Not all little girls have to love pink...

When you are asked to design a little girl's room, the natural direction you go in is pink.  Whether it's the walls or an accent, pink will be found there. That is why when I was asked to design Ada's room in red, I was a bit lost in the beginning.  

Red can be such a harsh color if it is the wrong shade or if too much of it can be found in the room.  

I knew the first thing I needed to do was to find the bedding.  The bedding often determines the entire color palette and can determine the direction the room will go in.    

I found this floral duvet and shams with coordinating quilt at Pottery Barn Kids.  As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in the room.  The red in the bedding can be called cherry- it is not a red you commonly see.  It had a hint of orange but absolutely no cool undertones.

It was definitely a red that was more "harsh" than what I was looking for, but since I was working with only two colors ( red and white) I decided to paint the top third of the walls in the same cherry color.  To soften the look, I painted the bottom 2/3 of the walls white. and then added board and batten woodwork for a craftsman feel.  The molding at the top also serves as a shelf for frames and books.  

I picked the Brighton Daybed with trundle from Crate and Barrel because  it mimicked the craftsman feel of the board and batten trim. 

Ada already had letters hanging up in her room, but  I wanted to make them look more substantial, so I found some square white frames.  I used spray adhesive to attach the polka dot material onto the glass.  I then painted the letters the same color red as the walls, and then attached them to the material with 3m adhesive tape.  I added a couple leaves and lady bugs for a little bit of whimsy and an accent of color.  

Ada's trundle is being used for storage right now.  As you can see the trundle of the Brighton bed sits about 4" below the bottom of the bed.  I filled the space with some colorful boxes I found at IKEA.  It just so happens, the reds matched perfectly.  

Ada had a market that was being used in the bonus room, but I moved it back into her room, since it worked well in the space.  

Overall, I could not be happier with this experimentation of color.  My eyes have now been opened to all kinds of possibilities for girls' rooms.

  I can not wait for another challenge  : )