A good place to start might be to choose a bedding set. There are tons of quilt and comforter sets designed for girls, from teeny to preteen and teenage. Patterns abound: geometrics, hearts, flowers, stripes, polka dots, animal print, princesses, fairies; you name it. Choosing a bed set as opposed to just a quilt or comforter will make it easier, since matching accessories are already included; for example, shams, sheets, decorative pillows, bedskirt, etc. Quilt sets are generally made of cotton and have a layer of batting inside, but are not as thick or warm as comforter sets. They are perfect for warmer climates or warmer weather. Of course, a warm blanket can be added in winter to make this type of bedding perfect for all four seasons. Comforters, on the other hand, have some type of fill instead of batting, and are a little heavier. They can be used for hot summer time if your house is air-conditioned, and are perfect for the rest of the seasons.

Once you’ve chosen your bedding set, it’s easy to coordinate the rest of the room. Paint colors can be a shade of purple if you like; a good idea is to take the predominant color from the quilt and go several shades lighter. Getting free paint chip cards from Home Depot, Lowe’s, or your local paint store can greatly help with this, since you want to stay in the same tone family even if you go lighter or darker with the shade. Some paint chips have tone families, from light to dark, right on the card. You also might want to choose a contrast color from the bedding set and paint one wall with this color. White usually works with any color bedding; and other colors taken from the comforter pattern will work in a lot of combinations. But keep in mind, if your main idea is purple, not to put too much of a contrast color on the walls, just a bit as an accent. Or lighten the shade a lot so it doesn’t overpower the purple, like pale yellow, for instance.

Are you decorating for a little girl or an older one? Younger children often like princessy type colors like lavender and pale pink. Tweens and teens tend to go for bright colors that pop, like neon purple and hot pink, blue, green. There are also midrange colors that aren’t quite so strong that work well too, like teal or salmon. Again, too much accent color might be too much, but a little can really make the room stand out. If you’re decorating for a teen, think about going darker or bolder on the paint color. Those colors are popular right now.

You could even take your bedding set to the paint store and see what jumps out! Don’t forget to check the colors in her room to make sure the lighting works before you paint, even if they looked great in the paint store.