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I recently completed a 17th Birthday makeover of my teenage daughter Phoebe’s bedroom. This is the end result, and below, her “old” room taken by John Petersik of Young House Love.

Her room was wonderful before, but kids grow and tastes change and she has ME for a mother! Phoebe wanted a bedroom that was lighter, calmer and quieter with lots of white punctuated by gold, and some pastel pops of color. She had me at “gold”!


We took an inventory of what we had that could be recycled, up-cycled, diy-ed, and repainted to fit into the new color scheme.


This is a before and after of Phoebe’s wash stand. 


The last timeI did a makeover of my daughter’s bedroom, I completed ALL of the work over a 3 day period while she was away on a 7th grade school field trip. The results were beautiful but the pressure of doing everything in such a condensed span of time did not leave much room for error! This time, I paced the work, doing one big project each week…for 6 weeks. I did wallpaper and painting one week, furniture makeovers the next, bedding and other accessories were purchased throughout as I watched for sales and specials. It took longer, but the process was much less stressful.


Teenagers’ lives go in a million directions. It is a blessing for them have an inviting place to come home to at the end of their day. There are certain “must haves,” a bed, storage, etc…and it helps to have a desk or work area. There remain so many “optional” item, a comfy chair, rugs, lighting, etc. Here I used an Ikea desk and PBTeen chair. 



The best rooms reflect the inhabitant (s). I painted a surprise portrait of my daughter’s beloved kitty Gus as a birthday gift. The portrait hangs in a place of honor and though cats are not allowed in dorms, her painting will follow her to college one day.


Gus the cat.


Gus keeps a watchful eye over our girl.


The girl who flies.


Phoebe is in love with her new room and so am I.