A Dreamy Farmhouse Girls Room

Our girls have always loved fashion, dressing up and design. One weekend when the kids and I were out of town, Jess took it upon him to dress up their room to match their love of all things pretty. We all love the farmhouse style so that was our main inspo for this space. He was so excited to get moving on the project, turning the outdated yellowy beige walls to a bright and happy white, dreamy space for our girls. There was a huge oversize bunkbed that was falling apart and blocking a lot of the natural light coming in the room. We took it down a few weeks prior to this project and the girls had a queen size bed they were sharing. The light fixture… was 2000’s circa builder grade dome light. We were just renting so there wasn’t a whole lot we could do, but we found a few things that could be done to spruce up the space.

We wanted a space that the girls felt was their own. One they could hang out with friends in, listen to their music or read a book. Some place that they could decompress from the day or daydream in. We also needed to be mindful of our landlord’s tastes, the style of the home and make sure that we were adding to the value of the home and not detracting from it. We felt confident we could pull it off and make all parties happy.

First things First:

The first thing Jess did was paint all the walls and ceiling a farmhouse white. Because we were painting the ceiling and replacing the trim, we didn’t need to tape anything off. He did remove the trim prior to painting. We generally start by cutting. If you are new to DIY and painting walls, cutting refers to painting nooks and crannies that rollers can’t reach, basically starting off your paint project with a boarder. Some people like to roll first and then cut after. We happen to prefer it done first. I think it’s all just personal preference.

Painting the room white immediately brightened the space making it feel fresh, clean and happy. It was a safe color to paint, keeping it neutral for any future renters. Then he installed board and batten along the walls. This gave the room a classy, yet feminine touch. He put an artist ledge around the top edge so the girls would have a place to display all their fun art pieces. Then he painted the board and batten the same farmhouse white. Even though many think that white is boring, it gave our girls a blank slate to add the colors they love in things like their bedding and their artwork. It gave them a peaceful, dreamy space that our youngest said “feels like floating on clouds”.

Once the walls were complete, we added a new light fixture (hint: if you are a renter and change out a light fixture to fit your tastes, save the original fixture so you can replace it when you leave and take your treasured light with you).

Out With the Old:

After the lights were installed it was time to replace the bunk beds. Jess designed twin size beds with a nightstand between them that has an outlet and charging station. We loved the look of the woods and white as did our girls. The shiplap headboards and X crossed footboards add to the farmhouse vibe that we love and our girls love too. These beds were definitely a labor of love. They were not quite finished when we returned home, which meant that I was able to help stain and poly the beds. I really think the beds are my favorite part of the refresh. Jess has a CNC router and designed a honeycomb pattern that he filled with resin on the top of the nightstand. The girls love honeycomb, bees and hives so this pattern was the perfect topper. Adding this personal touch made it feel even more special to the girls.

The knots in the wood on the headboards makes each bed feel just different enough that they almost had their own personalities. The girls were so excited that they could tell their bed apart from each other. The frames are a basic bed frame made from wood as well. The best part is they didn’t have to share space under one bed anymore. They each had their own bed to stack shoes, backpacks or stuffed animals under. Do you dream of creating farmhouse style spaces? Maybe you dream of creating other styles, whatever style you like best, the most important thing as a DIY’er is to dig in and start today. Roll up your sleeves and jump in, creating the spaces you love in your home.

If You Rent:

So if you are renting, ask your landlord if there are things they are okay with you updating (like board and batten walls or neutral paint colors), you never know what they may be open to. Also, don’t be afraid to make your room or your home reflect your personality or tastes by adding new furniture (that you build yourself- like the beds) or changing out a light fixture. These are easy things that can make a rented space feel like your home.

The sad thing is… about 8 weeks after we refreshed the girls room and made it super pretty for them, we bought a fixer upper and moved. The girls were really sad, as you can imagine. So the first thing we did in the new home….you guessed it, we fixed up their room. Stay tuned as we will take you on the journey of fixing up our 1966 midcentury modern fixer upper.

Love;

Joleen & Jess