As I mentioned in an earlier post, the top priority in our new house was to give our daughter the big girl room she really wanted and deserved. Due to her inability to walk independently, coupled with the layout of our previous home (stairs, stairs, everywhere – even in her nursery), I had to postpone the transition from crib to toddler bed a little longer than I wanted. The purchase of this house meant the time had come to finally make the change.

The bones, paint, and details of her new room were the perfect canvas:

I knew I wanted the room to have a large area rug to anchor the space and provide comfort as she played. I fell in love with this rug because of its neutral color, playful design, and thickness.

In our previous home she had a designated “playroom.” However, the new house really doesn’t have a good space to dedicate to her toys, so I decided to combine the two: one side of the room would have her small toddler bed and dresser and the other would be her “playroom.” That said, I still wanted the space to be clean and pretty. Two bookshelves/toy bins fit the bill and give definition to the “play” side of the room.

Throughout Katherine’s misdiagnosis journey she was fortunate enough to receive so many wonderful gifts. A favorite is a custom print from the Lilly Pulitzer Print Studio (Lilly Loves Katherine Belle).

I feel in love with custom portraits by Jennifer Vallez, Sophie and Lili, and continue to ask for new ones for every occasion. These and the Lilly Pulitzer portrait found a home in the form of a gallery wall over the bookshelves, giving more definition and personality to the space.

She already had a few nice pieces of furniture to incorporate into the space, including her nursery dresser and activity table. I added a few more chairs for friends that I found at local second-hand stores. Matching wasn’t a concern and spray paint is always my friend.

A few more DIY projects – spray painting an old stool to repurpose as a vanity table and gold leafing and painting coral on a brown mirror – gives the room the perfect amount of “big girl” touches.

A few more pieces of art complete the space fit for my princess:

Katherine’s teacher told me she’s quite proud of her new room and told them all about it, which makes this mama very happy. I still have a few ideas for the future, but for now I am pleased with the way it turned out and love watching my sweet girl sleep as she’s having sweet mermaid dreams.

In the meantime, Christmas is coming soon and my wheels are turning because I tend to get a wee bit excited about decorations. Stay tuned…

What’s your favorite part of her room?