Chica’s Bedroom Refresh!

Okay, peeps.

I posted a pic the other day of Chica in her bedroom with some of her friends, and I realized I hadn’t shared allllll the pics of her bedroom refresh!

So, heeeeeere it is!!

So happy, so colorful, so cozy, and so TEEN, ha.

But to rewind…I know I’ve shared Little Man’s bedroom refresh and the motivation behind it (it was more mental for him that logistical), but Chica’s refresh was driven by the need for something more functional and age-appropriate.

So…this is what her room looked like when we first moved in.

With the exception of the vibrant new rug that didn’t exist in the McKinney house, it was kind of a replica of her old bedroom—with the exchange of a new chest for storage (instead of her old, very long and bulky dresser), since we couldn’t figure out any other layout that worked with her massive wall of windows and day bed. 

The following year, we had to figure out a way to add a desk in the corner, because…pandemic, lockdown, and virtual schooling (man, that brings back some feels, amiright?!!).



Also. Could we lurv those tiny Chica and Chicklet sister/nightgown vibes any more???!

Needless to say…Chica has grown (a lot!) since that pic in 2020, and she definitely needed a bit more space than the daybed afforded.

Also, she’s a kiddo who likes to hang on to a lot of cherished things (and books!), and her room set-up was not friendly or functional in the storage department.

So…we kind of started from complete scratch. And the hubby and I spent oodles of time over months and months trying to imagine a different layout with functional furniture.

Meanwhile, it became obvious that Chica was ready for the refresh, as well, because my change-averse kiddos was really pumped by the idea and kept urging us forward when we’d lag on any solution-oriented progress.

Then, finally—finally—we landed on a really great storage bed situation that would provide ample space for books and odds and ends, and allow for a full size mattress instead of a queen.

We taped out the space in the room to make sure it could work, and then took a leap of faith and placed the online order.

It was wild—and exciting!—to see the space all empty. And it was also wild, and weirdly exciting, when Chica even agreed to remove the decals from the wall. Squeeeee, to blank canvases and fun re-designs!

The day the bed was assembled (we put together both Little Man’s fort bed, and Chicklet’s bunk bed (I think I still need to tackle a full post on that one, as well!) all on our own, but we finally threw in the towel for this one.

It was set to arrive during an insanely busy few weeks, and we were pretty glad to fork over the $125 assembly fee and save ourselves some sanity and get Chica settled in her new space ASAP 

Now it must be said, that one of the clinchers of how much we all lurv the morphed vibe of her space is the new artwork!



These two canvas pieces I found the same week the bed arrived are just the magic makers! So vibrant and youthful and complementary to the colorful rug we still love after these handful of years. They were meant to be, for sure. And added the drama and focal point the space needed. :)





My girl spent the very first day after assembly getting all of her precious keepsakes and books assembled. And then we waited nearly two months for those gorgeous and cozy comforter to arrive, as it had been back-ordered…





It’s another magic-maker for the space, and just the cutest set of colors.





Now. Yet another thing that took a hot minute (or a month or two, ha) to figure out was this wall space over to the side. We knew we wanted it to be art of some kind, and I just so happened to fall in love with these customizable felt squares that just called out to me in a major way:



You can select the color and shape and ultimate design of them, and it was so fun to let Chica decide on her colors and patterns…



And to help mount them to the wall…





We ordered these really fun butterfly push pins and she printed off a bunch of pics to display, and it all just became the most personalized and cute use of the space.



Speaking of use for the space…the one happy surprise that we hadn’t planned was the addition of this super affordable IKEA dresser we snagged and assembled.



When we first ordered the bed, I’d assumed there wouldn’t be any space for an additional piece, so what a great surprise that it easily fit! And gave Chica a place to display and utilize her record player. :)





I seriously can’t say enough happy things about how it all turned out. Every person who has seen the space who knew the previous layout of her room mentions how much bugger it now feels, which is wild. And fantastic. And true! 

The space is finally living its greatest life, and it’s a joy for Chica—and any of the rest of us!—to spend time in there.

Especially with this SA house of ours, probably because it’s our home during the kiddos’ formative years—I’ve become a huge fan of the evolution of things. We’re bobbing and weaving with the changed and needs of our aging familia, and it’s so great to get something right…for night now. :)

Okay, I have sooooo many catch-up posts on my agenda now that summer is HERE.

So much more mañana, peeps!

Over and out.