“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” - Charles R. Swindoll

Living with my dear friend Lauren, and deciding to walk down the interior decorating path was a very convenient blessing. I was not only able to start this passion with my own room in our house, but Lauren also allowed me to have a hand in re-decorating her room. I know that she is my dearest friend and no matter what I did to her room, she would forgive or embrace it with a smile. But I also felt a little bit of pressure because she does mean so much to me, so the space that she keeps needs to reflect just what type of person she is. 

Living in a house with four girls makes the rooms that we live in that much more special to us. If you are able to make a space for yourself, amongst roommates or siblings, make it YOURS. Even if we watch chick flicks to the early morning hours, then get up to eat breakfast and drink coffee together, we still need our own corner to go to for our own R&R. 

So this was my time to make my best friend a space of her own. 

Though I don't have the before pictures, it was plain. Plain cream walls, no color scheme, and just a typical working girls' room. She deserves a room to escape to that resembles her. She is a hard working woman, always-there friend, thoughtful sister, caring aunt, and intuitive daughter. She is always going and always anywhere that anyone needs her to be. My heart was full of love for her when I saw that she needed a space of her own to escape to. 

We were on a TIGHT budget, which was a challange I was willing to take on. For the girls out there who would love to have a place for themselves but are living on rent and groceries, this is a great project to learn from. 

1. We took an old floor length mirror and spray painted the frame black and hung it above the bed. Lauren doesn't have a headboard, which is perfectly fine, because that gives you room to use whatever you'd like as a focal point above the bed. The mirror also allows more light from the opposite window to come in. 

2. She had these cool candle holders but they were brass. Sticking with the color theme we also painted those black and hung them by the door. I got candles from the dollar store for those. 

3. The two side tables were from the ARC Thrift Store. I think they were around $7 each. One of the cool things about having boyfriends is that hers was able to sand and paint and finish these end tables along with two others at his shop. One is black and one is purple, by the bed. 

4. You can clutter up these side tables all you want. But it's more pleasing to the eye if you keep things that are color related out. 

I do want to point out that the bed was shoved in the corner before. Lauren says it was "comfy." But we had to have the "older then sixteen" talk. Being a woman and on your own, it is a form of maturity to have your bed front and center, not in the corner. I am proud of her for keeping the bed in it's place. 

 If you live in a house or apartment on a lease and paying rent, you need to get the approval of your landlord or lease holder before you paint or put holes in the wall. Our landlord was an angel to let us both paint our rooms.

We painted 3 of the walls straight up white. This allowed us to paint the 4th wall a deep grey. (It's a little lighter in the 2nd picture.)

After those coats dried, it was time to put some things on the walls!
Lauren already had these boxes and painted them black, purple, and
green. I had the other pictures frames already and gladly handed them over for the cause. Lauren's family is so important to her, so framing pictures was a no-brainer. I did want the grey wall, from ceiling to the desk, to be all picture frames. (We are still working on that project, which goes to show that there doesn't have to be a time limit to your prejects. Whenever you are ready to move on to something else is totally up to you and your budget.)

1. A painted black frame hangs on the wall with decorations inside it.
2. A green shelf, painted and hung to be amongst the potential picture frames. 3. A painted black framed mirror was mounted on the wall near the desk to show more space and add more light to the area.

Lauren didn't have closet doors. But she needed something to cover up the appearance of clutter. The sheer lime green curtains work perfectly.

She also mounted a battery operated clock right her the wall. These are stickers, so they can come off easily if you'd like.

It's hard when you're on a budget to do everything that you would like to your room, especially when you have work, school, family, friends, and all the other demands of life. The goal was to get the entertainment center also painted black. But that project needed to be put off for the time being, which is NO problem! And NO stress! It will happen when it needs to happen. For now, this set up totally works. The two side shelving units are from a friend of Lauren's and painted black. The matching storage bins are perfect for hiding any clothing or crafts or paperwork. The window treatments are temporary, with a lot of promise! But again, it goes to show that we are all real people living in the real world. We can't be upset if we need to put a project on hold for time or $$ purposes. It will all come together exactly how it needs to. 

Lauren's room is in a much better place then it was before. At the end of the day you need your stuff exactly where you can find it and use it. That is a big part of re-organizing and re-decorating your space. 

Thank you so much, Lauren, for allowing me to tear apart your things and put them back together. I hope that you enjoy your room all the days that you are there and that it helps you to relax and regroup from your amazing life. I hope that you are loving your space, girl!