Easy ways to elevate your childhood bedroom

Pretty much every time I would return home from college over a weekend or a holiday, I would cringe at my childhood bedroom. Now that i’m doing law school remotely from home, I’ve had some free time to revamp my bedroom. Just a few changes here and there can make a huge difference in a bedroom without breaking your bank. Now not only does it feel more mature, but it makes for a better looking background on Zoom.

Paint. This is by far the most transformative step of renovating your childhood bedroom. Whether your walls are just plain white or are currently a blaring hot pink (if so, RUN don’t walk to that paint store), adding color gives your room a new look. A bucket of paint is relatively inexpensive at Walmart (one bucket going for anywhere between 10 to 30 dollars). And with a couple of cheap supplies, painting your room could be a fun, inclusive event for your whole family to help out with. Try to go with a light color to open up and bring light to the room. My room is a pastel blue/sea foam green, but any pastel or neutral color will do. Make sure the color will look good with the furniture you currently have in the room. By searching “(insert color) furniture room inspiration” on Pinterest, you’d be able to find plenty of examples of paint colors that work or don’t work for your room.

The walls. Now that you’ve repainted the walls, you’re going to want to put back up all of your band posters and trophies from high school cheerleading. Put all of that away. Unless you have some really important stuff you want to hang up, leave the walls clean. This will make the room look cleaner and simpler. I kept everything off of my walls and opted for a large painting I found at Marshall’s that matched my room well. Marshall’s, Ross, and TJ Maxx all have a great selection of inexpensive wall art that can go perfectly above your bed or dresser. If you aren’t into canvas paintings, look into tapestries from Amazon or Society 6 to add a cute touch to one of your walls.

Organization is key. Along with keeping the walls clean, you’re going to want to clean up the floors and surfaces of your dresser, nightstand, desk, etc. Less is more, as in the less clutter you have around your room, the more clean it will be. Try to find small containers or drawers where you can place things that were taking up space around your room.

A new piece of furniture or two. When I updated my room, I didn’t have the money to buy a whole new furniture set. I kept my main bed frame, dresser, and desk, but replaced the night stand with two Ikea Kallax bookshelves. Although they are white and my furniture set is light wood colored, it doesn’t clash too much. All of my books sit in the Kallax bookshelves, and something like that could be great for helping to organize your room. Another piece of furniture worth grabbing is a full-length mirror, or an aesthetic clothing rack.

If you don’t have the room/need for any new furniture or it just isn’t in your budget, feel free to skip this. Another thing you could do is up-cycle something you already own by painting it or reconfiguring it!

Add a plant if you’d like. Live or fake, a plant can add a huge level of sophistication to any room. If you have the space, I suggest a tall plant in a cute pot. Otherwise, a smaller plant on the nightstand or desk would elevate your room. I have two fake plants from Marshall’s on my two nightstand/bookshelves. Have you ever seen a teen with a clean bedroom and some plants? We’re already making great progress.

A new bedspread. A new comforter pillow sheets have the opportunity to completely transform a room given that a bed takes up so much of the space. I got a comforter set from TJ Maxx that closely matched the color of the walls. I recommend a solid color or a pattern that isn’t too busy. Adding a plush blanket of a different color at the end of the bed is also a great tip. I use a soft white blanket from Target.