Before & After: Tween Girls Bedroom
•CONFESSIONS OF AN INTERIOR DESIGNER•
It’s always easier to share advice and expertise to others. Am I right? And sometimes practicing what we preach is the hardest part of our job, whatever our work or career is. Is it just me? Analysis paralysis is a common feeling when working on my own home. It's the most difficult project for multiple reasons. So with this I felt compelled to share insight and transparency into my own home design and projects. So here goes. In raw honesty, this is the story of a recent room transformation and the lessons I learned along the way.
A few years ago I embarked on updating our youngest daughter’s bedroom from colourful preschooler to youthful preteen.
THE BEFORE:
So let me reiterate, this was a few years ago and admittedly it took just about the same amount of time to complete. At Nyla Free Designs we see projects through to completion. We make things happen. We design, plan, implement, facilitate, install and style. Almost in that order. Yet my confession is, when it comes to my own projects there is paralysis like no other.
The existing space was fun, bright, colourful and well, ready for a change as my daughter was now 10 and entering the preteen stage of wanting something a little "cooler".
The wallpaper and frame detail needed to come down as it acted as a pseudo headboard/ backdrop to her bed. As we decided to change the layout of the room, this was my first task at hand, however, rather than hiring someone to make quick work of the job I embarked on it myself. I painfully removed the wallpaper with a handheld steamer “in my spare time”. As a working mom of two children you can only imagine how much time that actually is. This work in progress took over a year. (Insert embarrassment here). My thought process was to remove all wallpaper, patch and paint all walls myself. This is however where I got to:
Exasperated, I decided to hire someone. WHAT A SHOCKING CONCEPT!!!
Honestly the hassle was not worth it. I thought I would have a sense of accomplishment, but instead I had frustration, annoyance and a year of having her room in a state of turmoil day in and day out. What was I thinking?
So I came to my senses and called in the experts. Within a day I had the wallpaper gone and walls with a fresh coat of paint. Hallelujah!
IN PROGRESS:
THE AFTER:
A fresh, white space with colourful accents!
I also called in our expert gallery wall installer extraordinaire. Again, a task that would have taken me hours to complete. We had been collecting small pieces of art and prints for her wall for some time so we had lots to choose from to fill the wall. We're thrilled with the results!
Our daughter loves to spend time in her room. It's her little haven and now a more current design and reflection of her personality.
So, what are the take-aways here?
Hire experts to save time and money.
Even though I am capable, DIY-ing is not always the best solution.
Getting overwhelmed by a project is normal.
As a design expert, do what I do best, even with my own projects.
My daughter is extremely patient.