Growing up as a Disney and Nickelodeon fanatic, I spent lots of my childhood imagining myself as the sixth Duncan sibling in Good Luck Charlie and wishing I could enroll at Pacific Coast Academy (PCA) in Zoey 101. But, there was nothing I envied more than the elaborate bedrooms of these characters. Constantly in DIY mode, my 8-year-old self was frustrated that she could never quite craft a bedroom fit for her favorite shows. Alas, because I could never attain the perfection of a Disney or Nickelodeon-level bedroom, my hopes to make Teddy or Zoey jealous fell short. And now that my days of excitedly waiting for a new episode each week are long gone, I think back on these dream bedrooms with nostalgia and warmth. So, take a trip down memory lane with me as I take a tour of the five Disney and Nickelodeon bedrooms that raised me.
1. Carly’s room from icarly
There was not a single Nickelodeon show I watched more than iCarly. Although I’m too young to have watched when the show first aired, I made sure to catch every rerun I could. Premiering originally in 2007, my favorite rerun to watch was “iGot a Hot Room” in the third season of the show, when Carly’s room gets a complete makeover after her older brother Spencer accidentally burns her room down.
With a trampoline and an ice-cream sandwich love seat, I was especially jealous of Carly’s platform bed (because I thought it was so cool to have to walk up stairs to get in bed). Another highlight of the room was a motorized wardrobe, which even came with a high-tech iPad for Carly to pick out her outfit for the day. Nicknamed the “outfit wizard,” I remember Freddie proudly showcasing the high-tech closet to Carly (in an attempt to woo her).
With the original source of the fire being a homemade gummy bear lamp that Spencer gifts Carly for her 16th birthday, the bedroom makeover features a new (and non-flammable) gummy bear chandelier. Inspired by this lamp, I proudly put a “gummy bear lamp” on my Christmas list the following December. Although mine was nowhere near as elaborate as Carly’s, my green gummy bear lamp proudly sat on my desk for years as a tribute to the bedroom I dreamed of having.
2. Teddy’s room from good luck charlie
Another bedroom with a platform bed (this one with even more stairs) is Teddy’s bedroom in Good Luck Charlie. Located in the basement of the Duncan house, Teddy and her best friend Ivy use the space as a safe haven away from family members.
The most prominent feature of Teddy’s room is her bed, with about a million pillows in various shapes and colors. I also liked the practicality of her room, with lots of under-the-bed storage and a desk that was pretty and looked functional. With photos on the wall and books under her bed, Teddy’s room was one of the most realistic Disney depictions of a teen girl’s bedroom.
Although a bit too maximalist for my taste, Teddy’s room always felt like a safe space for her and her friends. I especially love the talks Teddy and Ivy have in the room, assuming their normal positions of sitting on the floor or in the chairs and beanbags scattered around the space. Having a room near my parents’ room growing up, I was envious of Teddy for the privacy she had in the basement away from her parents and siblings. With an extra hangout area in the basement of the Duncan home, it was the perfect spot to get away from the craziness and camcorders of Good Luck Charlie.
3. Zoey’s room from zoey101
As alluded to in the introduction, I was also a big fan of Zoey’s PCA dorm room in Zoey 101. Set in the sunny hills of California and filmed on Pepperdine University’s campus, Zoey shares her dorm room (room 101) with friends Dana, Nicole, Lola, and Quinn throughout the series.
Overlooking the tennis courts and equipped with a two-way video system to talk to friends in other dorms, Zoey and her roommates enjoy a dorm room three times bigger than any dorm I’ve ever lived in. With purple walls, a mini fridge stocked with late-night stacks and retro-inspired decor and furniture, the room is a perfect combination of 1970s Brady Bunch and Y2K’s Lizzie McGuire.
Watching Zoey and her friends drive around on their brightly-colored Jet X’s and getting smoothies from within their dorm buildings, I thought I had found the perfect representation of college life (although PCA was a boarding high school). Although this perfection was far from the reality of college, especially when it came to the dorm rooms, I’m happy Zoey 101 created that picture-perfect representation of adulting. Now that I’m actually adulting (without a Jet X in sight), I’ve realized nothing is picture-perfect, and that’s half the fun.
4. riley’s room from girl meets world
As a girl with a dream to have a bay window seat, I was obsessed with Riley’s room from Girl Meets World. Like Teddy’s room, I also appreciate the believability of this room as a teen girl’s room. With lavender-colored walls and a bright green dresser, Riley and her best friend Maya spend lots of time here.
As I already mentioned, one of my favorite parts about Riley’s room is the bay window. One of the best episodes is the series finale, when Riley and Maya talk to their younger selves and older selves while sitting at this window seat. In a full-circle moment, Riley and Maya encounter younger and older versions of themselves and reflect on how much they’ve grown.
Another element I love about Riley’s room is how it perfectly captures her personality. As a bubbly and whimsical character, the bright and bold colors of her room and the flower comforter match her positive presence. Often portrayed as innocent, Riley’s room is a representation of her childlike spirit.
5. miley’s room from hannah montana
Saving one of the best Disney bedrooms for last, Miley’s bedroom in Hannah Montana was a visual representation of “the best of both worlds” she is living in. With the decor and taste of a normal teenage girl mixed with the chicness of a pop star, Miley’s bedroom really has the best of both worlds.
Living in a bedroom detached from the main house, Miley had a stable door which the occasional horse could enjoy, a chandelier, a juke box, and a closet made for a popstar living a double life. With two of everything, Miley made sure to share her space with her best friend Lily. In on Miley’s secret from day one, Lily quickly becomes Miley and Hannah Montana’s No. 1 supporter, and the two share a room almost like sisters.
As mentioned, the most iconic part of Miley’s room is her closet. A massive and luxurious walk-in closet with a revolving clothes rack and cubbies filled with shoes and purses that extend out from the wall, the closet serves as a secret space for Miley to transform into her alter-ego, Hannah Montana. In one of the most iconic scenes of the series, Miley gives a tour to a shocked and stunned Lily in the pilot episode, “Lily, Do You Want to Know a Secret.”
Conclusion
From realism to idealism, these five bedrooms of my childhood dreams sparked my passion for interior design. Constantly rearranging my spaces, I believe a tiny part of me is hoping my decorating and redecorating will result in a platform bed or revolving closet one day in the future. Even if I never attain these dreams, I’ll always have the nostalgia of my favorite Disney and Nickelodeon bedrooms from my childhood!