Inside The Pioneer Woman's Bedroom Makeover

Ree Drummond has built a career out of chronicling her evolution from Los Angeles career girl to Oklahoma rancher's wife — first on her insanely popular blog, thepioneerwoman.com, and now with the Food Network show The Pioneer Woman. But when she set out to transform her family's attic into a bedroom for daughters Alex, 14, and Paige, 12, the girls had one rebellious request: no cowgirl themes. So Drummond sought an urban counterpoint in Manhattan designers Cortney and Robert Novogratz, who fashioned a retreat that's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll. Or, as Drummond explains: "It exceeded all of our wildest dreams."

The room was previously an unused storage space in the attic.

1. Get into the swing of things with a hanging bed. The Novogratzes hired Oklahoman Carl Engel to craft a pair of walnut sleepers, suspended from steel plates installed on the ceiling's beams. Get Engel's complete DIY instructions here. Or if you have more cash than carpentry skills, visit anthropologie.com, where a similar bed sells for $2,898.

2. Move over, monograms! Instead of relying on embroidered initials, the Novogratzes personalized the girls' room with full-fledged portraits by artist Linda Mason. A more affordable alternative: Submit a picture to paintmyphotonow.com, and the site will commission an original 24" × 36" painting for less than $200.

3. Adopt an ageless approach to bedding.The designers bypassed typical tween motifs in favor of sophisticated separates, including crisp white sheets and blankets in fresh cranberry and tangerine hues. Quirky throw pillows pile on extra charm.

4. Carpet tiles offer greater flexibility than wall-to-wall. Spill something? These 20-inch squares can be plucked up, one at a time, for cleaning — or individually replaced, if necessary.

5. Devise a desk that goes the distance. While some might consider the bowling-alley-like dimensions a hindrance, the Novogratzes saw potential for one whopper of a workspace: basically, a 16-foot-long maple plank set atop five open-front cubes.

(Striped blankets, $98 each; chevron blankets, $230 each; round floral pillow, $125; pillowcases, $52 for standard-size pair; Layla, 718-222-1933. Animal pillows, from $28; areaware.com; Carpet tiles, $15.99 per tile; flor.com)

6. It's okay to color on this wall. The new way to paint by numbers, this dynamic wallpaper by Jenny Wilkinson encourages nascent artists. As for that supersize beanbag — it's big enough to pinch-hit as a guest bed.

(For similar wallpaper, $64 per 20½"W × 33'L roll; jennywilkinson.com. Beanbag, $458; loopeedesign.com)

7. Incorporate stealthy storage at every turn. Those desk supports do double duty, providing multiple hide-outs for schoolbooks and craft materials. They also inject a shot of color, Tallulah's Room, from the Novogratzes' line for Stark paint.

8. Some supplies deserve a home outside the drawer. The designers created rotating displays by liberating skeins of yarn and fabric scraps. The former hang on hardware store hooks; the latter enliven a steel magazine rack.

9. How to take the edge off a modern chair: Add a dose of knit wit! Woven through the wire frame of this midcentury reproduction, simple strands of yarn yield a hip hybrid of homespun and high design.

(Magazine rack, $89.95; cb2.com; Chair, $329; njmodern.com)

Ree Drummond (center) with Robert and Cortney Novogratz.