need cheap decorating ideas DD's bedrooms

[mudnuri]

Okay I've seen these plain offwhite walls long enough. Been a month since we moved in and I've finally got the finances of a single mom with 2 girls figure out...sooooooooo the girls need something done with their rooms.....i wanna stay cheap- but if I cant- well then cant

Here's where we're at.

DD7's room-

Empty- see the windows- how close they are...sorta messin ME up with any sort of curtain/valance idea.

I will be moving her bed this fall- from the wall with windows, so they can be curtains if that's what works best...???

DD7's with her bed/. she has the same night stand as her sister her rocking chair, and a cube with junk in it in her room. She needs some sort of area rug, maybe 4x5 or something...her room is about 10x10

DD8's room- empty- her front window-

DD8's room - empty- her side window- her closet door- is right up to her window....not much room between the walls

DD8's room- with her bed- and night stand. She has a light color- bookcase/entertainment type thing...you can see part of it

Her bed will also be moved away from the wall with the windows in the fall, though where it is now- does not effect the ability to have curtains

They got new bedroom sets at their fathers at christmas dd7 was princesses and dd8 was more of a teenage girls type thing...DD7 said she does not want the princess thing here....both like the looks of the "teen" girls stuff at like jcpenny.com or walmart.com

Both will need area rugs- probably 4x6 or so....i just wish they make a "room in a box" like they make a bed in a bag...LOL

HELP!
Brandy

 

[FroggyinArk]

ok rugs... try bathroom rugs,, there are some pretty funky ones out now,, dd 12 has a fuzzy purple one in her room,

walls,,, fabric draping, with silk ( cheep plastic ) flowers at the corners and ties, windows,, mini blinds, again with a fabric drape, you can get lots of fabrics at discount prices for "cute" tie pieces use shower curtain clips, you can get them with shells, frogs, ducks, flowers, etc.... for a fun "writing space" get a cheep mirror from a flea market, or a used furniture place, any washable marker will work, the dry erase ones work well, for larger "art" pieces, get an old big card board box, cut shapes and let the girls decorate them with craft paints. then staple to walls, just a few thought

 

[jlaspoq]

Paint is relatively inexpensive and adds some splash. Wallpaper borders are not too bad either. Solid colors are in lots of the magazines - shades of purple, or combo pink / orange, etc. Then they're not locked into something they'll get tired of quickly. Posters are inexpensive for wall art, and can be switched out easily. Not sure about the windows - I love the length of them but they are near the corner.... perhaps some of those hanging beads? Also, my DD10 and her friends love those mosquito net things hanging over their beds. Have fun!

 

[FroggyinArk]

just noticed the drop in cieling,, you can clipi or wire tie fabric to the framing,, ( gently) and mAke "bed curtains or even drape fabrics across sections of the ceiling.

 

[karebear1]

treat the double window as one window.... and paint if you can! See if you can tape off a design of stripes or whatever and make that the art work for the wall.You'd be surprised at what color alone can do for a room. I'd also try putting the bed at an angle to the corner and see how that works. Sometimes that can make a small room feel bigger believe it or not. Instead of buying plastic bins for things, buy wicker baskets. They store things the same way, but look so much nicer.

 

[r3ngels]

I just did my girls rooms... the 8 yo loves Lizzie McGuire so I painted the room pink and used feather boas to decorate... I put it around posters to make it look like a frame. I went to Michaels craft store and bought plastic stars sequins and glued them on frames and switch plates and I painted those cheap wood letters and glues the stars on them. Then the last thing that was a huge hit is I glued beaded fringe on her lamp shades.

Now my 5 yo wanted butterflies and I glued iron-on patches to the wall and painted a swirl behind each butterfly to make it look like they were flying. I did a mosquito net and I sewed butterflies to the net.

My 3 yo got the garden theme and we actually put a picket fence in her room it is really cute.

It sounds weird but I have gotten alot of compliments on the rooms.

Good Luck, keep us posted.

