Pink and Orange Room for a little girl

Some of my clients are great DIYers. For their projects, my work consists of coming up with a great design concept for them to execute. Even if I'm always available to guide them through, they make the final decision, so it's always a nice surprise to see the final results because inevitably they will add their own touch to the design. Here's an example from a couple who was redoing their little girl's room because she was finally ready to trade her crib for her first bed.

Originally the space was dark and not very feminine. The parents wanted a room that better suited her personality.

Apart from the items that had to stay in the room (mostly the pink furniture), my color scheme came from this really cute stuffed giraffe that was in her room.

As you can see, paint makes a huge difference in the look and feel of a room. For her room, I proposed to change the color of the walls to brighten the space, and go bold on the ceiling to add personality and warmth. The walls were painted white and the ceiling fuchsia. This solution gave a very nice pink glow to the room without having to paint the walls pink. I had to consider the fact that a lot of the existing pink furniture was staying in the room, so pink walls would have been too much.

I also proposed to use a wall adhesive above the bed. I love the one they finally chose to put over the bed. I also love the customization of the curtains, where pink and orange butterflies were added on the sheer curtain. These clients really took the concept and ran with it. Apparently the little girl loves to stare at the ceiling. They did a great job.

Warm tropical bedroom

Your environment influences your well being and your mood. So it's important to make sure that the space you live in is as comfortable and organized as possible. It should reflect who you are, what you like and what inspires you. As a designer I help clients become more comfortable and happier in their own space on virtually any budget.

In this case, I was asked to come up with design solutions for a small bedroom in a shared apartment. Most of the time, in a shared apartment, your room is your only personal space so it should be your sanctuary. This client wanted a space with warm colors, natural materials and space to do work, relax and store various items. My color inspiration for this space came, in part, from the following picture, as well as various items she owned.




I proposed placing her existing bed in the corner of the room in order to maximize the available space. There was then enough space to add a desk on the other side, a wardrobe and a lounge chair. With pillows placed on both walls, the bed would also serve as a large sofa. Although she liked the color orange, I proposed to use it as an accent rather on the walls.


Design is all about function. In a small room, using furniture for more than one purpose is key. On one wall I proposed to put a desk and install a mirror on the wall above it. That way the desk could be used to do homework and as a dressing table. A dresser and a wardrobe next to it provides much needed storage. I also proposed to add a floating shelf above the mirror and install lights under it to save space on the work surface.


The area under the bed is a very good place to add large floor baskets and increase the amount of storage in the room. A bamboo ladder would be used as a magazine rack. A series of custom boxes (almost like shadow boxes) would hold various jewelry. This way she would have a space to store her jewelry but also use it as art on the wall.


I reserved a space for her to be able to read next to the window with a little side table to put various things on it.


On the angled wall, the idea was to reuse an existing bookcase and use modified baskets as wall sconces.