When we first moved into our home about five years ago, my daughter’s room had bright green walls (complements of the previous owners … how kind of them!) and ivory carpet. Because my husband and I were already overwhelmed with a long list of house projects, we decided to leave the paint as is in her room and I decided to decorate around the green. And so her bedroom became a mish mash of decor and furniture that I lived with but never loved.

Fast forward to today — and in honor of my kiddo’s eighth birthday, we decided it was (long) overdue to give her bedroom a more grown up makeover.

She and I spent a few months going back and forth on the design, and finally settled on a plan that we both loved — one that could grow with her and not become too “young” anytime soon.

First, we painted the entire room white. I stenciled irregular black dots on two walls in her room (so much cheaper than wallpaper!), and we also replaced the flooring.

I kept most of the big pieces of furniture that we already owned, like her bed and dresser (both from IKEA), an aqua Jenny Lind-style nightstand that I absolutely love, and a few accessories like a cute Pillowfort lamp, her Pottery Barn Teen tassel curtains, and a fun, colorful throw pillow.

I added colorful textiles and accessories that would really pop against the backdrop of black and white. My favorite additions include a new colorful area rug, custom art prints (I turned her artwork from school into oversized prints), a cool peace sign mirror, and a vintage wooden crate that serves as her book nook.

Check out the whole room — including before and after photos — right here.