I looks like a tall bookcase would be a good idea. Your daughter has a lot of stuffed animals. Does she have a separate play room?

I find that it is a good idea to get a tween involved in the process. Sit down side by side with her. Gove her a pad of good drawing paper and ask her to sketch out what she wants in her room. Take notes.

It is almost always easier to choose bedding first, and take the paint color from the bedding. There are an unlimited number of paint shades that can be mixed. It is hard to find textiles to match a paint color.

You might look in Houzz PHOTOS, Kids, "tween girl" and start you own Ideabook with your favorite inspiration photos. Make a note about what you like and do not like about each space. If a photo is in the "undecided" category, add it to your Ideabook right then. It is extremelymdifficultmto find a particular photo on Houzz as there are more than one million of them and the order changes several times a day as new photos are added. It is easy to delete a photo from your Ideabook.

Since her styles are going to be constantly changing as she grows up, paint the room a more adult colour that can work with different accessories. It's easier to replace a colourful bedspread than to reprint an entire room. Replace the curtains, and add some places to store stuffed animals and toys like a storage bench, she may not want the toys all displayed, but might not be ready to completely let go of them.

@laraj20. Good ideas!

taking my daughter out of pre-teen to teen, I bought her a cupboard with sliding doors from IKEA. One side has a mirror on it (which adds light and space to the room that the cupboard was filling).
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39899435/

Then I got her a dressing table and stuck a mirror behind it and a chair and a set of small drawers on one side. (this works as a desk/dressing table). Above I placed a bookshelf for her books.

I painted the room in chocolate brown and then on each wall I painted white panels. On these we either hung huge frames onto which she could stick a poster /poster(s) and the other I stuck adhesive panels for writing on/wipe off notes.

The accents began as fuschia pink flower prints (the chocolate, white and pink worked very well together); we are now onto grass greens (rugs, sheets and cushions). Next year will be teal accents

Thanks for all the input so far! Really helps give us ideas :)

When I work with clients, and I specialze in nursery design and children's rooms, I always ask to see inspirational photos that they like. So hop on Houzz with your daughter and search bedrooms in general and also teen rooms. Start an idea book and make notes about what you like in each room. Your looking for color pattern and layout. Then once you have the inspiration for the space, next you need to tackle the layout. Decide what type of storage you will need in the space; what size bed, do you want a desk, you also mentioned bookcases. Lay it all out on paper or tape it off in the room until you find the perfect configuration. Now you can start to find the pieces that you have put into your floor plan. Start with the hardest ones to work around. Maybe that would be bedding because a pattern can set the tone for your whole room or maybe a rug. Pick your paint last because you have endless choices.
You might want to even consider hiring an online designer to help you pull all of this together:
http://www.peltierinteriors.com/design-online/

What a fun project for you and your daughter and good luck!

I actually think think that the biggest issue is not decor but organization. It looks like the storage you have for her isn't working for her. I thought my son was a slob until I found the right way to organize his stuff. Now that's it's easy for him to put his stuff away his room is now always tidy. It might be worth investing in a consultation with a professional organizer. A good one will be able to anticipate her needs and develop a plan that will grow with her.

I used to work with college students as a librarian and was appalled by how many of them had terrible study habits and organization skills. If you plan the room well it won't be just cute but will foster good study habits and an appreciation for well organized surroundings that will serve her for the rest of her life.

My suggestion for corralling her stuffed animals is a Boon Animal Bag. http://www.booninc.com/products/AnimalBag It's a fun way to store them that also functions as seating.

As for decor I would start with wall color. Choose classic colors that can grow as she ages and will lend themselves to different design schemes. Make sure the color isn't distracting during study or sleeping. That doesn't have to mean boring or neutral. I painted my older son's room blue and green and have been able to take his room in many directions.

For furniture choose classic, sturdy pieces such as an iron or day bed. She'll want trendy stuff. That's what inexpensive accessories or bedding are for.

A. Peltier Interiors offers excellent advise. When you are ready for new furniture selections we have many styles and functional storage beds. How old is your daughter? Here are a few storage bed options that will grow through college.

