A Small 9x10 Tween Bedroom With Style
This tween girl room makeover has been a long time coming. Of all the rooms in
our home, this petite 9x10 room is the one that has taken the longest to get just right. But
now we're ready for Chloe to to settle into this room for many years to come.
Perhaps I should have called it a teen bedroom makeover because this room is
sure to meet her needs throughout her teenage years.
Tween Girl Bedroom
The interior design of this tween room has definite coastal flair and I'm thrilled with how it
finally all came together.
The road to redecorating wasn't without its obstacles though. Kids rooms tend to be small rooms which make them particularly challenging. Typically, the bedroom layout needs to accommodate storage space, room for the bed (twin beds, a full bed or queen bed usually), a small dresser, and a desk. That's a lot of furniture pieces in a small floor plan!
Over the years, I struggled with the layout
of this small bedroom and fell down a path of mixing too many
trendy tween bedroom decor ideas
together in one space. Not anymore! Before I dive into the details of this refreshed room,
let's look at where it started, four years ago!
We haven't increased the square footage but we've definitely amped up the style in this small space and made it feel like a brand new room! It goes to prove that numerous pieces of bedroom furniture, small closets, and limited space in a single bedroom don't have to feel cramped. You can give the illusion of a larger space if the layout of your room is just right.
Small Bedroom Layout
Do you struggle with the size of your room? I feel 9x10 would be the minimum bedroom size to fit a twin or double bed, desk or dresser, and small side table. Any smaller and you won't have enough space to move around. I tried many different layouts in this room but the best is as it is laid out currently:
- the double bed is tucked furthest from the entry door along the long wall. This creates a focal point when you walk into the space and seeing the long side of the bed helps elongate the space.
- instead of a standalone dresser or dressing table which uses up valuable square feet, we've tucked modular wardrobes into the reach-in closet. You can see that closet makeover here.
- placing a long desk opposite the wall allowed for ample space in the middle of the room. We made sure to position the desk so that it didn't impede the door swing.
You can try laying out a super tricky room like this on graph paper. Here's a few tips to keep in mind when arranging your room:
- Consider your bed size. A twin or full/double will fit fine and leave extra space, but a queen size bed or king bed will use up all your room
- Think about where you will put your clothes storage unit. Will you have a small dresser or clothing rack in the room? Could you use a lift-up storage bed, or place pull out drawers or bins under the bottom of the bed?
- Can you make use of vertical wall space? Hanging cabinets or wall shelves are a great option for storing personal items
I challenged myself to complete this tween girls bedroom makeover on a budget. I've reused some of the furniture, moved items from other parts of the home, and DIY'd a few accessories.
You'll notice that from the "During" version to the "After" version, we kept
the wallpaper
and white paint the same, but now they work so much better in the room! The
wallpaper is a faux blue grasscloth and I truly believe it is
the easiest wallpaper for beginners to install. It's amazing how the new decor fits in with this blue and white beachy
palette.
The blue and white is a versatile color palette. I think with a few changes in accessories and furniture, the walls could look just at home in a bedroom for a teenage boy.
All in all, this tween girls bedroom functions AND looks so much better than
it did before. It's a room that isn't overly adult or juvenile. It's a
classic coastal room that feels calm, serene and pretty. Chloe loves
spending time in her room now and I'd say that is the best indication this
makeover was a success.
Tween Girl Bedroom Ideas
Let's talk decor. How do you decorate a tween or teenage
girl's bedroom? I start bedroom design with the furniture. A comfy bed, a side table, and a
desk and chair are all that you really need. Once your child is a tween,
you'll probably want to consider switching out the kid-sized desk and single bed for larger pieces.
To make the most use of the space and give a pleasing view as you enter
the room, we tucked
the full size bed in the corner and put the desk on the opposite wall. Changing out
the old
Pottery Barn Kids desk and hutch
for a larger but sleeker desk was an easy way to eliminate some of the visual clutter.
The addition of
a larger rug
also helped to pull this design together. I had previously used a smaller
rug in this room so it wouldn't impede with the movement of the desk chair
but in reality, the smaller rug made the room feel awkward and disjointed.
This
jute herringbone rug
is a classic. We used it in our last home in
our tropical dining room
and it adds natural texture and warm colour to this breezy bedroom.
A desk is a necessity in every tween or teen bedroom. This is
actually my old desk, the Emerson from Structube. It's discontinued but
Structube
has lots of other great and affordable desk options. We've placed the desk against one wall which provides enough room and floor space to move about.
I prefer my desks to have a light, large desk surface and storage. This
one has been the perfect place for remote learning, with room for a laptop,
adjustable
desk lamp, a
water carafe, and the small trendy items tweens love to have (which in 2021 are
scrunchies, candles, and Tombow markers).
A
faux palm tree placed in a tall planter is a great way to fill up the corner and add
vibrant colour. I like to have real or faux plants in every room. The
chair is
a dining chair
I had in my bedroom. I've painted the dark wood legs in leftover blue grey
paint to better match the colour scheme.
