A Dull Gray Bedroom Gets a Color-Packed Makeover (With 8 Paint Colors!)
ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOME TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Children's Room & Nursery
STYLE: Colorful
SKILL LEVEL: DIY, Professional
RENTAL FRIENDLY: No
Who says space-savvy solutions are just for grown-ups? There are tons of kids’ rooms and nurseries that showcase small-space ideas, including this room redo by Shamika Lynch of @maximizingtiny.
This bedroom in Shamika’s parents’ home is where her sons sleep when visiting. It used to belong to Shamika’s sister and hadn’t been updated since her days of living at home. “It was frozen in her high school angst with gray walls, black trim, and a bed that was way too high for two young rambunctious boys,” Shamika says.
During the One Room Challenge, Shamika gave the bedroom a makeover suitable for her two young sons that made visits to their grandparents’ house even more special.
The makeover makes the most of just 87 square feet.
Shamika says “the most crucial step was formulating a plan and a vision” because in the small room she was working with — just 87 square feet — there weren’t a lot of layout options to add two twin beds.
Shamika ended up finding a trundle bed that was in great shape on Facebook Marketplace “and whitewashed it with diluted paint to tone down the harsh yellow wood,” she says. The low-to-the ground bed was perfect for her 3-year-old son transitioning out of a crib.
Don’t be afraid of color in a small space.
“Sometimes in a small space, you might feel the urge to pull back on color, pattern, or style, but I’m here to give you permission to step out with that Big Energy,” Shamika writes on Instagram. And her sons’ room features eight paint colors.
The wall color is a calming blue (Sherwin-Williams’ Whirlpool), the pop-of-pink door is Mellow Coral, the crown molding is a deep teal (Raging Sea), and the room also includes Romance, Golden Rule, Gold Crest, Underseas, and Moody Blue. “I love the vibrant colors that still feel youthful and serene,” she says. Shamika says that balancing all of the colors was easier than expected.
“My childhood friend and amazing creative Asha Griffith of @isthatasha @thepinkpainther painted the mural,” she adds. Unlike the gray before, there’s now color down to even the edges of the bifold closet doors in the room. (And peep the new turtle knobs on the doors, too.)
The molding has a special DIY detail.
Shamika says paint created an optical illusion that made the crown molding in the room feel more grand. She extended the Raging Sea teal paint several inches below the true ledge of the crown molding to make it seem larger.
She also added half-spheres painted the same teal to add some playful texture to the molding. “These are 2-inch wood half balls from Amazon that come in a pack of 50,” Shamika explains on Instagram. She spray primed then painted each half-sphere, used all-purpose caulk to attach them to the walls, and caulked around each one for extra security, and then painted over the caulk for a seamless finished look.
And there’s one other standout DIY project overhead: Shamika made the no-sew patterned Roman shades herself by following an online tutorial and using black and white fabric from Tonic Living.
Shamika’s biggest DIY advice after the project? “Don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never seen before,” she says.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
