The Coolest Tween Room Ever

Ever since we moved in this house, I've wanted to put a built-in window seat and desk in Carolyn's room. I always have to mull over an idea like this--let it float around in my head for a while (usually at least a year), decide exactly how I want to do it, and make sure I want to do it enough to spend the money on it. A few months ago we even sat down with a person at Home Depot to go over what cabinetry we'd need. I just still wasn't ready to pull the trigger yet. Then one day, I happened to be at Lowes and saw that their in-stock cabinetry was on clearance for 50% off. Score! Between our local store and another nearby Lowes, we were able to get all of the cabinets we needed. It did take a little creativity, like cutting off the drawer of a cabinet to make it desk height. We also used wall cabinets to make the bench and had to build a base for it to sit on and a frame to go behind it, since wall cabinets are 12" deep and base cabinets are 24". we even made our own filler pieces by cutting up white shelves, which was so much cheaper than buying actual filler pieces. Here's the before:

And the after:

I bought her quilt several months ago after a long, hard search. I wanted something tasteful, something that she and I would like, and I wanted it to be a style that she wouldn't outgrow in a few years. I had no idea how many tacky kid bedspreads there are out there. Will someone please tell the bedding industry that preteen girl beds don't have to be garish?

I still have a long list of projects for her room, like crown molding for the cabinets, cushion and pillows for the bench, some sort of fabric on the window, tufted headboard, and a euro sham for her bed. Maybe now that the craziness of December is over I'll be able to get some of them done.