Before I had babies—or older kids with opinions—I vowed to never buy character bedding, sheets, pillows, etc. Then, like any good mom, I ate my words and bought the Frozen sheets.
My strategy for their bedrooms in this house is to give them a good “base” and let them do their own decorating on top of it. The other part of my strategy is to go upstairs as little as possible and/or close bedroom doors often. (Just look away, Emily. Look away.)
From the first time we told the kids that they’d all have their own rooms in this house, the planning ensued—mostly by my six-year-old, who was set on a Frozen room from the get-go. (Will this movie ever go away??) I talked her down from a purple wall with painted snowflakes and decided to compromise by buying the Anna and Elsa sheets, which automatically makes it a “Frozen bed”, in her mind. (For the record, these cheap sheets are the softest things ever. . . Wonder if they make them in a queen?) She also loooooves everything purple, which happens to just about be my least favorite color.
I just know some of you are in the same predicament. So, here’s how I plan to create a room we’ll both love. . . 
Cool colors that still feel “icy” without being too princess purple. . .
To compromise on the purple, I’m painting her dresser a soft lavender and pairing with a gold mirror like the image above. She thinks it’s wonderful. (Lucky for me.)
I think this little bit of unexpected color will keep the room from looking too “soft”. And, I like that there’s no real theme to the room once the princess sheets bite the dust.
This is what will really tie everything together. The team at Minted let me choose a piece from their new fashion-inspired art collection, and I knew this abstract (“Here and There” by Sonal Nathwani) would be a perfect fit. It incorporates all of the colors I’m using in the room and is just such a fun painting for a kid’s room. (I also love the idea of her having a big piece of artwork to take with her when she grows up.)
I ordered the 30 x 40” size in the white wood frame and will eventually hang wall lamps and her own framed artwork on both sides.
So, that’s the plan. And, in case you don’t think there’s enough Anna and Elsa going on in here, the sweet girl decided to put her Frozen sheets on top of the comforter so everybody could see them. I tried. She wins. #LetItGo
This has me giggling. Good job, Mom! #letitgoindeed
Good jog, Mom! My sister had a deep purple bedroom like almost 40 years ago. My Dad was transferred and my Great Aunt bought the family house. She painted the room white but all these years later the purple glows through no matter how many coats of paint go over it. No one in the family has ever had the courage to do purple again. :) In a 2 story house no one ever sees the upstairs but their little friends anyway and that was always a blessing when our five were growing up!
And that was JOB not jog!
You could buy another set and sew the top sheets into a duvet cover. You’d have two bottom sheets and two pillowcases to rotate out for washing. :) It looks like a room she can really grow with, which is great. Keep showing her the sheets in the Land of Nod catalog, maybe in a year or so she’ll be ready to Let it Go!
Excellent job! I love your plans and your #letitgo attitude.
I’ve got the same thing going down over here. I have the target version of the white west elm pin tuck bedding disguising the character sheets. But it’s usually draped over something to make a fort so they’re out there for all the world to see!!! I also dreamed of matching twin beds for my two little girls, but they wanted a bunk bed and hey, you’re only bunk bed age for a little while. We love our babies don’t we? And she’ll ALWAYS remember that you got her the frozen sheets :)
I love them and wonder where you bought them? I would buy them for my granddaughter! All kids want that kind of décor and its nice when we let them be kids after all who is it hurting? love your blog, home, and style!!!
I bought them from Amazon:
http://bit.ly/1RdE79T (Really, amazingly softer than I guessed they would be!)
Lol! I love it! We have 3 girls (all grown now) and it never ends. So, just give up now! Enjoy!
You crack me up! The good news you will not be “frozen” forever. The joy of a two story house and enough room to close the door for 18 years.
I was shocked to hear you say they were soft those sheets are usually like sandpaper. I know this because I have bought the themed pillowcases as my way of giving in a little. The room plan is so pretty & I love the idea of painting a dresser instead of the room the color purple. I started buying art for my now 17 year old when she was a little one and you won’t regret it, my daughter loves all her pieces and can’t wait to put them in her first apartment. Soak in this time!
What a budding little artist you have, her artwork is adorable! Love the color palette and that artwork is fantastic. As far as the Frozen fascination… this too shall pass!
I laughed out loud at your ending hashtag!
The room plans look gorgeous.
Love this…so cute! Can I have a Frozen room minus the sheets?
Ha ha. The struggle is real! We went through the same thing… my almost 4 year old really wanted frozen sheets, princess sheets, literally, any character would do. I couldn’t do it… so, while looking through the pottery barn kids catalog, I noticed they had mermaid sheets… I knew she loved ariel…and I hit the jackpot. I showed her the sheets and she was in love. Thank goodness!!
