Versatility–hasn’t COVID made us all too familiar with this word? We’re having to learn flexibility in our daily lives with work, family, and play. But we aren’t the only ones having to learn flexibility, so are our spaces. What used to be the guest bedroom, is now the office. What used to be the office, is now the homeschool room. Wouldn’t it be great if a room could do more than one thing and be as versatile as we need it to be?
This is why I put on my DIY hat and turned my girls’ bedroom into a sleep/play/workspace for everything from sleeping to playing to a homeschool center for distance learning. It was a fast, quick and affordable transformation that anyone could do. Here’s how I did it.
Before pictures:
First, I started by taking inventory of what I already had and deciding what I needed. I wanted to keep a few sentimental pieces but make a space that felt youthful, vibrant and relaxing. I drew up some quick plans and schemed pinterest for some design ideas. After setting a rough budget, I started shopping for the items. I put together a fun color palette with fabrics, patterns and other materials to inspire the room as I shopped.
The key for making their room do more than one thing was the loft beds. This maximized our area and allowed the girls to each have a desk and bookcase for online learning and school storage. Originally, my goal was to create custom built-in bunks, but when we took the girls shopping at IKEA they fell in love with the beds you see in the completed room. They were budget friendly, easy to put together and fit my design. Plus, I loved that they added a pop of aqua blue to compliment my color scheme.
Accessories and lamps were included to bring joy and excitement to the girls’ room. Most of these fun additions can be found at one of my favorite stores for color, organization and a modern twist, The Container Store. A lot of folks don’t spend the time or money on adding accessories to rooms, but these details are what made the room come together so well.
To add warmth and sentiment (while also working in favor of my budget), I reused my husband’s childhood dresser. To make this piece feel youthful, feminine and modern, I spray painted it with Amy Howard’s Spray Lacquer in Orchid and finished it off with her Bright Idea Clear Lacquer. Other sentimental touches include the girls’ grandmother’s old chair with new fabric from one of my favorite fabric companies, Hable, and wall-hung art completed by the girls themselves. I included this colorful artwork by one of my favorite local artists, Angela Simeone, and sprinkled in some fantastic portraits of the girls that were painted by my mother-in-law.
What really makes this space come together is it’s versatility. The girls love sitting on the window seat to read and wave to neighbors below; making crafts and doing school work at their desks or bunking up and sleeping above all their play space below. They call it their “college room” and love playing pretend school. What I love most about this space is that the girls love their room and don’t mind being in it–because don’t all of us with kiddos during COVID covet quiet time to ourselves in our own homes?
Shoppable Items
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