Tween Desk Accessories
The desk area also contains two must-have accessories. First is
a large pinboard. This also used to be in my home office, but it's much more suited here. The white fabric contrasts nicely against the blue walls.
Let's be honest, kids love to have their things on display and showcase their personal taste. From their artwork,
photos of friends, to awards and certificates, they like to have their
favourite mementoes out where they can see them. A large
framed pinboard keeps those items visible and contained in one spot. Chloe likes to
journal so you'll find calendars, mood trackers, and hand-drawn charts on
her pinboard.
The second must-have is a place to store and charge electronics. This
bamboo charging station helps keep all the devices and cords neat and orderly. Chloe
charges her ipad and phone on the stand overnight and I turn off her wifi
from 10pm-8am to ensure there's no late night texting ;). The arm of the
adjustable desk lamp has also proven to be a convenient place to store her
wireless headphones.
Tween Bedroom Ideas for a Small Room
Chloe's room is not large, only about 9'x10'. There's not a lot of
furniture and decor in her room but what there is, has impact. Here's a
few ways to maximize space and style in a small bedroom:
- Opt for furniture with storage. This side table (great price and it comes in a variety of colours!) has ample drawers and a shelf. It's really well made (we also have it in our guest bedroom) and the drawers slide nicely
- Layer your window coverings. Give your window a grander presence by layering a curtain panel over a woven window blind.
- Look up. Incorporate stylish lighting or fun fairy lights on the "fifth wall": the ceiling. This blue beaded chandelier is a beautiful additional to the room and invokes that coastal feeling.
Here's a closer look at Chloe's bed. There was a time when Chloe was adamant about having a bunk bed, but I think this double bed is better in the long run as she grows into a young adult. I'm happy to say that the bed was the
only major purchase I made for the room. Most everything else I already
had so this was truly a budget makeover!
As I mentioned before, I had coveted the
Serena and Lily Harbour Cane bed
for a very long time but it was way out of my price range. I took a chance
on this more affordable version, the
Penn bed on Wayfair, even though there were no reviews on the site at the time I
purchased. The white frame and caning are the peak of coastal chic. I love
how the warm tone of the caning is echoed in the
monstera art print
above the bed.
Wayfair increased the price of the bed from $769 to $1249 CAD shortly
after I purchased it which is quite a jump. One other questionable factor
was the recommendation on the Wayfair site to use a low-profile boxspring.
We purchased a 4" boxspring but when we added our 9" mattress, the bed was
much too high with the top of the mattress only about 2" shorter than the
footboard.
We ended up having to resell the boxspring on Facebook Marketplace
(because we had opened the packaging and couldn't return it. Ugh!) and
then just used plywood as a base for the bed. The mattress now sits at the
right height.
Memory Foam Mattress
Speaking of the mattress, I'm an #EndyPartner and was thrilled when they
gifted a
full size mattress and
pillow
for use in this project. I've only ever heard great things about
Endy and love that they
are Canadian-made. I borrowed
the pillow
for myself and will report back on how I like it. It's customizable and
you can remove the shredded memory foam filling to provide the level of
support you want.
For a girl who typically tosses and turns all night and complains that
she's too hot, the Endy mattress has completely transformed Chloe's
sleeping habits. She is loving how "cozy" (her words) the memory foam
mattress feels and it's literally a struggle to get her out of bed in the
morning. I'm a fan too and can't imagine going back to a traditional
mattress, ever.
I've dressed the bed with throw pillows and pretty bedding from Target. The
textured duvet
and
organic cotton sheets have a light, airy feel. I've complemented them with striped
pillows from
Tonic Living
and a floral pillow from
Pepper B.
Tween Clothes Organization and Storage
I've used the area at the end of the bed to provide additional storage. We had considered putting a hanging chair in this corner (a teenage favourite!) but it would have impeded opening of the closet doors. Instead, I added storage on the wall and used the vertical space.
A Shaker peg rail (find a DIY tutorial here) provides a handy spot to hang hoodies and backpacks. I modified our original design to incorporate a shelf and Sean built it, but you can find similar peg rails with shelf on Etsy
The
wicker basket? It stores all the stuffed toys Chloe doesn't want to part
with but feels she's outgrown ;). A tween or teenage girl's bedroom is a personal space and should reflect and hold those things that are special and dear to her.
I love the natural wood pegs against the white. The shelf is a cute spot to
display wall art in fun prints or a trailing plant.
Inside the closet, not much has changed. We
built in an IKEA Pax closet organizer
and it continues to work wonderfully. Chloe has grown so much over the last
six months that half the clothes in this photo don't even fit her anymore!
The PAX system is great for kids closets though because you can move and
reconfigure the inserts to suit the needs of your growing child.
If you have a 9x10 guest room that just isn't working, I hope I've inspired you to
give it a makeover. That doesn't always mean big renovations or drastic
changes are in order... sometimes you just need to pick different
furniture and decor and move things around. Getting home right takes time
and practice!
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