Oh Emily…I can totally relate. I have two girls (now 13 & 11) and I was lucky enough to get away with only buying them accent pillows for whatever phase they were in at the time. Themed rooms were never my thing, BUT a cute pillow I could handle! :) On the topic of purple, my daughter’s favorite colors are aqua and purple. At first, I tried to give in and I let my husband paint her entire room aqua (BM Cool Aqua). Oh my…break out the sunglasses! Almost immediately, I convinced her that two walls needed to be purple. Because the aqua was so strong, I chose a “muddier” purple (BM Crocus) to tone it down and for a non-purple loving person, it is a beautiful shade of purple. And it honestly has become one of my favorite rooms in the house. It’s so her…so how could I not love it?! Good luck!
Good job! All of it!
And I LOVE her artwork! I’m about to hang art in my daughters’ room, and I may commission some original pieces from their talented little hands. ;)
You are a good mom, and I think the room is beautiful! I bet she’ll look back on this one day and be so happy you gave her that creative freedom! :)
Ha, ha, Emily – I know exactly how you feel. If anyone can pull it off and make even a ‘Frozen’ room look wonderful, you sure can. Can’t wait to see what you do!
I love your honest attitude. I compromised with character blankets they can sleep with and I can hide when people come over. I also buy them all character pajamas, this way they don’t need character t-shirts and clothes. I did cave to Elsa for Halloween this year. I know your daughter will be so happy with this bedroom. Parenting is all about choosing your battles. I have to remind myself of this daily.
you had me cracking up with the #letitgo
You are so right with the pop of color! I think that she’s going to love it and that’s whats most important anyway! The design lover in all us moms never gets quite fulfilled when they start making requests.
Looks like a beautiful plan! I especially LOVE the touch of gold with the purple!
The purple dress is a brilliant compromise, what a great room, and let the Frozen sheets fly!.
Somehow we escaped Beauty and The Beast/The Little Mermaid/Jasmine decor, (I let them wear the costumes year round, maybe that helped) but my daughters fell in love with some unique and funky wallpaper borders. One room was peach sponge paint while the other room had random stripes under the border. As they transformed into the pre teen years, the rooms morphed to wide pastel stripes in one room, and deep teal walls with gold medallions hand stamped for a Moroccan theme in the other.
Now both girls are moved out, and I have solid color walls that are soothing and nice blank slate for my artwork and funky finds, but I sorta miss those crazy rooms the girls had.
Enjoy. #letitgo #theyaregonebeforeyouknowit
Oh and kudos on establishing a large piece of art for her to have of her own, it’s a great start for their “new” places, but gives them a touch of their old rooms. One daughter took all her museum Van Gogh posters while the other took antique clothing and a dress form for her room.
LOL! When we moved into our house, my then preschool daughter wanted an orange room. I promptly threw up beadboard so there was only about 2-3′ of space above for color. Worked great, but the walls are now an almost neon green! We do what we can, right?!
Honestly, I was thrilled to see your color choices. Just found out my in laws are coming in 2 weeks and I need to get our guest room in order – pronto! Have a gray painted dresser and gray/white floral bedding. Thinking of light purple/lavender for the walls. Panicked over trying to find the right color with such little time. Would you mind sharing yours? I am TOTALLY going to throw in navy accents now too. You’re brilliant! Thanks!
Hi Kathy–the dresser is painted “Thistle” by SW. I haven’t painted the walls yet…
I was laughing so hard reading this. We have to sing the “Frozen” song track almost every day, and my youngest daughter insists that her name is “Elsa”. Really funny, clever writing here, Emily.
Love it! You are the best mom ever – my daughter wants a Cinderella carriage bed but since she shares with her brother I think I should just get her some sheets too!
Love the #letitgo. My 4-year-old son is currently in love with Frozen –sings the songs, wears the Anna costume at school, and will be Olaf for Halloween. He’s even got his 16-month-old brother singing “yetigo.” If he knew there were sheets, he’d be a… happy snowman!
Oh, Emily…Good for you! They’re small for such a short time & get so much happiness from the small things like Frozen sheets. Lol. I love your idea of toning down the color palette. Purple is also one of my least favorite colors…some shades almost make me gag, but the shades you’ve chosen are lovely. I’m on my second round of girls by being the grandmother of a sweet 16-yr-old who lives with me, so I’ve been through the decorating dilemmas. Just remember that this will pass in the twinkle of an eye, and she will be grown and gone. You’re a good mama!
Ahh you’re a good Mom! I wouldn’t be onside with the Frozen sheets either but it’s just a passing phase.
Priceless! You couldn’t make this stuff up! Love the artwork! ;)
Great ideas on how to blend high style with kids’ favorite cartoons. I also noticed the Better Homes & Gardens frames–those are my favorite go-to for inexpensive gallery frames!
Hi Emily,
My little girl is now 40. (How did I get so old?). And she still remembers her Strawberry Shortcake sheets. Fortunately her bedspread covered them when she wasn’t in bed.
You’re a good mom. You’ve realized what’s important.
I’m almost your daughter’s age and would’ve loved the Strawberry Shortcake sheets. My mom did let us have the New Kids on The Block. Not sure I could ever give in to Justin Bieber bedding :)
Such a good Mom. No, I mean such a great Mom to give her the creative freedom she needs to grow and mature!! She is so excited and proud of her room and I know you are so proud her. She is such an individual and so loved. It shows in everything she does and says!!
