea Market but closer to me.

I found a 1930s vintage round mirror. I knew it would be a nice vintage addition to my home. But 10 months later, it still was in the dark corner of my closet.

A light bulb went in my head. Dark wall+vintage decor! Can’t go wrong there! I sprinted to my closet, gingerly carried the mirror to her room. Lifted it above the bed and yes, it was destined to be there.

That is why I love designing. You just never know what will look good where. It is like solving an ever-changing puzzle. Visually pleasing and very satisfying when you find something that fits.

Rachel loves inspiration quotes, just like her mama. So prints like these worked well in her space. It added cute factor is that she is a bookworm and this “I love Books” print was especially fun to hang!

Decor Accents that Add Function

And of course, there has to be plants and rugs in every space for a warm, inviting vibe.

She didn’t want the pressure of killing a big plant so yes, yours truly let her buy a faux fiddle from Home Goods. What doesn’t this store not have?

We found two rugs to layer. So fun isn’t it? Layering rugs is one of my favorite ways to warm up a space, hide existing carpet and add a nice design layer.

 

Dressing up the walls

Last, we wanted to dress up the walls. I sincerely mean this, Home Goods is an excellent place to find great art finds at affordable prices.

Recently Emily Henderson wrote a blog post stating that generic art is a big No No. I don’t disagree with her. If you want a long-term investment in a space, real art is the way to go.

However, if you are like me always on a budget or considering this is for a growing tween,  Who knows what they will be into next?

So affordable *framed* art is a great practical yet pretty solution to add color, theme and variety to any room.

Remember when I said I sucked at chalking furniture? The one success I had was with this Hello sign. We found it at Home Goods but it was a dark brown that didn’t look appealing. I dug up old chalk paint leftover from that stint. It now looks fresh and bright against the dark blue wall.

Home Goods – One Stop Shop for all of your Organizational Needs

Does this inspire you to head over to Home Goods today and re-organize a place in your home that has been long neglected? I sure hope so!

I bet you will feel so good once it’s organized. Tell me about your organizational woes or project, I would love to hear!

Stop by the Home Goods blog for your every day inspiration along with these fantastic bloggers with more organizational projects!

Happy day!

This post was sponsored by Home Goods. However, all choices of Home Goods items selected and opinions are my own (and my daughter’s). I love sharing what is true to our family aesthetics and what really helps organize our home. Thank you for your support!

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