Odette Annable Opens Up About Designing 9-Year-Old Daughter Charlie's 'Big Girl Room' with Her 'Sensory Issues' in Mind (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Odette Annable and Charlie.Photo:Katie Jameson

Katie Jameson

Odette Annableis giving an inside look at the “dream” bedroom she designed for her daughter.Speaking to PEOPLE about her 9-year-old daughter Charlie’s brand new “big girl room,” which she designed inpartnership with Crate & Kids, the actress opened up about how Charlie’s playful personality helped to inspire the space.Annable, who shares Charlie with her husband,Brothers & SistersstarDave Annable,tells PEOPLE, “She has been asking for a big girl room for quite some time.“As for how the mom of two knew it was the right time for an upgrade, she explains, “I really kind of based it off of the fact that she’s grown so much this year and she started a new school.““Charlie has dyslexia and ADHD. She’s on the spectrum a little bit,” Annable continues. “She’s worked so hard this year and really, really doing so well in school, so I knew that she would feel inspired to have a new room and to be able to have a safe space to create and let her imagination fly, because she’s not typically used to doing things on her own.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Katie JamesonAnnable previously partnered with Crate & Kids on her and Dave’s younger daughterAndi’s nurseryin 2023. Charlie’s familiarity with the team is what made the partnership so easy for the mother-daughter duo.“Creating this room with Crate & Kids, who I love so much, was just a dream,” says Annable. “I knew that they already had experience with who Charlie is and what would really help her thrive and spend great time in her room. So we decided to go with a big girl room at 9 years old and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.“Annable’s inspiration for the room was “Charlie’s true essence,” which Annable says she wanted to “shine” in the space.While working with one of the brand’s designers, “We just talked about Charlie’s personality. She’s playful and fun. She’s filled with joy, but she’s also really mindful and can be really grounded. So she’s all of these things wrapped into one little bow.““She’s really a special kid, so we worked together on finding the pieces that really spoke to Charlie,” Annable adds, noting that Charlie “has some sensory issues,” so finding a comfortable bed and incorporating Charlie’s favorite colors and patterns was essential to the process.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Odette Annable’s room for Charlie.Katie JamesonAnnable recalls, “I showed Charlie all of the options and she was so excited, and she was very opinionated about her bed. Her bed was the biggest deal because she had a bed that she thought was very uncomfortable. And so the queen wanted something very cushy and cozy.“In the end, Charlie was a big fan of theWaverland Bed. “It’s upholstered. It’s super cozy, so it wasn’t going to be hard on her head.“In addition to the comfort of the bed, patterns and colors proved to be very important to Charlie, and fortunately, the headboard boasts both waves and stripes. “It’s got that little wave design and she loves stripes,” Annable shares. “And so we stuck with a stripe theme” throughout the room. They also stuck to shades of blue and yellow, which are Charlie’s favorite colors.Annable adds that Crate & Kids created a “visual layout” of the room before it was brought to life. “So to sit down and visually see, for Charlie, that was important to see what it would look like altogether,” she explains. “Because she knew the pieces that she liked and that’s what we brought to the table — the inspiration. And then Crate & Kids just pulled it together so beautifully.“While Charlie can’t get enough of her plush bed and striped accent wall, Annable says, “The open bookshelves for me were everything.“Odette Annable, Dave Annable, Charlie Annable.Crate & Kids"They’re so beautiful in the room because they’re open, so it just feels like it adds a lot of character and you can really play with the design always,” she says, adding, “I love that because I always feel like personalities are growing and evolving. So the journey of finding objects that are collected from different places that you visit and being able to showcase them on bookshelves, I think is so important.“Similar to the ever-evolving bookshelves, Annable also wanted to ensure the furniture would last a lifetime, “so I brought in theJenny Lindcollection in Charlie’s room,” she explains, referring to her dresser, mirror, lamp and bookshelves.“It just feels timeless but also still really playful and youthful, and I know that those pieces — both girls will be able to grow with them. I mean, I would like them in my own room! They’re so beautiful,” she says.Charlie’s new room does just what Annable hoped: to inspire Charlie to keep working hard and using her imagination.“She just gets so inspired. She gets home and she just runs to her room because she wants to do her homework at her desk, and make-believe, and do all of the magical things in her room,” Annable says. “It’s just so great.”

