Creating solutions for small spaces has been one of my expertise since most of the houses I organize for our clients are in Baltimore City. This weekend makeover of a small bedroom for boys. This setup can easily be recreated in a dorm room or any other small space when you need to make the most of the area available. 

After updating my daughter’s room a couple of months ago, it was time to do the same for my son. I have recently updated his bedroom, but I didn’t use his favorite color, red. How to use red in a bedroom? Please, keep reading to see how we did it. 

The vision board.

All the updates I had done so far in my kids’ bedrooms were based on my taste. This year was the first time I asked the kids’ opinion on what they would like, what colors, etc. I basically treated them as the client and showed them my vision based on what they had asked. You can download the list of to-dos of my styling process to keep track of all the details. 

Before we started the project, we ordered all the material and styling items we needed. This time around, we didn’t need much since we simply added one more color and updated the furniture.

The colors and details.

We decided to incorporate terra cotta into the existing pallet of navy blue and grey, so we would need to update the good linens he already has. As with most of my home DIY projects, I start with an inspiring element that contains the color we would like to use in the room. This time, we did the trick by picking an area rug with the three colors, painting an accent wall inspired on a wallpaper we saw online, and bringing the same color in the throw pillow. 

I painted the wall the same color as my daughter’s room which is almond milk, and the abstract accent wall color is deep terra cotta, both by Behr. Trims, baseboards, and doors received a new coat of high-gloss pure white. 

We updated the door hinges, doorknobs, and door stoppers, which created a crisp look. After all the sanding, painting, and installing were over, I deep cleaned the room. I cleaned the ceiling fan, windows, closet shelves, and much more, so the room was clean to install the new furniture and style it. 

It’s time to add the new furniture.

My son has the smallest bedroom in the house, which is basically as big as a dorm room. So if you are getting your kids ready for college, this setup will also work for them. 

To make the most of the space, we opted for an IKEA bed with storage underneath, which saves us space we can use for a desk in this room. Since it is a small area, the bed is against the wall, and the desk is in front of the window. I love the natural light he will have for working on the desk.

Styling

Once we assembled the bed and the desk, it was time to do the final touches. 

The rug was the necessary element to bring all the colors together, which allowed us to keep the same bedding sheets and duvet covers. I love when we can save money and plan around what we already have.

The chair we are using was a leftover from the virtual learning desk we created in the basement in 2020. 

Since he likes to read before bedtime, we installed a plug in wall light above his bed, and books are easily accessed on the shelves under the bed. 

On the right wall, we have a shelf for him to display his treasures. We have some DIY corner shelves on the back wall to store more books, plants, pictures, and some of his favorite stuff.   

To make the room darker at night, we installed some black-out curtains years ago, and it is still in great shape, so we kept them.  

As you can see, it is possible to style a room using what you already have and just adding a few more interesting pieces to make the room look cohesive and cozy.

It’s time to organize

Our kids do not keep toys, school papers, or arts and crafts items in their bedrooms. That helps them keep their bedrooms clutter-free and easy to maintain. 

The organization systems we implemented are primarily for clothes. The drawer organizers help keep the folded clothes in place so they don’t move around too much.

We have a stand-alone drawer system in his closet where we keep blankets and clothes he will still grow into. We also keep his memory boxes in there. We have one for papers and one for bigger items. 

That is it! This mini room makeover was easy to complete, and it just took me two days. I hope we inspired you to update a room in your home as well. Download the tracker to keep you focused, and make sure to pin the pictures for easy reference later.

IKEA U.S. gave us all the IKEA products mentioned in this post. IKEA® is a registered trademark of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. The views, ideas, and opinions expressed here are my own.

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