A Light, Bright Kids’ Room Makeover


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Well, guys, the day is FINALLY here! We’re showing off the reveal of the kids’ room makeover we’ve been working on throughout the entire month of April. To say we’re excited would be an understatement. We are absolutely thrilled. To catch up on this space, check out these posts…

We have soooo many amazing photos to share with you guys today, so let’s get right to it and showcase the before and afters of this space from every angle!

Kids’ Room Makeover – Before & After

Kids' room with bunkbeds before the makeover.
A bright kids' room space with storage and bunkbeds
Dark and beige kids' room space.
3 desks in a playroom of this kids' room makeover.
Yellow awning over a brown window in a kids' room.
A light and bright kids' room makeover with bunkbeds and 3 desks.
Brown bunkbeds and quilts.
A kids' room makeover with the walls painted the color Sagey.

Isn’t it just jaw-dropping?! We can hardly believe it’s the same room. With fresh paint, a new ceiling, and updated furniture this space is now light, bright, and ready for grandkids to come over and enjoy.

Grandkids enjoying the kids' room makeover with space to play and craft.

Speaking of which…
 These cuties are already enjoying their new space at Grandma’s house! Removing the bulky dresser, freed up lots of space on the ground for activities, while still keeping desk space for the older kids to enjoy.

There’s so much to discuss in this room, so let’s break it down.

The Basics

A desk area with storage and room for crafting.
This popcorn ceiling is covered by ceiling planks from Armstrong ceilings.

We painted the walls a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams’ “Sagey” and this color really brightened up the entire space. We’re always amazed by the power of paint and this room is proof that a new color can transform your room! This green acts as a nice soothing neutral for the kids’ room.

A light and bright kids' space with room for playing.

The white ceiling planks also helped to lighten up this space. We’re so happy we spent the time to cover the popcorn ceilings because the entire space is just so much more pulled together and upgraded. It took about 2-days to install these white planks, but it was well worth the time and effort to attain this clean and streamlined ceiling. For the full tutorial on the ceiling plank installation, check out this post.At first, we weren’t totally sold on the rug we chose from Target. Would green walls work with a green rug? Luckily, it’s such a soft shade of green that it works. Plus, the pattern is fun for a younger space like this one. We chose an 8×10 to really fill out this room, plus it’s a nice spot for the kids to sit down, cozy up, and play! Highly recommend this rug if you’re looking for a good area rug. It comes in a ton of colors and you can’t beat the price.

The FurnitureWood bunkbeds with white bedding

Use storage cubbies to corral toys and clutter in a kids' room

Originally, we planned to paint the bunkbeds white. But time got away from us, and we didn’t get around to it. However, we are soooo happy we kept them wood! After seeing the room come together, we think the white would have cheapened the look of the entire room. The wood tones add some nice warmth to that side of the room and it makes the bedding pop even more. 

3 desks on a wall in this playroom

This storage piece from Ikea fits under the window sill perfectly. We ended up putting 2 of the cubbies together in order to maximize the storage in this space. Putting these units together wasn’t the most fun way to spend 2 hours, but we got them together and the end result was worth it!

Now, onto our favorite part. The desk! When we walked through Ikea to figure out furniture, we immediately saw this piece and knew we wanted it for the kids’ room makeover. It’s slim, so it wouldn’t jut out from the wall too far and the wood adds a nice warmth and texture to the walls. While there are 4 grandkids, we love that at least 3 of them can have a spot to sit and do homework when at Grandma’s house.

Kids of all ages love this desk space.
These white chairs from Amazon work perfectly at this desk space.

The desk wasn’t difficult to put together, but you had to be incredibly precise when hanging each track. Just something to keep in mind if you go with this system from Ikea

We ended up going with these chairs from Amazon because they were such a steal! Plus the white and wood look fit perfectly with the rest of the items in this space.

The AccessoriesSandwich hardcover books between fun accessories in a kids' room.

Now, onto our favorite part…the styling and accessorizing! This was by far the most fun part of the entire kids’ room makeover. A chance to add some color and excitement to a room is always the best part for us!

Kids love book ledges in a playroom for easy access to their favorite reads.
If you have open wall space, consider adding book ledges in your child's room.
White, navy, and blush bedding works perfectly in this room.

The wall between the bunk beds and the closet was just begging for some attention. Instead of just hanging art, we decided to add some storage with these book ledges. You can DIY your own with this tutorial, or buy these ones from Ikea. The kids absolutely loved having the books right at their fingertips!

This tassel throw from the new Opahouse line at Target works perfectly in this kids' room makeover.

Our original gameplan was to use both blush and navy in this space, so it would be gender neutral for all of the grandkids. That’s why we went with a white quilt for the base of the bedding, and colored pillows.

Use a lumbar pillow in front of a standard throw pillow on bunkbeds

When we spotted this throw from Target, we immediately scooped up two of them! How adorable are those tassels?! Plus, the color was spot on for our room design. 

This storage unit from Ikea is the perfect spot for toys.

Striped sheets, a blush pillow, and a navy lumbar helped to complete the bunkbed look!

These gray bins from target hold lots of toys
Consider adding a wall desk unit to keep things slim in a small room

In the storage cubbies, we displayed fun toys and objects up top and hid toys away down below. It was actually really tough to find the perfect storage bins that were sized 12×12 (so many are 13×13), so we were thrilled to find these gray ones from Target. The kids filled them up with toys from the closet really quickly! It’s nice that all of their favorite items will now be so easily accessible. 

Bulletin boards are a must in any kids' room because they can show off their creations
A framed photo of pink bicycles works perfectly in this kids' room
Gray and white picture frame on a desk
This desk system from Ikea fits this room perfectly and provides storage.

Styling the desk was the best challenge for us. When you’re styling such a colorful space, things can feel chaotic and messy fast. So we tried our best to put more stylish items up high and keep the lower areas more functional. The kids are really into crafting, so bulletin boards were a must. We hung them with command strips so they’re easy to get on and off the wall. 

Sandwich hardcover books with cute objects for instant shelf decor.

To add some height to the shelves, we put a few frames up high. These are leaning against the wall, but are secured with command strips too. You never can be too careful in a kids’ room! We also added photos of the grandkids throughout the space, because every grandmother wants to show off photos of little sweeties, and Denise is no different!

A thin desk from Ikea is the perfect spot to get homework done

Canisters hold more craft supplies, a pink letter board says “Club Nene” (the kids’ name for their grandma), and a navy lamp fits perfectly on the slim desk area. 

A cozy carpet or rug allows for play time on the ground

It’s those little details that really brought this room together. 

Kids’ Room Source ListThis wall system from Ikea is the perfect way to add 3 desks to this playroom

Bunkbeds and storage cubbies in this kids' room makeover.

Paint Color “Sagey” // White Ceiling Planks // Desk // Chairs // Rug // Bulletin Boards // Navy Lamp // Planters (HomeGoods)

Storage Cubbies // Gray Bins // Blush Lamp // Book Ledges // White Quilts (HomeGoods) // Tassel Throw // Navy Lumbar Pillows (HomeGoods) // Blush Pillow // Striped Sheet Set // Flamingo Stuffed Animal

The before and after makeover of a kids' bedroom and playroom
Facko family kids.


We now have 4 very happy grandkids who are over the moon about visiting Grandma’s house! And that makes these two ladies feel very happy and proud.

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.