the summer before my lucy started middle school she wanted to buy new school clothes. in the past, i typically just dipped into the girls’ section on a target run and picked up dresses and leggings and tees in bright colors that featured unicorns, rainbows, hearts and glitter. i loved selecting happy outfits for her and she was always delighted with what i brought home. this time, however, she wanted to come along and weigh in on everything. at first i thought it might be fun.

(look at this sweet polka dotted dress… i couldn’t get her into something like this for love or money now)

(remember when missoni did a collab with target? i MISS dressing her in fun colors and prints!)

(i also miss when she dressed her own self in sparkle hearts and rainbow skirts)

we started at target (of course) and instead of checking out all the cute cat & jack stuff i usually gravitate toward, she wanted to go into a section where all the clothes were super subdued: pale green, butter yellow, light, light blue… boring! she didn’t want interesting, bold patterns, she chose tiny floral prints or just plain solids. i was a little bummed out that she seemed to want washed out clothes that didn’t really match her exuberant personality, but i went along with it, trying to respect this new middle school shift. (i DID cry a little in the bathroom when we got home though.)

(it feels like she went from this - stripes and sparkle…)

(to this - her father’s hoodie, solid tanks and tammy faye eyes - overnight)

as follows, shortly after school started, she also wanted to redecorate her room. she felt that the bright bedding and quilts and baskets were “too busy” and “babyish” and she wanted everything to be calm and muted and “grown up,” befitting her new middle school maturity. again, i was a little devastated that she was rejecting all of the pretty, joyful colors in her room (MY bedroom is FULL of color and i am in my 50’s!) but i finally agreed that we could redo it.

(a colorful quilt my mother gifted me with a bright red side table in my bedroom)

(LOTS of color pops in the furniture, art, books and throw pillows in my bedroom)

i have long been a believer in selecting simple, clean lined “adult” furniture for children’s rooms so that as they age and their interests change, you can make updates just by swapping out bedding and wall art, rather than purchasing all new furniture. this approach served me well both financially and in terms of effort when we transformed lucy’s bedroom into a middle school oasis. it took one trip to target to find sage green bedding to replace the blue and white shibori duvet and pillows that i hand dyed myself (under the direction of an experienced girlfriend), an all-white lamp instead of the one with the red shade, rattan baskets to stand in for the red and orange woven baskets that we brought all the way from THE NETHERLANDS when we moved to boulder (i never realized that baskets could carry so much emotional weight!), simple, white frames for the family photos previously housed in hot pink, red and blue frames (at least she kept the family photos!) and some candles and small plants to give the space a “spa feel.” we packed up the quilts (lovingly hand made by her grandmother - i still have mom’s quilt hanging in MY room) and all of the picture books, leaving the bookshelf filled only with grown up chapter books. the quilts were replaced with a sky photo by our talented family friend, shel rilliet, and one happy rainbow painting by jessica magee (with a tiny bit of bright pink!) everything else remained the same and the whole process only took one afternoon, if you don’t count the hours and hours i spent lamenting the fact that lucy is growing up and getting older to my mom.

(the blue and white bedding i dyed, accessorized with quilts lucy designed with my mother)

(laying out the shibori to dry with my super creative friend)

(the new bedding gives the room a totally different feel)

(the original red and orange baskets and lamp)

(rattan baskets and a simple, white table lamp also dramatically tone down the space)

(stuffies and picture books are replaced with chapter books, a plant…)

(and a beautiful sky photo by family friend, shel rilliet)

(lucy’s dresser, secretary desk and bookshelf remained)

(family photos were all reframed in white)

(i DID manage to sneak in one rainbow…painting by jessica magee)

(hank lost interest in the photo shoot)

interior photos: HBK photography

to read more about decorating children’s bedrooms click here