Nursery to Big Girl Room: One Room Challenge – The Reveal

This post is sponsored by Houzz

It’s finally reveal day and I’m feeling all the emotions leading into today’s post: exhaustion, relief, anxious, but mostly proud. We worked really hard the last six weeks to turn our daughter’s former nursery into an official big girl room for our almost 3 year old and no one is more excited than her. If you’re new or found your way here from the One Room Challenge link up page:

Hi! I’m Danae! This is our first time participating in the One Room Challenge and we’re transforming our daughter’s former nursery into her “big girl” room. If you missed the last few posts be sure to check out Week One (before photos + mood board), Week Two (furniture sources), Week Three (all things paint), Week Four (ceiling fan install), and Week Five (moulding and closet doors)! To see our ORC progress start-to-finish, be sure to check out our One Room Challenge highlight bubble on Instagram.

Before jumping into the reveal, I just wanted to give a huge shout out to our sponsor for this project; the team at Houzz was so awesome to work with and without them, none of this would’ve been possible! We couldn’t be more grateful for their knowledge and support throughout the entire challenge. Houzz has been such an amazing resource during this process and even for someone like me who design comes naturally to, the products and services that they offer are beyond valuable. I referenced Houzz several times in the beginning stages for design inspiration, ordered almost all of the major decor pieces and furniture from their massive retail catalog, and even contemplated hiring a Houzz pro when I thought the painting task might never end. If you’re embarking on your next room makeover or large scale remodel, be sure to check out all the products and services Houzz has to offer.

Here’s a side-by-side look at just how far we’ve come in six short weeks:

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One more because the side-by-side comparisons are just so satisfying!

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Such an improvement, right?!

I’m over the moon with how it turned out and since completing it, I’ve noticed that we all sort of gravitate here at the end of the night right before bed – it’s everyone’s new favorite hang out spot. Emie couldn’t be happier with her new big girl room and the transition from crib to twin bed has been a total non-issue.

But…enough chit-chat, let me show you around the new space!

Just inside the doorway, the rainbow print inspired the color palette for the entire room. As many of you already know, Emie is our rainbow baby and the rainbow is so special to us. I’ve always loved pairing pink and blue together and was happy to have an opportunity to play around with one of my favorite color combos.

rainbow print / frame / wall hook / round mirror

dresser / stripe basket / mirror / rug / curtain rod / curtain rings / drapery hooks

An over-sized basket in the corner takes the place where the glider used to sit and catches the overflow pillows and blankets. As she’s gotten older, we used the glider less and less so I didn’t feel too guilty relocating it elsewhere. It was so bulky there in the corner previously that having it out of the room has freed up a lot of floor space for play.

The fringed curtains were my first ever attempt at a dye DIY and I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out. I used the cream colored curtains we already had and dyed them this rich almost burgundy color to provide a much needed contrast against all the pink.

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dresser / stripe basket / lamp / rug / pom pom lumbar / agate bookends / tassels

When choosing pink, we decided to take the color and apply it to all the vertical surfaces: baseboards, wall, panel molding, doors, and crown molding too. Not only does this make the room feel taller, but by doing so, it modernizes the pink and helps it from feeling too juvenile.

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door hook / lidded basket / mirror / rug / dresser / pear / marble tray / ceiling fan

One of the biggest additions to the room was constructing new closet doors where there was previously none. We took off the shelf bi-fold closet doors and added some thick trim and beaded molding for a custom look without the hefty custom price tag. The inclusion of new closet doors has been great for hiding the mess of clothes and toys inside and while the inside might not be as glamours as the room itself, I’ve got plans to optimize the organization inside in the new year.

We also added boxed panel molding on all the walls and this architectural detail added much needed depth and dimension to the previously blank and boring walls.

rug / knit throw / hanger / gold knob / wall sconce / tassel / art / octopus / recessed lights

In case anybody forgot what the closet used to look like…let me remind you:

BEFORE

AFTER

closet hardware / rug / dresser / pear / lidded basket / mirror / ceiling fan / recessed lights

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We kept the furniture layout exactly the same but somehow the room feels so much larger. The furniture pieces we chose are feminine (but not too feminine) and sophisticated enough to grow with her into her teen years.

A soft neutral rug, a fun patterned bed, both paired with a traditional dresser to really carry her (and us) through the next several years but they’re also pieces that can be re-imagined into an entirely new design direction should she hate pink in a few years.

bed / rug / side table / sheets / duvet / chenille pillow / pom pom pillow / wall sconce / art

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phone / side table / bed / rug / wall sconce / mermaid / knit throw / art / mattress

One of my favorite aspects of this whole challenge was making the room exactly for her. She’s become this very bubbly, giggly, girly-girl who has really big opinions as of late and I really tried to channel her personality into this space as much as I could. To see her so excited about her room and drag visitors in to see it makes me feel like I really captured the essence of who she is and if she’s proud to show it off, then I couldn’t be happier.

I can already see tween-sized Emie right before my eyes! Oh boy!

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One more spin around the room before I sign off and say goodbye…

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rug / dresser / lamp / lidded basket / stripe basket / pom pom pillow / curtains / fringe trim

For my first time participating in the One Room Challenge, I’d say it was pretty successful and I’d happily do it again. If you have any questions at all, please leave your questions and comments below!

I will be back with a few posts about the DIY aspects of the room in the coming weeks: closet doors and dyed curtains, so be sure to look out for those as they roll. As stressful as this process was at times, I’m happy to have a beautiful new room to enjoy at the end of just six short weeks and love the motivation this challenge provides to take one room and make progress – finished or not.

Thank you for hanging with me these last few weeks and for your words of encouragement along the way. A giant thank you to Linda at Calling it Home, the One Room Challenge Team, and everyone over at Better Homes and Gardens for organizing the most inspiring design challenge on the internet. It’s been fun!

To see the results of all the other guest participant’s spaces, click here!