 

[FINFAN]

For the windows, try checking into roller shades kits...you can adhere fabric to the shade to add a more matched/finished look, Wal Mart has a ton of the funky neon color mix/match stuff, and Target is pretty handy as well. My DD liked the beads that hung in the doorway, maybe those for the windows? I just would not let any fabric get too close to the heater along the baseboards. The windows are recessed and have great moulding so it would be great to be able to still see it, so I would suggest an inside mount for the shades or blinds....even the bamboo roll shades are cool and inexpensive. WOOPS! Just saw that you already have blinds in the bottom picture... I guess I would see if the girls want to stay with the same colors, blue/purple and then go from there. I think the white trim is great for things that have a tropical/beach/surf kinda look or tie-die and also for classic looks. I always hit the clearance section of Penny's window treatment dept, well, the clearance section of any store.. I think you will have a great time with your daughters doing up their rooms.

 

[funhouse8]

I just painted my girls room. My daughter wanter an agua blue and neon green. we painted a stripe around the room. My older daughter came home from college and said it looks like an addis add. She wasn't happy. (I asked her if she had any objections and she said no as long as we finished before she got home. Oh well!
Lets see if this works.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v610/funhouse8/100_1496.jpg" alt="Image hosted by Photobucket.com">

 

[funhouse8]

nope i'll try to get a picture up tomorrow*have to ask the kiddies to help me.

 

[Sandy22]

Just want to say that your wood floors look awesome! The biggest bang for you buck is paint. Go bold. Try stripes, a mural, a wacky design, use a projector if needed. Visit IKEA for cheap accessories, funky mirrors and shelving.

 

[mudnuri]

I should have mentioned before- I cant paint so we're stuck with these walls for a background. My apartment was just redone before I moved in...so paint is out...

try bathroom rugs,, there are some pretty funky ones out now,, dd 12 has a fuzzy purple one in her room,

walls,,, fabric draping, with silk ( cheep plastic ) flowers at the corners and ties, windows,, mini blinds, again with a fabric drape, you can get lots of fabrics at discount prices for "cute" tie pieces use shower curtain clips, you can get them with shells, frogs, ducks, flowers, etc.... for a fun "writing space" get a cheep mirror from a flea market, or a used furniture place, any washable marker will work, the dry erase ones work well, for larger "art" pieces, get an old big card board box, cut shapes and let the girls decorate them with craft paints. then staple to walls, just a few thougts

hey you come here and decorate, I'll come there and fundraise for your BBQ!

Seriously though- the fabric is perfect....and with the drop ceiling I wont have to mount anything....
I love the idea of the cardboard cutouts- we will do that!

perhaps some of those hanging beads? Also, my DD10 and her friends love those mosquito net things hanging over their beds. Have fun!

those beads with a valance I think will be great on the windows...they have their blinds for the night time. And the beads would allow the natural light during the day. Being we're on 3rd floor- and are the highest house in the neighborhood- the sunlight and cross venting with the windows is perfect. good idea!

Instead of buying plastic bins for things, buy wicker baskets. They store things the same way, but look so much nicer.

I do have those- in every room but these LOL the girls picked out their buckets for their TV room, and bedroom....think I might be stuck with those!

I guess I would see if the girls want to stay with the same colors, blue/purple and then go from there. I think the white trim is great for things that have a tropical/beach/surf kinda look or tie-die and also for classic looks. I always hit the clearance section of Penny's window treatment dept, well, the clearance section of any store.. I think you will have a great time with your daughters doing up their rooms.

DD8 wants to stay with purple...DD7 is still undecided, I'm okay with swapping all her bedding out- it doesnt match now LOL.....depending on what she does for bedding, she can still keep her turquise sheets...

I'll check the clearance windows treatments at Penny's- I got my feather bed there for 70% off....i love clearance sections LOL

Just want to say that your wood floors look awesome!

i really wish they were as nice as they look! When they redid the floors- they neglected to sand them first- or tack cloth them- they just put 5 coats of poly on them. While they shine very nicely- and look beautiful to the eye- they are horrible on the bare feet- or when you try to swiffer em..LOL

Thanks guys- I'll post whatever it is that they decide to do

Brandy

 

[issa]

My DD - 9 loves chinese themes..just loves them

smallish room

I painted it a purple with a key lime for the trim and her closet doors ( really...go to the store..find a not to dark or light purple..put it next to a fun light green...it really works!!!)

