Monday, August 19, 2013

Olivia's Room

For Olivia's 13th Birthday, she wanted to redo her room.

The teenager in question - getting ready to help me paint....


Her room was originally the guest bedroom and while it was sweet and feminine, she wanted something that was a little more HER.

So, we moved her to another spare room upstairs which - while a tiny bit smaller square footage-wise - had a better layout for her.
In progress - getting ready to paint the walls - ceiling and trim is done!

This room was the "catch all" room upstairs - all of the clothes the girls outgrew and were waiting to be passed on were in here, along with a few pieces of furniture.

That other doorway is Sydney's room - which is next on the list!
The closet in this room was a full size closet (a big plus over the closet in Liv's current room, which was half the size and shortened due to being over the stairs) but only had a single door opening.

So, we widened the opening for easier storage and access.

Of course, this means we had no door for her closet. 

Olivia chose all of the colors and materials - she wanted teal and zebra.

I think she chose well actually. 

Tiffany blue


I was afraid it would be too dark for this size room, but  it's quite cozy. 





The only problem was that we wanted to get her a new bed.  We thought a twin would work better in here, since the room was smaller and she had a lot of other furniture she wanted to place in here. 

I scoured Craigslist and thought about just getting a mattress and frame until I could find what we wanted.

Then I visited the ever helpful Ana White's website.

I've been dying to make a piece of furniture.

So I figured why not start with something simple?

Luckily, my dad is a great woodworker and helped me on my first foray into furniture building. 
The bed frame - ready for sanding!
I sanded that baby to within an inch of its life - it's sooooo smooth!!
It's a platform bed, which- as any mother of a teenager knows - means less crap shoved under the bed, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. 
I LOVE THE FEET!!!
I loved the bed, but I wanted to try something different for the headboard
I wanted an upholstered headboard, but wanted to be able to change it if she wanted to change the theme of the room. 

The Headboard

So, we went off plan and used a large piece of ply board and attached a raised frame so that we could insert the upholstered part.  That way, I can remove the headboard from the frame with a few screws, pull out the insert, change the fabric, insert it back into the headboard and reattach it to the frame. 

That small gap will hold the insert in the headboard. 

The next step - paint or stain?

We thought about white paint, but ultimately Olivia chose a dark stain - she thought it looked nicer than paint and a bit more mature. 

(Secretly I was more than relieved)

Seriously- aren't these just gorgeous?  I just love them.

I used Min-Wax Stain and Poly in one and honestly, I don't think I'll use that again for a project like this.  
I just didn't like the finish as much. 
Stain, sand, repeat.  Again and again and again....

Then it was time for the headboard.   

I attached foam to a piece of thin ply board and then wrapped in it batting and stapled the back. 

I had to trim the side of the foam so it would squeeze in the insert. 

Waiting for the adhesive to dry

Olivia picked out this material - via pictures I was texting her from the fabric store.

And it was marked down from $12.99 a yard to $4.99 a yard.  BONUS! 


Ready to be put together!!! 

This is not the greatest picture, but I wanted to show how the insert fit in the headboard. 

It went in so easily, but it's tight and since it rests on the frame, the insert doesn't move at all. 



Once the headboard was done, I attached it to the bed frame using some 2 x 6 boards that were as tall as the headboard.  The headboard is very large and top heavy, so I screwed that sucker on tightly. 

It's pretty sturdy.

OK - are you ready for the final product?  




Of course, no teenage girl's room is complete without One Direction posters, amiright?




The vanity was a hand me down from a friend.  
I painted it and covered the top in contact paper so she can just wipe it off. 


The mirror is her old "Disney" mirror (it was pink with crowns).

A little gold paint and it's a little more dignified. 







No closet door?  No problem!  A zebra sheet works just fine thankyouverymuch. 

Looking in from the door


We still have some shelves to hang for her cheer trophies and window treatments would be nice. 

We also have two more strings of lanterns that need to be hung so they will be all the way around the room and we need to get her a very tall, very thin dresser.  I'm thinking IKEA? 

So, my first time building furniture and I am HOOKED!  I already have a few ideas for my next project! 

Brian's a little scared....



Becolorful