My Make-A-Wish project - the reveal! - Renae Keller Interior Design

You may remember a few weeks ago when I talked about preparing for my Make-A-Wish project. Little Olivia, diagnosed with lupus at the much-too-young age of 6, chose her Make-A-Wish wish to be a redecorated “Princess and the Frog” style bedroom. Smart girl…instead of going to Disney World one time, she brought Disney to her so she could experience it every day!

Olivia in her "before" room.

"Before" room.

The day finally arrived to put her room together and present the renovation to sweet Olivia. I was so excited to see this project come together and find out whether it would become the vision I’d had in my head all along!

That morning, Make-A-Wish granters Krista and Kim and I met at Olivia’s home to use some old-fashioned she-power to get things done. The room had been painted the day before, so we had a fresh, clean canvas to begin our work.

Soon after we arrived, we called upon the talents of our handyman, Steve McCullough, to hang things around the room and put the beds together…what a lifesaver! A girl can only do so much before she ruins her fresh mani, you know! The beds were graciously donated by Premier Builders in Rochester. We unpacked the lamps, mirror and accessories, and put together the cubbies for the kids’ toys and books.

Handyman Steve hard at work.

After a coffee/sticky roll break, I left to pick up the pin up board I purchased at Artistic Framers in Rochester. Look how great that board looks with the dresser! Thanks, Sue! (Clearly Olivia is a little excited about it, too!)

Next we put the box springs on the bed frames and covered the mattress with a mattress pad. We threw on the sheets, blankets and the handmade duvets — thank you Cathy for all your incredible work! Ahhhhhh, so fun!

We rolled out the rug, unwrapped the white painted dressers (very cottage-y looking), and put everything in its place. Unfortunately bunk beds weren’t an option because of the low ceilings. I wanted to maximize the play space but also allow each child to have his or her own space…in this case, their own space is their bed.

FINALLY it was time to surprise Olivia, her brother Tony, and her mom Lia. Upon entering her new room, Olivia squealed with delight and repeated an emphatic “Yes!” as she grinned from ear to ear. When I saw Olivia’s face light up, it was priceless. Truly the best moment of doing what I do…