Odette Annableis giving an inside look at the “dream” bedroom she designed for her daughter.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her 9-year-old daughter Charlie’s brand new “big girl room,” which she designed inpartnership with Crate & Kids, the actress opened up about how Charlie’s playful personality helped to inspire the space.

Annable, who shares Charlie with her husband,Brothers & SistersstarDave Annable,tells PEOPLE, “She has been asking for a big girl room for quite some time.”

As for how the mom of two knew it was the right time for an upgrade, she explains, “I really kind of based it off of the fact that she’s grown so much this year and she started a new school.”

“Charlie has dyslexia and ADHD. She’s on the spectrum a little bit,” Annable continues. “She’s worked so hard this year and really, really doing so well in school, so I knew that she would feel inspired to have a new room and to be able to have a safe space to create and let her imagination fly, because she’s not typically used to doing things on her own.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Annable previously partnered with Crate & Kids on her and Dave’s younger daughterAndi’s nurseryin 2023. Charlie’s familiarity with the team is what made the partnership so easy for the mother-daughter duo.

“Creating this room with Crate & Kids, who I love so much, was just a dream,” says Annable. “I knew that they already had experience with who Charlie is and what would really help her thrive and spend great time in her room. So we decided to go with a big girl room at 9 years old and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

Annable’s inspiration for the room was “Charlie’s true essence,” which Annable says she wanted to “shine” in the space.

While working with one of the brand’s designers, “We just talked about Charlie’s personality. She’s playful and fun. She’s filled with joy, but she’s also really mindful and can be really grounded. So she’s all of these things wrapped into one little bow.”

“She’s really a special kid, so we worked together on finding the pieces that really spoke to Charlie,” Annable adds, noting that Charlie “has some sensory issues,” so finding a comfortable bed and incorporating Charlie’s favorite colors and patterns was essential to the process.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Odette Annable’s room for Charlie.Katie Jameson

Annable recalls, “I showed Charlie all of the options and she was so excited, and she was very opinionated about her bed. Her bed was the biggest deal because she had a bed that she thought was very uncomfortable. And so the queen wanted something very cushy and cozy.”

In the end, Charlie was a big fan of theWaverland Bed. “It’s upholstered. It’s super cozy, so it wasn’t going to be hard on her head.”

In addition to the comfort of the bed, patterns and colors proved to be very important to Charlie, and fortunately, the headboard boasts both waves and stripes. “It’s got that little wave design and she loves stripes,” Annable shares. “And so we stuck with a stripe theme” throughout the room. They also stuck to shades of blue and yellow, which are Charlie’s favorite colors.

Annable adds that Crate & Kids created a “visual layout” of the room before it was brought to life. “So to sit down and visually see, for Charlie, that was important to see what it would look like altogether,” she explains. “Because she knew the pieces that she liked and that’s what we brought to the table — the inspiration. And then Crate & Kids just pulled it together so beautifully.”

While Charlie can’t get enough of her plush bed and striped accent wall, Annable says, “The open bookshelves for me were everything.”

Odette Annable, Dave Annable, Charlie Annable.Crate & Kids

Crate & Kids

“They’re so beautiful in the room because they’re open, so it just feels like it adds a lot of character and you can really play with the design always,” she says, adding, “I love that because I always feel like personalities are growing and evolving. So the journey of finding objects that are collected from different places that you visit and being able to showcase them on bookshelves, I think is so important.”

Similar to the ever-evolving bookshelves, Annable also wanted to ensure the furniture would last a lifetime, “so I brought in theJenny Lindcollection in Charlie’s room,” she explains, referring to her dresser, mirror, lamp and bookshelves.

“It just feels timeless but also still really playful and youthful, and I know that those pieces — both girls will be able to grow with them. I mean, I would like them in my own room! They’re so beautiful,” she says.

Charlie’s new room does just what Annable hoped: to inspire Charlie to keep working hard and using her imagination.

“She just gets so inspired. She gets home and she just runs to her room because she wants to do her homework at her desk, and make-believe, and do all of the magical things in her room,” Annable says. “It’s just so great.”

source: people.com