How are we already planning to transition Eliza to a big girl bedroom? Weren’t we just planning a nursery yesterday?! Whether we’re ready or not, it’s coming together soon so today, I’m sharing the big girl room design plans, in anticipation of putting it all together!
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Sources: Dresser | Table Lamp | Blue Bird Art | Rocker | Blue and White Pillow | Woven Storage Ottoman Table | Pouf | Crib | Macrame Crib Skirt | Gingham Crib Sheet | Fiddle Leaf Fig | Floor Lamp | Throw Blanket | Song Lyrics Above Crib (similar)| Frames | Curtain Rod | Curtain Rings | Woven Rug | Sheepskin Rug | Rope Pendant Light | Sherpa Bear Rocker | Curtains(Linen Weave Vanilla Bean – Privacy Lining) | Shades (Bali White, Cordless, Blackout Liner)
Big Girl Room
With each new day, I swear she becomes noticeably more grown. She’s an acrobat for sure, and as fearless as she is and as much as she loves to climb and scale furniture, we’ve been incredibly lucky that she’s never attempted to escape her crib. She’ll be three in June and I’m anxious to see how she does living outside the restraint of bars at night. Aside from a few weeks in our bedroom, in a bassinet when we first brought her home, she’s always been a champion sleeper in her own room. We’ve been spoiled in that way but with more freedom — and a curious, mischievous spirit — I’m wondering if she’s going to follow her bedtime routine or if she’ll push the limits a bit more. She had her first glimpse of what it’s like to sleep in a big bed last month when we visited family in Florida. She slept in her cousin’s room, by herself, in a full-sized bed, and to our surprise (and relief) she stayed put all night. I did catch that she must have gotten out of bed long enough to scavenge some “reading material” during the night as there were a few random papers in the bed with her when I would wake her in the mornings. I think she basically grabbed whatever she could, quickly 😉
When we returned home, I felt panic to hurry and get a big girl bedroom set up quickly since she did so well, but… it all takes time (especially when you move as slowly as I do, haha). While I haven’t secured everything just yet, I have ordered the large items that I knew would potentially take a while, and the plan is pretty well established and set!
See the final reveal of Eliza’s Big Girl Bedroom HERE.
The Big Girl Bedroom Design Plan
If you’re a long time reader, you may remember that when we started Eliza’s nursery, we concepted and pulled most of it together, without knowing that it was going to be be for Eliza. We didn’t know when or who or if the nursery would be for a “he” or “she” so the goal was to create a gender neutral space that was comfortable and was a space that I loved. I won’t go into all the ins and outs and details of what it’s like preparing a nursery when you’re planning to adopt and all the emotions that go along with it, but in some ways, this big girl bedroom will be the first that we’ve actually created just for her. Using her neutral scheme as the primary palette, we were able to create occasional seasonal refreshes and infuse accent colors from time to time in the nursery but for her big girl bedroom, I want to plan her bedroom around a little more color. I don’t want to venture too far out though and will still use a lot of neutrals so we can change it or evolve it without too much effort, but my sweet girl loves color and I want to give it to her. While Eliza doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the shades of the rainbow, purple is her self proclaimed fave. So, purple is what we’re going with! I’ll get into the details as the post goes on, but here’s a snapshot of the full design plan for the purple big girl bedroom.
1. Rope Pendant | 2. Rug | 3. Castle Art | 4. Cloud Art | 5. Floral Art | 6. Table Lamp | 7. Floor Lamp | 8. Linen Duvet Cover | Linen Pillow Shams | 9. Sheets | 10. Linen Quilt | 11. Bed (full, tall, vertical tufted) | 12. Nightstand | 13. Pillow Covers | 14. Crown Catchall | 15. Stuffed Lion | 16. Doll Carriage | 17. Baskets | 18. Storage Trunk
What’s Staying in the Big Girl Bedroom
There are some pieces that may look familiar — because they’ve always been in her nursery and are growing along with Eliza. And, there are a lot of pieces not included in this design schematic, for the same reason. There were several pieces I purchased several years ago with the intent of using them, even as we transitioned out of a nursery, and that’s still the plan. The entire dresser setup (sans changing basket) will remain…
Sources: Dresser | Round Mirror (36″, brass) | Lamp | Changing Basket | Bunny Print | Glass Shadow Box | Woven Hamper
As will the window dressings.
Sources: Dresser | Table Lamp | Rocker | Woven Storage Ottoman Table | Fiddle Leaf Fig | Curtain Rod | Curtain Rings | Woven Rug | Sheepskin Rug | Curtains (Linen Weave Vanilla Bean – Privacy Lining) | Shades (Bali White, Cordless, Blackout Liner)
As long as we don’t run into space issues, her bookshelf area will also remain, as will her lighting.
Sources: Book Case | Forest Print | White Storage Baskets | Natural Wooden Toy | Baby Hedgehog Print | Little Bunny Print | Bunny Hooded Towel
Her white walls will also remain and I still love the picture frame moulding we did on the furthest wall. So what is changing?
What’s Coming to the Big Girl Bedroom
The most important decision to me was what bed and what size bed to bring in. I changed my mind several times, considering just about every scenario from a single twin bed, to a pair of twin beds, to a full bed to a queen bed. I considered a loft bed, a storage bed, a canopy bed, four poster bed… Ultimately, I decided on a low profile, upholstered full bed. I want the overall feel of Eliza’s room to be classic, but I still want her to have a fresh feel. I searched and searched for a vertical channel tufted bed — tall — preferably with wings and no nailhead trim. The ability to not have to use a boxspring was non-negotiable. It almost seemed like I was searching for a unicorn as many of the beds I did found that closely fit my criteria were out of stock. I watched for THIS bed to come back in stock for over a month, but it never did and the restock date kept getting pushed further out. And then, when I saw THIS bed, I almost passed it by because I didn’t initially notice all the customization options — not just in fabric but in the headboard height, tufting pattern, etc. I ultimately ordered the full size in the “tall” headboard version with vertical tufting in the White Boucle fabric. I don’t have anything else in this fabric but I love the variation of tones in the loops. The best way I can describe the way it feels in person is almost like a carpet. I’m hoping this will disguise imperfections and will wear well.