Ha! This has me cracking up. Just the other day my daughter said she never got the light up shoes, the character clothes or several other “fun things”. Her younger brother (13 years younger) got a few of those “fun” things because I decided always being ironed but always being late (because everything we wore was ironed!) was worth a trade off to being on time, little wrinkled but sane. There are some things worth the trade off. Your sweet girl will always remember her hero mama who let her have a fun room when she was little. You are a good mom!
All the Frozen comments have proven for a good giggle tonight!
I also let them have the light up shoes :( Of course, I never bought them for my oldest. I think they’ve worn me down!
You are an amazing mom! Still trying to work in the horse obsession! My little me has such great visions; it’s so hard for me to keep up! Love these littles!
The things we do to make our children happy… :)
Can’t wait to see how her room turns out!
I read this post and just laughed! I broke down and bought the same sheets for my 4 year old this past Christmas and they are the softest ever! I love reading stories at night with her and snuggling with those sheets. She is my third child with 5 and 7 years between she and my older two kids. Needless to say that all bets are off. She wears tutus to school, wears Elsa dresses, goes to preschool with crazy hair, sings Taylor Swift instead of The Wiggles….I have lost control. But I have lost it in a good way.
Thanks for vouching on the sheets. Crazy how much I like them :) And, isn’t it wonderful to lose control of (some of) the things that don’t matter?!
WOW Emily – so perfect! I’m so impressed by your diplomacy! You did a great job overcoming several obstacles! Your creativity and compassion walk hand in hand! Wish I could say more of how impressed I am with this whole space! Both of you win!
Lv, Kathleen
Love this post! The minted art work is great for the room! It really ties everything together. I love the #letitgo Too funny! :)
I am so thrilled that you chose “Here and There” for your daughter’s room. Thank you! As a mother of 2 boys, I used to have similar decorating issues except with Batman rather than Elsa :-)
I am all over that navy and pale lavender scheme right now! I am not normally a “purple person” either, but that soft color is actually really catching my eye! :) I love that you gave in on the sheets. My 2.5 year old wears her Olaf shirt with pride and is still singing “Let it GOOOOOOOO” while I push her through the grocery store! The movie is here to stay.
Cheers! And, good luck!
Ha! I’m the same about character bedding! But hey, she has to develop her own sense of style SOMEHOW! Remember Lisa Frank?? I mean, I seriously thought at one point that those were the most beautiful colors ever and I’d want to decorate with ALL of them lol. I do like purple though, if used well :) I used Glidden’s polished pewter (a grey that reads slightly purple) in my baby’s room and its gorgeous without being PURPLE, if you now what I mean. #letitgo. Lol
So refreshing!!! As an ‘older’ momma, I am always amazed and frankly, worried when I see perfectly decorated kids rooms! I always wonder where are the legos? the stuffed animals? Barbies? Character bedding? If we don’t allow those things we are really diminishing our own children’s creativity and confidence to create their own spaces! We wouldn’t want someone to do that to us! Now that I have teens, let’s just say that most of the ‘decor’ is styled on the floor and consists of lots of clothes, sports gear, make-up, curling wands, books, homework…….I just close the door and ‘let it go’……
xo~Jill
Hysterical and exactly right! She’ll remember the love that allowed the Frozen sheets :)!
Love this post! Truly had tears in eyes from laughing & commiserating regarding the ubiquitous Frozen. As a mom of 6 year old twins (girl/boy), I, too, can confirm that Frozen will never go away. Frozen sheets over the cover–brilliant! They will always outsmart us. : )
And then she will grow up and you would do anything for one more day in the cow dress or…the Frozen sheets! :)
Well done mama!
Oh Lord!! I am going through this exact problem at the moment. My 3.5 year old is about to get her big girl bed and a new bedroom. Her favourite colour is purple and of course she is Frozen obsessed. Arh!! I am such a neutral colour person and hate pinks and purples.
It is great to see that a great designer like you also has to deal with these troublesome licensed products. Why do they have to be so ugly? I am trying to figure out how to avoid purple walls and was thinking some purple decorations will suffice.
Cheers,
Nat
I am so excited to see the progression of this room! I love that you gave in to having character sheets and am 110% confident you will be able to work some magic around them. I always wonder how designers avoid the preferences of their kids (e.g. plastic race car bed frames) but you not only embrace them, you elevate them.
A big fat hahaha. But I know it will look good with your touch:)
This post made me smile. I recenlty came across your blog and am loving it. I don’t have kids yet but feel I will “struggle” in this department when the time comes. Love your artwork area you are creating above the bed, just awesome!
I love this! Great job on keeping the character theme muted!! I have to keep this in mind for my princess.
BTW – who/what are the paint colors above? I love the combinations!
Do you know what the actual Paint colors are in your “toned down color palEtte” phoTo? ThaNks!