A Feel Good Flash Makeover with Emily Henderson and Target: Pt 1

Hi Everyone!

Holy Moly you guys are amazing!  Thank you all so so much for all the love on Andrea’s bedroom reveal last week.  Her home has been one of my most favorite design challenges I’ve taken on yet and there’s so much more to share with you….starting today! Ok so about this project.  It was a BIG ONE. And boy was it a challenge. So here’s the deal..

A few months ago me and my friend Emily Henderson, YEP THAT EMILY HENDERSON, were having a little chit chat and came up with the brilliant idea to join forces for one her Feel Good Makeover’s and tackle all THREE of my niece and nephews bedrooms. And if it wasn’t already a big enough task to do three full on bedroom makeovers in the span of a week, we thought well let’s throw in a healthy dose of holiday in there too! Because we might be slightly crazy, but also this is a year when we need all the feel good and holiday cheer we can possibly get.  Emily shared all about it on her blog a couple of weeks ago and over the next three days I’ll be revealing all three rooms with you. Today we start with the twins’ room.

Now before we get into the design and rooms themselves I wanted to share a bit about why it means so much for me to be able to do this. I talk a lot about my sister and how much she means to me, but if you’ve been with me for a while and follow me across social media you also know how much I love her children. Being an aunt is one of my most favorite things in the world. Andrea’s job is taxing. It requires A LOT of sacrifice and no one feels the effects of that sacrifice more than her children.  They grow up knowing that at any moment their mom could be gone for however long and they take each one of her deployments in stride. Because we’ve always lived on opposite coasts I’ve never been close enough to help her with them until now.  Being a veteran myself I know how incredibly stressful it is to be deployed and worry about home. It means so much for me to be able to lift that bit of worry for her by being just around the corner now.

When you grow up a military child you learn very very quickly that home is wherever you’re sent and what you make of it. A big part of what inspired me to become a designer is growing up a military brat myself. We moved frequently and no matter where we moved I always tried to make my room feel special.  It made such a big difference and helped me feel like I was home anywhere we landed.  It’s why I always encourage people to make their homes and spaces their own, no matter what the situation. When my sister moved in to her new house it was a big priority of mine to make sure my niece and nephews had spaces they felt were just for them.  We have no idea how long they will be here, but I wanted them to feel like this was more than just temporary…especially given that their new house was a completely blank slate.

I was so grateful when Emily and Target said yes and we quickly came up with a game plan to make it happen.  Emily and I worked together via weekly zoom meetings and lots of phone calls and texts. It was so much fun coming up with three very different and unique designs for each space. I had a very clear vision of what I wanted each of their rooms to look and feel like, and both Emily and Target were fully on board and gave me creative freedom to make them come to life. The original plan was for Emily and her crew to come out for a week so we could complete each space together with a team while sharing it all on social and via video. But 2020. For safety’s sake we decided there would be no traveling so with the help of a local design assistant, Jordan, we got it done.

Let’s start with the twins’ room! Isaiah and Jayden are three and they are absolute double trouble!! The epitome of curious, mischievous, cute little balls of toddler twin energy! I’ve been completely and utterly obsessed with them since the minute they were born.

For their room I wanted it to be bright, cheerful and energetic.  Because of their age I didn’t have any input from them on the space, but I wanted to make sure my sister had enough storage, that it was a room they could grow into over at least the next couple of years, and that it was a space they would love to share. My sister was also ready to transition them into twin beds from toddler beds so we made sure to make that happen. All of their bedrooms left A LOT to be desired.  They definitely started out as blank slates so it wasn’t gonna take much to give them new life.  Lets see what their room looked like before

And here’s what it looks like now!

Their room makes me so so happy! It’s fun, bright, and just perfect for the boys! At the foundation of the design I wanted a fun cheery color and immediately thought of yellow! Their room is also an interesting shape so I wanted to take advantage of the layout by giving them three distinct zones: sleep, storage and play. We were able to fit in two twin beds, a bookcase, dresser (not pictured, but goes where the tree currently is) and a table and chairs for the boys to sit and play. The space planning was really important because this room has to function really well for two.  Once we figured out the space plan and take care of the general basics like furniture and window treatments it was time to go all in on holiday! I wanted their room to feel casual, whimsical and colorful so we brought in lots of soft plush details and a tree catered just for them.

The boys (and my sister) LOVE their new room!  They spend so much time in here now and it brings me so much joy to have been able to do this for them. Their happiness is so palpable. My sister is set to deploy again any day now so it means the world to me for these spaces to be done before that happens.

 

 

1. Mid-Century Solid Wood Spindle Bed | 2. Merry Christmas Garland | 3. Plush Sherpa Blanket in White | 4. Plush Sherpa Blanket in Red | 5. Embroidered Santa Lumbar Pillow | 6. Christmas Tree Shaped Throw Pillow| 7. Rotating Tinsel Christmas Tree | 8. Bear LED Nightlight | 9. Solid Jersey Sheet Set | 10. JJersey Comforter Set | 11. Elwood End Table with Drawer | 12. Reindeer & Polar Bear Nutcracker | 13. Small Metal Wagon Figurine | 14. Kids’ Table & Chairs Set | 15. Small Cone Santa Figurine | 16. Large Cone Santa Figurine | 17. Small Truck Figurine | 18. Llama Musical Snow Globe | 19. 4 Christmas Character Stocking Holders | 20. Hudson Cubby Bookcase | 21. Puckered Pom Pom Stocking | 22. Large Green Bottle Brush Tree | 23. Large Blue Bottle Brush Tree | 24. 4 Small Blue and Green Bottle Brush Trees | 25. Cat & Dog Nutcracker | 26. Multicolored Pompom Garland | 27. Matte Black Clip Rings | 28. Clipped Dot Curtain Panel | 29. Dauntless Curtain Rod | 30. Polar Express Book | 31. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Book | 32. Fabric Cube Storage Bin | 33. How to Catch a Reindeer Book | 34. Construction Site on Christmas Night Book | 35. A Charlie Brown Christmas Book | 36. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas Book

1. Santa Star Ornament | 2. Mrs. Claus Ornament | 3. Pre-Lit Spruce Christmas Tree | 4. Elf Boy Ornament | 5. Bird Wreath Ornament | 6. 4 Penguin and Deer Ornaments | 7. Christmas Animated Train Set | 8. Buffalo Plaid Reindeer Ornament | 9. Faux Wool Snowflake Tree Skirt With Pom Poms | 10. Nordic Rabbit with Incandescent Sisal Lights | 11. Climbing Santa Figurine | 12. 25 Piece Ornament Set

As much as I love how their room looks decked out in holiday cheer I cant wait to share with you what it looks like after holiday gets packed away. There’s fun bedding, additional furniture and art.  I’ll be sharing all the spaces again after the New Year so you can see what they each will look like on a regular basis. In the meantime come back tomorrow to check out the second room reveal! You’re not gonna want to miss this one. It might be my favorite of them all. Until next time friends…

*This post is in partnership with Target. All product has been tagged above.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Thank you so much for supporting the brands and content that keep SG Style going. 

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: interiors