Why the tall bed? More and more — especially with modern beds — it seems like headboards are getting shorter. A lot of times, you can barely see the headboard after pillows are added and if you’re using Euros, well, forget it. I love a tall headboard for a statement, head resting, but also, if I’m spending that much on a bed, I want to be able to see it. The “tall” version of the bed I ordered for Eliza (HERE) still isn’t all that tall, standing at 58″, but with the low profile frame and no boxspring, it should extend high enough to see a large portion of the headboard.
*While you have to pay white glove delivery for this item — as you do with all WS family furniture — they bring it in your house, put it in the room, and fully assemble it. I’m not complaining about not having to get this bed upstairs 😉 Also, it’s a single flat rate fee so if there are other oversized/furniture items you’re considering, it’s best to try to place them all in a single order.
I can’t wait for Eliza to see her big girl bed for the very first time!
The Bedding
Because I’m not changing the walls, window treatments, most of the furniture, and didn’t want to commit to a non-neutral color in the bed, the bedding is the prominent chance to purple-fy Eliza’s room.
You know my favorite 24″ Belgian linen throw pillow covers? The ones I have in at least 5-6 colors now (HERE)? Well, last year, I ordered them in a deep plum shade — that color isn’t currently available but I knew I wanted that tone for contrast, even before choosing the bedding.
The rest of the bedding kind of came together on accident. I would not normally order Eliza Serena and Lily bedding, but right now, the purple linen duvet cover (and pillow shams — HERE) are 60% off (HERE)! Plus, they’re offering free shipping with code FRESHPICKS. I love the warmer tone of the purple and think it will go well with the deeper plum tones; the peach color and blue color are also on sale right now HERE. I’m glad my mom prompted me to take a peek at the care tag for the original quilt I had picked out.
I also ordered the purple ring sheet set on major sale but it looks like they’re now out of stock in that shade. You can find limited sizes in “Eucalytpus” still on sale HERE, and find the other ring sheet sets (not currently on sale) HERE.
I ended up nixing the original quilt I almost ordered. While it cost less than the one I ultimately ordered, it was dry clean only (which would have been a terrible fit for us). All our linen quilts are washed frequently and clean up beautifully so I’m hoping THIS pretty “linework” stitched one will be the same! It’s also on sale for 30% off right now, ships free and comes in TWENTY colors HERE.
Linen Pillow Shams | Linen Duvet Cover | Ring Sheet Set | Linen Quilt
I can’t speak to THESE pillows from personal experience yet, but I LOVE the jewel tone velvet! And, the price can’t be beat. hey come in THIRTY THREE colors and several sizes and the cost for a pair of 20″ pillow covers is currently $15.99 on Amazon — plus, they ship free HERE. There’s also over 11k reviews! You can find them HERE.
Other Room Details
I had originally planned to use the same rug in Eliza’s big girl bedroom that’s always been in her nursery, but then I found THIS rug. And, I think it’s just too fun not to try. I love the varying shades of purple and magenta
For the foot of her bed, I ordered THIS trunk and a pair of THESE baskets in the small and medium version — I scored them during a sale last year.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on the nightstand(s) just yet. I’m planning to go with white, but I want them to have ample drawer storage. they can’t be too large and I also haven’t decided whether to do one or two. THESE are sweet but then I found a 3-drawer version on Amazon HERE. Since the bed will be lower, they can’t be too tall, either. I’m not concerned about knobs if I don’t like them as those are simple to change… And then, there’s also THESE — the latest nightstand I found which may be my favorite. I just haven’t decided if the vertical ridges would be too much against the channel tufted bed… We’ll see… I may wait until after the bed arrives to make a final decision.
I am keeping the special art pieces in Eliza’s room but will also be bringing in a few new pieces. She’s really into “castles” (and dolls, whimsy, ballerinas…) right now and I haven’t committed 100% to what we’re gonna do but I’m thinking of a trio-style gallery wall with THIS castle top print, THIS cloudscape print, and THIS bloom-filled tree print. Again, we’ll see. I want her to love it and I think her personal items will help balance the pretty-to-look-at parts of the room with the little-girl-play aspects.
The majority of the room is hinging on the delivery of the bed so hopefully, we’ll be all set, in place, and I’ll be able to share a reveal this spring.
As Eliza gets older, I anticipate she may prefer her room to be more private so I’m relishing in the days where my input still counts and I can share here 😉 Or, she may love decorating and may be exited to share her spaces… only time will tell.
See the final reveal of Eliza’s Big Girl Bedroom HERE.
Her playroom is nearing completion and will likely be the first room reveal of 2022 — you can catch the design plan for that space HERE and subscribe to emails at the bottom of the post to be alerted when the final result goes live!
What a lucky little girl to have such a special bedroom. She is just precious and I know will love her new bedroom!
Hi Sara, Thank you for taking the time to visit and for your sweet note. I am especially excited about creating this special place for Eliza. I hope she loves it!
Kelly this room is going to be perfect for Eliza! Look forward to seeing it all put together. 🥰
PS Glad you and Dave are on the mend too.
Hi Vanessa, I am so happy you took the time to stop by! I can’t wait to put Eliza’s “big girl” room together and I hope she loves it. Also, thank you so much for your well wishes!