A fresh look for a pre-teen's bedroom

Photographs Francois Oberholster | Styling Marian van Wyk

WHO LIVES HERE? Charmaine and Vic Pretorius with their daughter Lucindia and granddaughter Arlia (10)
WHERE Brackenfell, Cape Town

As part of VIA TV show My Plek of Joune? (channel 147 on DStv), interior designer and presenter Isabel Barends was tasked with transforming a young girl’s bedroom into a space she will appreciate for years to come – and all in one day!

Isabel decided to create a simple but striking focal wall using three fresh contrasting colours: a soft blue (Dulux Grecian Spa 4), bright yellow (Dulux Buttercup Fool 4) and trendy grey (Dulux Grey Steel).

“It was a typical little girl’s room with lots of pink and plenty of toys,” Isabel says. “We wanted to create a fresh look with a touch of femininity that Arlia will appreciate throughout her teenage years. We incorporated aqua-blue, one of her favourite colours – and, of course, there’s no pink as instructed!”

Arlia’s mom Lucindia adds: “Before Arlia moved into this space it was used as a spare room. It never felt 100% hers; we just added a few personal touches. Now the colours suit her personality perfectly: girly but different!”

The transformation 

Chandelier from Brights Hardware; coat stand, clock, scatters, bedside table and rug from MRP Home; polka dot blanket from Crazy oor Crafts

Paint the triangles

1. If your walls aren’t white, paint them in two coats of PVA; Isabel used Dulux Luxurious Silk in White.

2. Now draw two diagonal lines starting at the top corners of the wall. The lines don’t have to be at an exact angle; nor do they have to meet up with the bottom two corners (this would divide the wall into four similar-sized triangles and make the top middle section too small). Play around with the layout. One line must be drawn all the way to the bottom of the wall; the other one ends where it meets the first line.

3. Use masking tape to mark your lines then use something like a credit card to completely flatten the tape on the wall so the paint doesn’t bleed under it.

4. Use a brush with very little white paint on it to seal the masking tape before using a roller to paint each colour block. Apply two to three coats, allowing the paint to dry between coats.

5. Leave the paint to dry completely before removing the masking tape.

Isabel made these nifty roll-up blinds to fit in with the theme of the room. She wrapped and then stapled the top of the fabric to a wooden baton; you can use Velcro instead of staples. The baton is then attached to the wall with screws. The blind rolls up manually and is secured with a ribbon.