apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I really like the bedding...and your idea of a color scheme. I do think you should paint the walls a color from the opposite side of the color wheel..a cool tone. Use the reds, pinks and oranges as accents. If you paint and accent in all the same colors your space will feel one dimensional and boxy. Having a lighter/cooler color for your walls will make your accents and beautiful bedding really pop! Then you can really use color, ie; red or orange as a color for a desk/play table/bookshelves. Its tough to make a color call from pics...but maybe a nice green, not sage but more celery colored would work. That's a tricky color though:) Also, I would put lighter color on the curtains since the bedding is so very bright and eye catching...make it the center piece! Good luck!

I agree with tully - I think a cooler color (and green in the bedding) would be a good choice. Another option would be to do khaki walls, with maybe a chocolate brown accent wall as it looks as there is some brown in the bedding.

I agree as well... to pick a different color for the walls and use your colors for accent. A grouping of artwork of your daughter would be fun, and some curtains hanging from a rod over the window. Shadow boxes and similar shelving would be nice. Since its a large room you could have an art area and maybe a reading nook too. I am thinking mustardy or sagey walls (I see sage on the bedding). Have fun!

for some accessories:
mini suitcases: http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=106&f=641&pc=16

little round rugs for color: http://www.garnethill.com/jump.jsp?itemID=15734&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C2773%2C5856%2C5862&iProductID=15734

You could get those brown monkey hooks from the container store that were posted here the other day.
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=69023&PRODID=10024133

These little jake chairs from Room and Board in orange would look cute. Maybe a table in white.
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19425&category=rm_kids&subcategory=kid_chr_stl_otto

hanging a grouping of paper lanterns above her bed or desk or reading chair would look pretty. pick colors that pull from the bedding.
http://www.lunabazaar.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=230

I agree with painting the walls a soft green that goes with the bedding. I think it would be nice to set up zones - one for reading, with her little pink chair and a light, and maybe a small table or bookshelf next to it, and a separate one with a table/chairs or a desk. You might consider white wall shelves - great ones at Ikea if you live near one. The ones at Room and Board show how cute they look with pictures and toys on them (later she can add her soccer trophies, pics of the next Edward Cullen, etc.):

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19604&category=rm_accessories&subcategory=acc_frame_ledge

I don't live near an Ikea, unfortunately, but I ordered these from homedecorators.com and have been happy with them:

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Deep_Display_Ledge/210/

For the area above her bed, you might want to put up some artwork that she has drawn or likes or family photos, or consider wall decals - you could do polka dots of your accent colors.

What if her daughter doesn't want the walls a different color?!

If you don't want to go to the trouble of painting again, then framing some of her school artwork for the walls is a good way to decorate. If it were me, I might paint a rainbow or something with shapes on the big wall, and you could still hang pictures and art there.

For the window, how about some fun curtains? That's fairly easy enough and doesn't require a day of work.

I second the idea of creating specific areas in the room: a small table and chairs in one area where tea parties and coloring can happen, a book nook...one of my favorites in my kids' rooms has been having long, low play surfaces with storage underneath. This can run the length of the wall, or however long you want. The long skinny lack shelf placed horizontally (ikea) :http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00045560 works for this, as does the expedit : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50103086 (a few different versions of this would work depending on how tall you want it). Anyway, it's not like ikea's the only place to find this stuff, it's just an easy reference point. But my kids have always really liked empty surface space at their height for all kinds of stuff: arranging elaborate toy set ups, building with blocks and legos, etc. Have fun!

You could add a clothing-line, with mini clothespins along that long blank wall at your DD's height, so that she can display her art all along it. I'd consider putting a mosquito-net or silk canopy above her little arm chair, turning it into a cozy reading nook--add a book shelf or book display along side. The IKEA Expedit is awfully handy for storing the plethora of kids' stuff, and we found that the Itso fabric bins from Target fit it perfectly, come in lots of fun colors, and seem a bit sturdier than the plastic bins that IKEA sells for the Expedit.

If you decided on a silk canopy for the area over the easy chair, you could order silk veils from Dharma Trading Co., like these http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3215316-AA.shtml?lnav=scarves_silk.html and dye them to match the canopy. They would be beautiful draped over the window like a curtain.

what a lil cutie :)

I personally wouldn't go through the trouble of painting a different wall... I think that color is perfect, neutral and oh so very girly :D

for kids rooms... my first stop is always IKEA.
Then target. Thrift stores are also fun for little knick-knacks and what not. I am a budget design type of mom ;)

so... i got a little too excited by this post and made a polyvore collage of what i thought would look nice in your daughter's room: http://www.polyvore.com/young_girls_room/set?id=8679401

this has all the prices of the items listed--such a great tool!

I think a few key items of furniture are all you really need in the room-- a bed frame, a desk, a bookshelf.

The rest is just fun stuff: a chalkboard decal, fun fabric to make pillows or other soft furnishings, string lights to make it a bit "magical", art work (also, do frame and hang a lot of your daughters work--there's nothing better:), and other fun accessories.

let us know what you end up doing!

I'd leave the walls the same (unless the girl who lives in the room wants to change them). Put up some curtains in chocolate brown with a thick, bright pink tieback ribbon that matches the brighter pink in the beadspread. Grab an expedit shelf from ikea or other large shelf for the one empty wall, and put a long playtable (or sturdy wall-mounted shelf) on the other.

Then head to a thrift store and find some old childrens' books that you like the illustrations in. Put them in cheap frames from Ikea and you have wall art! Ikea has some very cheap frames that fit standard letter size pages, so it is easy to see what will fit.

Also, Ikea has sets of round mirrors and rounded square mirrors that look very cool grouped in patterns on the wall.

Finally, add some pizazz with Blik wall decal (http://www.whatisblik.com/ for a huge selection of styles), and grab some chocolate brown throw pillows and a pink beanbag chair from Target to create a seating area in the corner with the chair you already have!

It will take some effort and probably about $250, but it could turn out really cute. You could save money by painting shelves you already have or thrifting them, or making your own curtains, or creating your own wall stencils! Good luck.

OMG nevermind, listen to Barbara S!

This one would be cute! http://www.whatisblik.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=RS-202

I don't have any suggestions about the room, but I want Barbara S to look at my girls rooms!