Dream Girl's Bedroom

The Make-A-Wish Foundation contacted me because design-savvy Danielle was longing for a dream bedroom makeover — and apparently she's a huge fan of Divine Design!

So I showed up on her doorstep, surprised Danielle and her family in a big way, and geared up to design a bedroom that will make this little girl's biggest wish come true.

Danielle kicked off the plans for the makeover all by herself. Our budding designer created a great drawing of what her fantasy bedroom should look like. She had three big desires for me to fulfill: she wanted to incorporate her favorite colors of pink and green; she wanted a nice big canopy bed; and she wanted a swing! Danielle's mom Sherine had a few wishes of her own: She wanted to create a restful space for Danielle to recuperate after hospital visits with a lot of closet space and a desk for doing homework.

I decided that Danielle's room should be pretty and girly, but I wanted the room to have longevity, so I decided to get rid of all the existing pink and create a neutral theme with colored accents — and a bit of a Parisian twist.

I started by putting down fun and funky removable floor tiles in a checkerboard pattern of cream and black to help ground the space. Then I got rid of the existing bubblegum walls and replaced them with a creamy, vanilla-colored paint.

Next I got to work on the room's focal point: a brand new canopy day bed with the most luscious pink and green linens, pillows and ruffles — a perfect place for Danielle to read, relax — and maybe even sleep.

I then set up a long black desk area at the window area, which Danielle can use for storage, drawing and homework. The black color in the furniture adds a dash of sophistication to the room. I carried this color into other elements of the space as well, from the scroll detail in the cabinetry and the faux zebra fabric for the desk chair and lampshades, to the chalkboard closet on which Danielle can doodle.

For extra fun and whimsy, I installed a hip green chair, a delightful Parisian-inspired area rug, a variety of accents and accessories — and even a flat-screen television (so Danielle can watch her favorite design show).

To brighten up the space, I put a beautiful, fanciful chandelier over the bed and a few whimsical, feathery sconces on the wall.

This little girl's pretty and frilly dream room was now complete — well almost. With the limited space available, I just couldn't figure out how to fit in the swing that Danielle had asked for. So I got my crew together and built her a swing set in her backyard, where she can swing to her heart's content — without banging into a desk or bed.

(Interior decorator Candice Olson is host of Home & Garden Television's Divine Design. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)