I painted a mural of a giant panda w/ bamboo on on the wall above her book shelf....

great wall of china under her window ( large window)

A inexpensive bamboo roll down curtain ( like 9 bucks from lowes)

on the closet door ( its a pull out 4 frame type door)
each frame has a diffrent chinese themed tree....with brook, bench, fountain and rocks..

went to a glass store..bought a mirror unframed oval - hung on the wall and painted a dragon circling it

Couple of funky bath mats for style.

then - on the walls hung home made chinese symbols - painted paper useing blotting to make it look old and we downloaded the sybbols and copied/painted them over...in 1 $ frames...on the wall

Tacked up her old Mulan costume.

Hung a chinese umbrella over the corner above her bed..looks cool

tacked fans on the wall

hung a couple of chinese lanterns ...


BOOM - she loves her room and was inexpensive and creative

 

[disykat]

I'd say let them choose some curtains and a rug to match their bedding, do some shopping at allposters.com, put some shelves up for their books and stuff, toss a bean bag in the corner and call it done. I'm serious. I loved posters as a kid, and my boys love them now.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

It might help to ask the girls what they want their rooms to "feel" like. One of my daughters wanted her room to remind her of the beach. It's easier to choose colors, curtain styles, and accessories when you have a goal you're working toward. Once you get a theme going, everything falls into place much more easily, and the room will tend to have a pulled together feel.

If the girls don't have definite ideas to start with, try asking them to name the one or two things that matter to them the most when they think about making their rooms their own, and start gathering ideas from that jumping-off place. There is always a way to do something inexpensively if you first know approximately where you are heading. The cool Chinese room, or butterfly garden room that the earlier posters described illustrate that point - heavy on theme, light on $, but really great and probably fun to put together.


Also, know before you start if your daughter is interested in moving toward a contemporary, clean look, or a traditional look, or a hip funky look, or whatever. That alone will help you make decisions as you shop, since you will be able to quickly reject items that don't fit with the feel you're going for. Professional designers have a way of blending styles and playing one off against the other, but you might be better off sticking to the basics. That's what I do at any rate.

Do you sew at all? I've found that making simple valances from a remarkably small amount of good quality fabric tends to draw the eye to something that looks expensive and custom. (And you can make something that isn't much more complicated than making a pillowcase and have it look great.) I can then fill the room in with less expensive items and no one ever guesses the room was cheap to decorate. For example, make a valance and a small throw pillow or two from a nice piece of print fabric, use a plain, inexpensive bedspread in a solid color pulled from the fabric, and finish the bed with additional inexpensive throw pillows in colors also pulled from the fabric. And if you choose a style where you will gather curtains or valances on a rod, try to buy enough to give you an amount that, when gathered on the rod, equals 2 1/2 times the width of the expanse you are covering. Two cheap valances gathered on a rod look much better than one skimpy more expensive one stretched across a window.

Also, I agree with another poster - I would definitely treat the 2 close-together windows as one unit.

Thanks for giving us a chance to throw our 2 cents in - this has been fun!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Go to Pottery Barn Teen's website. LOTS of great room ideas there! If you see a bedding set you like, try looking for it on Ebay. Although I don't think Pottery Barn Teen's prices are too bad, you can find a lot of what they offer in their catalog on Ebay for way cheaper. My dd is raving over her friends room. She did two walls orange, and two walls lime green. She did chair railing in pink. She put up some lime green curtains, and her bedding set was from Sears - had pink, lime green and orange dots all over it. It's very cute!

 

[FreshTressa]

One tip...My 7 yo just told me his room was too babyish so try to stay a little more grown up since it might need to last a while. And remember that pink and frilly get old fast!

I did not read the whole thread, but places like Ross and Marshalls are great for cheap finds, as is Ikea.

Have you looked at the elevated beds with the desk underneath?? The rooms seem small, so it might give more space.

 

[Huggles]

When my DD room was done up we used bright paint and, to help brighten the rooom up even more and reflect light into the dark areas, we put on the walls lots of the free CDs you get with mags/internet adverts etc. We stuck them to the wall with the shiny silver/reflective side facing out ( sorry if this sounds obvious but incase people think her room has AOL all over the walls!) When the sun comes through the windows and hits them they show all sorts of colours and reflect the light. She thought they were funky and her friends think its like a laser light show! You can also make mobiles with them just by drilling a wee hole near the edge and stringing them together with thread.
We used double sided sticky pads to hold the wall ones in place....may need work to remove them when we redo the room in future but that won't be happening for a few years yet.