Bright and Bold Girl's Room

To set the mood for this room, a bold rug inspired the painted blocks and the room's color choices. Starting with one major item, such as a rug or a fabric, is a foolproof way to design a room. Just pull out a theme or colors from the piece and decide where they can make the most impact. Here, the major punches are on the walls and the floor.

Though simple, the furniture has plenty of character. Most of it is painted a glossy white so it visually pops from the walls, but a resurrected vintage dresser brings personality with its hot pink on pink stripes. To inexpensively add even more pizzazz, or to personalize an existing dresser in a snap, switch out the drawer knobs with fun ones, such as the playful white ball and daisy knobs in this room.

A child-size dressing table is one of many repainted vintage finds that have come together to create a striking room. With such large, graphic blocks on the wall, artwork is kept to a minimum, letting the contrast of the circular mirror and rectangular shapes stand out.

Clever space-savers turn a standard closet into a mini dressing room and provide extra space for a collection of teddy bears and books. Try it yourself by mounting a shelf with hooks for hats, coats, and collectibles; hanging a shoe organizer over the door to free up floor space; putting a small bookshelf in place; and purchasing a miniature clothing rack to set out the next day's outfits.

Simple window treatments don't detract from the decorating painting and will be easy to switch out for another accent color as the girl grows. A wall-mounted book rack keeps favorite bedtime stories at her fingertips. And look up above: a tea party on a picnic table hangs from the ceiling!

An enticing tea party fit for a little princess waits for weightless guests. China pieces collected through the years provided fodder for this whimsical tea party.

Get the Look: If you want to try this in your home, be sure safety is at the top of the list. Here, all the floating items were secured to a board with industrial-strength glue, and then bolted the board through the ceiling to the attic with eye screws.