Budget Tween Room Makeover: In Progress

Twin Tweens

I’m sharing my budget “tween” shared twin room makeover because tweens are a tricky demographic. They want to be grown up, but they don’t bring in their own income! They want all their toys, but they also want their room to look sophisticated.

Always on a Budget

In case I haven’t made it clear, EVERYTHING we do is on a budget. As a one income family (let’s face it, I’m not exactly raking in the dough as a blogger) money is always tight and our poor old house is ALWAYS in need of something. Just when you think you have a little extra cash to work with, the van needs repairs….but let’s not get bogged down with reality.

Colors for Twins

A decade ago we found out we were having twins. At that moment, the doctor could not tell us the genders of the babies. We weren’t sure if we would find out in time, so we had to go ahead and paint the room for them. I chose a “guacamole green” thinking it would work for boys, girls, or one of each. Once we found out they were both girls, we put up sweet little animal wall decals, butterfly growth charts and a sign that read: “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”.

My sweet girls have shared the same room with the same cutesy baby decor up ever since and they were really hoping for a change. Actually, they were hoping not to have to share a room but again….reality. So with much discussion and debate, they chose a color. With a funny twist, it is very similar to the color I chose for my first “tweenage” room two decades ago. Appropriately, their new color is called”Sassy Lilac” from Valspar.

Working on “Staycation”

My husband painted this week (on his vacation from work….what a loving Daddy!) and it is just as purple as they dreamed! When I asked them what they hoped for from a new room one of the big wishes was: more space. It’s an understandable request, they are homeschooled identical twin girls sharing a very small space and they spend a lot of time together.

American Girl has taken over our home

So we tried to clear out the area as much as possible, eliminating clutter and editing down the American Girl world that had become much larger than life. Seriously, this was their 18″ doll dollhouse before:

The KidKraft 18″ Elegant Doll Manor is on Amazon if you want to take a look. They really do love it.

Notice how what used to be two bookcases became an addition to the 18″ doll home? I’m telling you, those dolls have much more space than our family. Also, here you can see the “guacamole” paint and understand perhaps why they wanted to go for something a little brighter.

A more Grown-up Design

Next we wanted to find a cool piece of art to tie the room together. Exploring Homegoods, we found this black, white & gold print with “Do everything with love” on it. The girls and I decided then and there that the accent colors for the room would be white, black and gold against the backdrop of purple walls. (And it was only $18 on clearance).