Kids’ Room Makeover – Before Photos


[Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Armstrong Ceilings. All opinions and photography are our own and are not influenced by Armstrong Ceilings. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog.]

We’re really excited for today’s post because it kicks off a new room project for us. We are tackling a kids’ room makeover! This is definitely a new-to-us space to design (the only thing that comes close is B’s nursery) and we are nervous/overwhelmed/excited about the challenge.

So let’s start from the beginning. How did we decide to decorate a kids’ bedroom/playroom? Well, it all started last fall when the company Armstrong Ceilings reach out to us to see if we wanted to team up for a room makeover. We were intrigued because we’ve never DIY’ed a ceiling project before and their product looked pretty amazing and easy to use.

Armstrong Ceiling ProductsSamples of Armstrong Ceilings products

After looking through their arsenal of products, we thought it would be interesting to use their ceiling products to transform a “popcorn ceiling.” You know…the textured ceilings that you’ll sometimes find in older homes, that kinda looks like bubbled up pieces of popcorn?

We’ve actually had a lot of requests from you guys on what to do if you have a popcorn ceiling in your home, and how you can spruce them up to make your space look more high-end. So we figured, this could be the perfect partnership! A product that’s easy to use, you can do-it-yourself, and it fulfills readers’ requests to makeover their ugly ceilings. Win, win, win!

The only problem? Neither of us has popcorn ceilings. Wah wahย wahhhhh.

Luckily, we remembered that our friend Denise has popcorn ceilings in her condo and she welcomed us on over to check things out.

Kids’ Room Makeover – The BeforeThe before pictures before a kids' room makeover

We were immediately drawn to the kids’ room in her place. Denise is the grandmother of four amazing kiddos and we knew we could make this space special for her grandkids to stay when they sleepover (which is all the time!).ย Before pictures of a kids' room makeover with bunk beds and storage

The space isn’t huge, but it’s brimming with potential! We love the bunk beds, so those are definitely going to stay. But we have big plans for everything else in this room.ย A kids' room that is ready for a design makeover!

We really want to make this a fun and cozy home away from home for Denise’s grandkids. We have lots of ideas for storage (for their things when they come visit), a desk for arts & crafts, and of course lots of color and personality!

Covering the Popcorn CeilingsCeiling samples from Armstrong ceilings to cover your popcorn ceilings

The first order of business is to take care of the ceilings. Armstrong Ceiling sent us tons of samples and it was difficult choosing a winner. With their ceiling planks, you can easily cover damaged drywall, plaster, or popcorn ceilings. You just install a track onto the ceiling and then each board snaps into place.ย Metal ceiling tiles to cover your ugly ceilings.

They also have these really cool metal ceiling styles that can be clipped onto your ceiling. These could make an awesome statement in a room, and while we were tempted to go with one of these cool finishes…we think keeping it simple is the way to go in this kids’ room. Especially since we plan to add lots of colorย with accessories and furniture.ย Beadboard ceiling sample to cover damaged ceilings

We’re still narrowing down the winning ceiling product, but we’re confident that no matter what we choose it’s going to completely transform the look and feel of this space.The before photos from a kids' room makeover

Goodbye, popcorn ceiling! Hello, bright & fresh ceiling!

Next Week…Our Design Plan!Wood bunk beds in the before photos for a kids' room makeover

While this room is definitely outside of our comfort zone (we’ve never designed a kids’ room before!) we are up for the challenge! It will be a welcome change to incorporate some color and pizzazz into one of our room designs.

Next week we’ll be back with a look at the mood board and our design plan for this room. And then it’s time for the ceiling installation and painting! We plan to walk you through the entire kids’ room makeover step-by-step, so get ready for a fun series of posts over the next month.

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.