When my eldest daughter went off to college, it was a good opportunity to update her room with a more sophisticated look. It was painted a pretty green and had all the makings of a young teenage girl’s room.
Here are a few Before pictures:
In addition to green, her favorite color is black. Painting her room black was a bold move. But we have light floors (Canadian beechwood) and lots of white trim (baseboards, windows, doors, crown molding)…..to help break up any large expanse of black.
When you first walk in, there are two arched windows overlooking the front yard.
These windows face east and get the beautiful morning light.
I still wanted to keep her green desk chair and furniture but finding fabric that combined THIS green, black and white was a bit of a challenge.
We’ve never had curtains on these windows. I couldn’t figure out how to add curtains without covering up their architectural beauty.
After much pondering, I finally decided to do one big panel. The large drapery pulls across both windows and tucks to one side when not in use. It has a black-out liner so my daughter is finally able to sleep in a dark room.
This panel was made by Smith & Noble, using their designer fabric line, Madcap Cottage. The fabric sample they sent matched the green and black perfectly~~the pattern was a bit of unconventional and playful. Plus their turnaround time was less than 2 weeks.
Her bed is tucked into an alcove that has a port hole window. The headboard and wall lamp are from Joss & Main; the duvet cover from West Elm. I made the bed skirt with leftover Waverly fabric I found in the basement. The matching decorative pillow was also made by Smith and Noble.
Her bathroom needed a facelift too. We replaced the tile countertop with Carrera marble and repainted the base cabinet semi-gloss black. The walls went from green to white.
Now when my daughter comes home from college, she has an updated room to use. Though it was a big leap of faith to paint this room black, I am very happy with the crisp results.
Desk and chair: Ikea
Door, window, trim color: Van de Cane DEW354 (a Dunn-Edwards paint but created by Sherwin-Williams)
Wall Color: Sherwin-Williams Caviar 6990
Drapery Rod and C-hooks: Smith & Noble
Fabric: Hello Hidcote/Nightfall (17910) by Madcap Cottage
Artwork: Original drawings by my daughter
Gabie - Tea End Blog says
I love the upgrade! The black doesn’t even look overwhelming and you’re right about it being balanced by the light and the white trim. It lends a very fresh but grounding look! I love it!
I love what you did to the bathroom also! Wow! What a difference a little paint makes!
Thanks for sharing your daughter’s room! She is sure to enjoy it because I sure would!!
Linda Riley says
Love it, Mary! A brave move and beautiful result. Suggestion box: Your collection of white doilies, and fancy linens could go nicely under the desk glass. Helpful hint to anyone making a dust ruffle. I have had great success with using simple pleats instead of gathering method. The result is some fullness but not puffy skirt look as with gathers a nice in-between look. Linda