The last time Kaylee’s room got a makeover? Eleven years ago when the bedroom became her nursery. A mish mash of hand-me-down furniture, baby pink walls, and color everywhere, the space no longer reflected Kaylee’s personality or her more grown up taste. Enter Kaylee’s interior design fairy godmother and aunt, Kelly Lee of Kelly Golightly, to help make her niece’s design dreams come true. 

BEFORE:

Despite the bright color of her walls and her curtains, the room still didn’t feel very bright because a tall dresser and desk/hutch blocked one of the two windows in the space. “It looked like so many kids rooms with too much color and lots of stuff everywhere. Her closet didn’t have a door, so you could see the chaos in her closet and on her bookshelves,” explains Kelly.

AFTER:

The first step to revamping this space was getting a game plan in place. “Kids are surprisingly good at knowing what they want, it’s even easier than dealing with adults,” says Kelly. “They’re direct so if you listen and can translate that in a way that feels age appropriate, you’ll both be happy.” Kelly had Kaylee pin bedroom decor ideas she liked to Pinterest and from there a common thread started to emerge—lots of white, cozy fur accents, and twinkle lights. Kaylee really wanted a room that felt calm, but functional. She also wanted a queen-sized bed for sleepovers, a bigger bookcase because she loves to read, and a vanity.

Sometimes simple is best when it comes to bedroom paint colors for teens. “I knew I wanted white walls to calm and freshen the space. We used Clare’s Whipped on the walls, which is a nice, warm white and on the trim and moldings we used Clare’s Fresh Kicks, a slightly different white so the trim could pop. On the ceiling we used Clare’s flat white Ceiling Paint,” says Kelly. “All of these whites worked so well together and were the fresh backdrop the room needed. When it comes to paint, you can never go wrong with white. It allows you to change out accessories easily over the years too.”

After establishing that classic base, Kelly and her husband got to work mocking up teen bedroom ideas for the room. Kaylee ended up loving a classic print of Audrey Hepburn and that become the color palette inspiration. Even though her requests were simple, the lack of space was a slight challenge. “We had to be thoughtful about where things could go and prioritize what was most important. We almost went with a smaller bed so we could fit a fun hanging chair in the corner, but ultimately a queen size bed was much more important to her,” says Kelly. “She wanted lots of storage for books, so we went with a tall bookshelf, but in Lucite, so it has a light footprint. Her vanity also doubles as a nightstand. We got smart about offering good storage, it keeps the room feeling light and calm.”

Ultimately Kaylee got a room re-do that will last thanks to a classic color palette and quality furniture and accessories. Kelly gently led Kaylee to choose a timeless backdrop that will grow with her, plus thanks to the clean and crisp paint color, if she does want to change things up it’s as simple as switching out the teen bedroom decor for different pieces. Leave it to teens to up the tech factor too. Kaylee’s room features motorized blinds, smart light switches she can control from her phone, and is hooked up to an Echo Dot for access to Alexa. Kids these days!

The first step in designing a beautiful space? Choosing the perfect paint colors!