9.07.2010

Decorating for Gen Z

My incredible niece, Caitlin, just turned 13 and her mom (my sister-in-law) promised her a bedroom redo - lucky girl!  They came to visit us in Arlington in late July and Caitlin, my sister-in-law, and I sneaked away for a couple of hours one morning to do a little shopping for her new room.

My niece really wanted to paint her walls a deep Caribbean blue.  I was a little worried that painting all of the walls the deep color would be a little too dark.  I convinced her (I think) to paint the end wall of her room the darker color and then leave the other walls white or paint them a paler shade of the dark color.  Benjamin Moore Lucerne is a good example of the kind of color saturation Cate is hoping for:
So, we set out looking for things that would go well with her Caribbean blue wall.  We first headed to Marshalls because I had seen a lot dorm decor there earlier in the week which I thought would appeal to her.  After that we hit Home Goods and TJ Maxx.

Here's what we found:

1. We first found this great comforter.  It was marked down to $45 but we got an extra 10% off because of a small spot on the comforter which should easily wash out but which was not super noticeable.  This is a great deal for a comforter, sham, and sheet set!  The quality was very good and the fabric was soft which is unusual for a bed-in-a-bag set.  As a bonus it's reversible to a more understated stripe.  Marshalls is great about giving an extra 10% off if you point out a flaw in something you are buying.  Just another reason why I love that place!


2.  At Home Goods we found a great piece of artwork to hang over her bed.  It will definitely jump off the wall when up against the turquoise.  I recommended that they look for a small orange accent pillow to bring the orange into other parts of the room.  It was about $60 but I think it will be well worth it.

3.  My niece loved the idea of a bulletin board over her desk.  We found this great oversized board at Home Goods.

4.  My niece also loved the idea of a fuzzy blanket to curl up under during those long, cold Massachusetts winters.  We stumbled on this one which matched her color scheme perfectly.

5.  This lamp was a great find at Marshalls for $29.99.  She'll have it for many years to come.  The shape is very modern but the styling is still classic and won't go out of style quickly.  There are about 10 different versions of this at Marshalls and Home Goods if you are looking for something similar.

6 & 7.  I think piles of accent pillows look great and serve a great function in teen rooms.  I can just picture my niece lounging on her bed and hanging out with her friends with these pillows all around.  So fun!

8.  This little canvas wall hanging may be my niece's favorite find of the day!  I think it's so "her" and love that she something that she picked out will look so great in her room.  It's so important the room feel like hers when it's all done.  Another great deal at $14.99.




9.  We found a great sham in a color really close to the color that Cate was hoping for on the walls.  So lucky!  My sister-in-law ended up picking up the coordinating quilt when she got home.  I love the look of a quilt with a comforter folded at the foot of the bed (almost every room in my house has a version of that look!).

 10.  My fashion conscious niece absolutely had to have a floor length mirror.  It will look great hanging behind her door.

11.  We stumbled on this set of coordinating sheets on the clearance shelves at Marshalls.  I find it really helpful to have 2 or 3 sets of sheets for each of my kids' beds, and at least two for each guest room just in case we have some quick turnover.