Again, all of this input is phenomenal! I should have mentioned.. My daughter is 9 going on 16 ;) She wants something that is fun but more "grown up" and for her mother and I we want something that will grow with her so that we aren't changing it every 2-3 years. We plan to invest in a double/queen because she loves space when she sleeps. I continue to toy with built-ins because I always think they look nice and add that custom flair. My idea is built-in book shelves with a bench between the two shelves (similar to a window bench) with storage beneath the bench). At the far end would be a very simple desk. I figure the bookshelves could be used for books and/or knick/knacks and as she gets older for more adult books or other.. She is definitely a horder and it would also provide her with much more storage than she has had previously. Still vetting ideas so thoughts on built-ins vs straight furniture is also appreciated. I recognize that at least that wall would be "locked" but I do love the custom look and space and seating area. I attached a pic of the kind of look I'm referring to...

hmccoy, I love the built-in pictures you just posted. You are right that these will work for her as her tastes change in the coming years.

When you get her new furniture, make sure she has adequate lighting. In your pictures I only see the ceiling fan and one very small lamp. Once you've figured out the furniture, then you can decide what combination of floor lamps, bedside lamps, sconces, and desk lighting is appropriate.

We recently interviewed two interior designers for our blog, which included children + teen rooms. A lot of great ideas and tips on the post:

http://purcellquality.blogspot.com/2013/01/childrens-rooms.html

Good luck!

shelly01, what do you have hanging in front of your daughter's loft bed? It looks very interesting.

Great ideas above but also purge first-she needs to donate some of those toys!

I have silver beads attached to the ceiling and they hang in front of the mirror I had cut for the top bunk. It gave it a modern feel and the my daughter loves it.Thanks!

Yes CMR... You are right...... purging and donating the toys needs to happen first!

shwlly01 Love your silver beads, where did you find them?

I found them at SHOPWILDTHINGS.com. They are about 30 dollars. Once you hang them where you want them, you cut the height of them with scissors!! Makes it look like a modern teen room. The kids love them!

Great suggestions all! Keep the ideas coming. This is really helpful. I think the votes of confidence for the built-ins have won my wife over to the idea and my daughter loves the look. Now I need to decide whether to try to build them myself (I did a built-in bookshelf in a fitness room about a year ago) or outsource to a carpenter. :)

I like your idea of putting in built ins. I am planning a similar project for my son. We looked at some of the storage beds, but he didn't like any of them. We just have one window and it does not go as low as yours, but I would think you could still do a low window seat below them. There are some pictures of floating desks across windows, but I would worry about that in a child's room. We are planning on a desk at one end of my son's built in, and I like the idea of using painted pegboard to attach some organizers. We will put shelves above that, and shelves with either drawers or cabinets on the other end. I would like to make the bench seat wide enough that it will be comfy for napping or sleep overs. But I definitely see Dad sitting there while my son does his homework at the desk! There are a couple of photos of nooks where the shelves face the nook instead of the room, that might work really well in your space to maximize storage. The other thing I'd like to do, again inspired by photos here, is pull the curtains to the outside of the window seat nook, I also have blinds on that window, just so it's just that much cozier. Good luck!

Check out Rebecca Robeson's Make Over Mondays on youtube. I think there are now 40 bedrooms with cool ideas now on there. Plus there is a really BEAUTIFUL bed contest going on. The bed style might turn your daughter's crank. Love her work! I never turn my nose up at good free advice. When you plan this new room perhaps a trip with some boxes of toys can make their way to a homeless shelter.....

She's 9. Her ideas now are going to be different than her ideas when she is 13, 14 or 15. Plan to go through one more change in decor. If you plan ahead, it can be as simple as changing the bedding, the paint color and a few pictures on the wall. I recommend a double bed instead of a queen, she can sprawl just as well on a double, and the bedding is much easier to find in teen styles. If she will be tall, however, a queen or an extra long twin will fit her better.

The built-in bookcases are a great idea. They'll carry over. If you prefer to not build them yourself, you can get Ikea Billy Bookcases. There are some with doors, too, and desks to coordinate.

I suggest you give her the Pottery Barn Teen catalog and the Ikea catalog and have her circle things she likes.