Gray/Pink Teen Bedroom Reveal

Thanks for the great response to the High/Low post about Margaret's gray/pink teen bedroom makeover! I have photos today of the room's current state, although it was hard to get the colors to show up perfectly with my phone.

We still have one MAJOR thing to do, which is to create a gallery wall on the long wall opposite the bed. This is where the room will really get its personal style, and considering how much time teens spend in their beds, eating, studying, watching Netflix, etc, she'll get to see it a lot. Margaret hopes to start by having some of the photos she's taken enlarged and printed in black and white. Can't wait to see what else she chooses. I tried to get whole room photos today, but clothes strewn about thwarted me. Hope these snippets will do!

This photo shows the nailhead trim headboard, bedding, Target lamp, and small mirrors from TJ Maxx.

To the right of the bed is an antique dresser that used to be my mom's. It could use a new coat of paint, but for now we just spray painted the knobs gold. This dresser has been every color of the rainbow.

On the other side of the bed is the Target lamp I LOVE on an end table I got out of the trash when Margaret was 2.

Further left is a rubbermaid storage shelf that we already had. We just bought gray/white cubes from Target to go in the top cubbies. 

She enjoyed picking the accessories from Target:

On the same wall as the rubbermaid storage is the vanity area. The vanity gets a lot of use. Here's the ghost chair, the Target desk and fluffy pillow, plus a gorgeous gold mirror I found by the side of the road.

One last thing: 

On the "don't you love social media?" front, here's a NEW mirrored night stand to replace the wooden one I got out of the trash! My childhood friend Brad and his wife saw the blog post last week and offered us 2 of these for free. They were just languishing in their exercise room! Margaret is THRILLED. "Doesn't that just take it up a notch?" she said. Yes, yes it does. I like it even better than the one I found on Amazon.

Her room is less cluttered than before, and she's really enjoying it and the sense of calm it brings, except for the pile of clothes on the floor. 

Now to get to that gallery wall... 

Duck, Duck, Goose!

For those of us who like to decorate, and re-decorate, I have a question. Have you ever considered the collateral damage? I refer to the fashions and trends we love one day and can't bear the sight of the next.

What of the forlorn, forgotten, rejected or despised icons of yesterday? Don't worry, I am certainly not advocating sticking with one look forever, thereby rendering our homes time capsules. In fact, Although I have some high quality antiques that seem to weather the trends and withstand my decorating whims, I, too, get jazzed up by the flavor of the month.

One of my biggest reasons for being a thrifty decorator is that I don't believe in putting tons of money into something that won't float my boat a few years down the road. An expensive neutral couch? Sure. A pricey brightly patterned ottoman? Not so much. That's what HomeGoods is for. By spending less now I free up my money and give myself permission to change my look later.

Now you might be thinking, "Anna, I have a timeless decorating style. What I choose today will most certainly be the way I decorate forever." I beg to differ. For many of us, "timeless" merely refers to "Until the next TIME I'm ready to re-decorate." And if that time happens to take the form of a little 2 a.m. fluffing and furniture moving, or an afternoon of spray painting when wind conditions are less than ideal, then so be it.

Still in denial? Let me share a few words with you: Hunter Green. Pouf. Borders (as in wallpaper, not the ailing bookstore), Sunflowers.

Why, let's look at the Waverly Ivy Patterned Coupon Holder Tom got me for my Master's degree graduation. You read that correctly. Yes, I still married him. It was a notoriously sucky gift, but he chose it because, "I know how much you love ivy, Anna." True that. In 1993 I loved loved loved ivy so much I could have kissed it. Now? Meh.

I guess you get my drift. I don't think we need to be wed to any one look. Just as a shoe junkie gets hopped up thinking of whether it's going to be a strappy or chunky year for sandals, "house people" drool over aqua and celadon and greek key patterns, and that's our idea of fun.

But before I leave, I beg you to join me as we think of the plight of the poor, hardworking Home Fashion Fowl. Consider the rooster who in recent years was spotted on our stoneware, dishtowels, murals and lamps. It was enough to make him feel invincible, or even a little bit cock-y.

This aging Lothario saw his popularity begin fade when songbirds-- adorable chubby breasted finches and chickadees-- took over on fabric and stationery and dishes and...blogs. Poor rooster and his wattle didn't stand a chance. And who is to say that the pretty little birdies are here to stay? I look around my house and see ceramic birdies and a bird paperweight and a bird pillow and bird jewelry and... and... and...



To see what the future holds, they need look no further than the lowly, dependable goose--neck adorned with a ribbon or wreath-- who graced our knick knacks and paddy whacks throughout the 80's and early 90's. Where is this goose now? Hanging out at the thrift shop next to a used gyno table, patiently awaiting a comeback. But there is hope for all Home Decor Fowl! Consider the owl, who last had his heyday surrounded by 'shrooms and macrame and fern fronds in the 70's. All he can say now is Looook Whoooooooo's Back!