Grandmillennial Girls Bedroom Reveal | ORC

Last Updated on November 18, 2023 by lindseymahoney

We made it to week 8 of the One Room Challenge and the reveal of the vintage-inspired girls bedroom with grandmillennial style! For my daughter’s bedroom makeover, I tried to incorporate primarily second-hand and already owned items in the design.

My goal was to create a beautiful and functional bedroom that encouraged creativity. To put it simply, I didn’t include anything that couldn’t handle a few makeup smudges and crayon scribbles.

Catch up on earlier posts for the Fall One Room Challenge…

Fall One Room Challenge 2021 - upcycling furniture in a vintage inspired girls bedroom | Building Bluebird

For those of you who are stopping by for the first time, welcome! Two years ago we moved into our 1960’s fixer-upper in Toledo, Ohio, and have been documenting our renovations on the blog. This will be my fifth time participating in the One Room Challenge and it has been a fantastic way to complete projects in our home! Thanks for following along as I work to transform our daughter’s bedroom in 8 weeks.

Dining Room Reveal | Boys Bedroom Reveal | Master Bedroom Reveal | Living Room Reveal | Guest Bedroom Reveal

Grandmillennial Girls Bedroom Before & After

[For a complete source list, scroll to the bottom of the blog post! Affiliate links used in this blog post, thanks for supporting Building Bluebird!]

Let’s begin with a reminder of where we started in this space two years ago:

Vintage-inspired girls bedroom makeover reveal | Building Bluebird
#oneroomchallenge

And that same view today.

Here is the other side of the bedroom when we moved in:

And the same view today.

Girls Bedroom Design with Grandmillennial Vibes

The inspiration for this design came from one of my daughter’s books, From a Small Seed: the story of Eliza Hamilton, and her request for pink walls.

I was attracted to all of the colors in the book and Early American design. For the walls, I chose a muddy pink paint color (Likeable Sand by Sherwin Williams) because it felt timeless and I could imagine it in an old, historic home.

Design inspiration and childrens book, From a small seed, the story of Eliza Hamilton | Building Bluebird #girlsbedroom

Here is the original vintage girls bedroom design from Week 1. I ended up using different curtains as well as a different fabric for the bentwood seat cover. The upcycled bookcase that I planned to paint green just wasn’t working in the room, so I purchased an IKEA bookcase and added a few custom details.

Bedding & Window Treatments

With the new pink walls, the original red curtains made the room feel too warm. I toned it down with cool, blue curtains. I found the curtains at Anthropologie and love the pattern and color.

Girls bedroom makeover reveal with grandmillennial style | Building Bluebird — Curtains | Blinds | Headboard

The curtains allow some light to filter through, so the bamboo blinds help to block out the light. They also add a nice texture to the overall design.

Vintage inspired girls pink bedroom with cottagecore vibes | Building Bluebird #grandmillennial

Because of the unique layout of this room, the best spot for the bed was in front of the only windows. The headboard is a simple design made of iron that aligns well with the vintage design plan. The iron bars allow light to come through, even though it covers part of the window.

For the bedding, I hit up the closest IKEA and purchased a king-sized duvet cover for the queen-sized bed. I wanted the covers to hang lower than standard queen-size bedding and it worked great.

The white quilt at the foot of the bed was the original bedding in this room. To camouflage storage under the bed, I added a vintage eyelet dust ruffle (similar) that I found at an estate sale.

Vintage-inspired girls bedroom makeover reveal | Building Bluebird
#oneroomchallenge #cottagecore #grandmillennial

Dresser

The dresser was originally purchased for our master bedroom makeover, but I quickly realized that it was way too small. I hate to admit it, but this is not one of my best purchases. I believe I spent around $800 for this dresser and the drawers are SO SMALL.

We kept our IKEA Hemnes dresser in the master bedroom and gave the expensive one to Evelyn since only her clothes were able to fit. At least it looks pretty!

I found the lamps at Home Goods and reused an IKEA mirror that we owned for years.

The flower artwork is an estate sale find.

Nightstand & Chair

This nightstand was one of my early second-hand purchases when we were still living in Colorado. I originally painted the nightstand white with pink trim but decided to cover the pink with the same blue as the desk. I really love both options but the blue coordinated better with this grandmillennial bedroom design.

Likeable Sand by Sherwin Williams wall color SW 6058 | Building Bluebird
#vintage #cottagecore #grandmillennial #girlsbedroom

We have had the table lamp for a few years now and it was purchased at Home Goods. The blue vase was owned and the artwork is an antique store find with new frames.

I found this sweet little chair at a local consignment shop and it is the perfect size for Evelyn’s room. I fell in love with the skirted bottom and checkered pattern. The pink, velvet pillow completes the look!

Vanity/Desk

Upcycling a vintage desk with blue paint for a cottagecore vibe | Building Bluebird #girlsbedroom #grandmillennial

Last year, my in-laws offered us this desk that had been in their storage unit. It was in my MIL’s childhood bedroom and I loved the history behind the piece.

I gave the desk a mini-makeover last year but had new plans for this bedroom makeover. I added wood knobs and chose a blue paint color called Meditative from Sherwin Williams. Painted furniture is a great way to add grandmillennial style to a room.

Upcycling a vintage desk with blue paint for a cottagecore vibe | Building Bluebird #girlsbedroom #grandmillennial #sw6227 #meditative

The contrast between the pink walls and the blue desk is beautiful.

The bentwood chair was purchased at an estate sale but it needed new seat fabric. I recovered the seat with a light blue bird pattern. It actually looks similar to the light pink toile shades on the dresser!

The lamp, picture frame, and book are all second-hand purchases and the pinboard is from Home Goods.

Organization / Storage Systems

IKEA Hemnes Bookcase

Add cottagecore charm with this easy Hemnes bookcase IKEA hack | Building Bluebird #grandmillennial #girlsbedroom

This bookcase was EXACTLY what I needed for this corner of Evelyn’s bedroom! I needed something that wasn’t too bulky for this corner but offered lots of storage options. The lower half of the bookcase hides all of the toys that clutter a room and the open shelving on top displays books and other treasures.

To give the bookcase a little more character, I added the scalloped trim to the top and it looks so precious. I swapped out the knobs and installed bronze knockers to create a more traditional look.

Scalloped Bookshelves

These IKEA floating shelves were used as book storage in Evelyn’s bedroom. I like that we can use books as artwork for the walls and can swap them out whenever we want. I gave the shelves a little refresh with scalloped trim and paint and it is beautiful and budget-friendly.

Designing a girls bedroom on a budget using vintage and second-hand decor | Buidling Bluebird #grandmillennial #cottagecore #sw6058

The little detail is so charming and completely changes the look of the original shelves! The small mirror is vintage that I purchased from a seller on Instagram.

Peg Rail

Another fantastic organizational solution for this girl’s bedroom makeover is the peg rail (similar). I bought this peg rail for $5 at an estate sale and painted it the same color as the wall. It looks great and adds function to clothes, hats, and towels and get them off the floor!