Affordable Boys Bedroom Makeover Reveal

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Last Updated on August 8, 2022 by lindseymahoney

Are you ready for the boys’ bedroom reveal for Week 8 of the One Room Challenge?! Even though my design plans changed quite a bit, I am SO happy with how this boys bedroom makeover turned out. And most importantly, Thomas is overjoyed with the new look of his bedroom! His bedroom now highlights his fun and curious personality that I love so much.

If you are finding my blog for the first time through the One Room Challenge, welcome! My current focus is updating our 1967 home we have lovingly named the Cape Cottage. If you love affordable DIY’s, sustainable living tips, and beautiful before and after reveals, this is the place for you!

Check out my progress each week:

• Boys Bedroom Makeover (Design Plans) | Week 1
• How to Paint a Carpeted Room | Week 2
• Installing a Mountain Mural | Week 3
• IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack | Week 4
• Design Pivot & DIY Projects | Week 5/6
• Creating a Homework Station | Week 7

More One Room Challenge Reveals You Will Love

• Guest Bedroom / Office Makeover Reveal
• Exciting Moody Blue Master Bedroom Reveal
• Masculine MCM Living Room Reveal | ORC Week 8
• Amazing Dining Room Makeover | ORC Week 6
• Grandmillennial Girls Bedroom Reveal | ORC

Let’s get started with the tour!

Table of Contents

• More One Room Challenge Reveals You Will Love
• Boys Modern Bedroom Makeover Reveal
  • Bunk Bed Upgrade
  • Homework Station
  • Reading Nook & Mural
  • Bookshelf
  • Dresser
  • Additional Decor
• Boys Bedroom Source List

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Boys Modern Bedroom Makeover Reveal

[affiliate links included in this post, thank you for supporting Building Bluebird!]

For a complete source list from this boys bedroom makeover, scroll to the bottom of the post.

Bunk Bed Upgrade

The number one item on Thomas’s wish list was a bunk bed. Here is a reminder of where we started just 8 short weeks ago.

When my original plans for building the bed by myself fell apart, I found this really affordable bed through Amazon. I wanted to have a twin bed up top and a full-sized bed on the bottom. The bunk bed design I found was simple and the dark espresso color matched the dresser nicely.

I kept the bedding simple with a gray quilt and pinstriped sheets. I upgraded his old pillows with these moisture-wicking pillows from Downlite. They are super comfortable and great for sleepers who run hot at night! Thomas loves to read before going to bed and I was really excited to install sconces on each level of the bunk bed for him to use at night.

Homework Station

When I scrapped the DIY bunk bed, I also scrapped the DIY desk that was attached to it. Sometimes I need to remind myself that I don’t have to create these elaborate designs to achieve my purpose. I am lucky that I have such an easy client who wasn’t asking for custom creations. 🙂

I decided to challenge myself to use what I had in our home to create this homework station for Thomas. I gave a desk we already owned a little refresh with black paint and gold knobs. In the garage, I found brackets and scrap wood to create the floating shelves above the desk. Using leftover wood stain, I warmed up the shelves with a quick coat before attaching them to the walls.

I had purchased this small lamp for our wet bar but we really didn’t use it much. I decided it was perfect for the desk area! Next, I filled an animal mug full of no. 2 pencils for my artistic boy to draw.

My kids are both on a major Harry Potter kick these days and every night we read 10 pages of the Harry Potter series. Open shelving is another great place to showcase book collections.

Reading Nook & Mural

This corner of the room makes me so happy! It has so much function and perfectly captures my little boys’ personality. Here is what it looked like before.

And here is the same corner after 8 weeks. The beautiful mural from Rebel Walls is the perfect nod to Thomas’s love of the mountains. The bamboo shades brighten up the space and modernize the look of the windows.

Here is another great shot of this corner of his room 8 weeks ago.

And that same corner at the end of the One Room Challenge.

I have owned this lamp for years and decided to spray paint it black to fit the aesthetic of the bedroom. It completely changed the look from when it was previously chrome.

Thomas’ bedroom also has the best view in the house, in my opinion! I love the pretty blue of the pool.

Bookshelf

This built-in bookshelf was exactly what this bedroom needed!

Thomas has so many books and LEGOs, I knew a shelving system would help with organization in his bedroom. I used two IKEA bookshelves for the core of this piece and trimmed it out against the wall for a built-in look. It’s amazing what a little trim can do to make an inexpensive piece of furniture look high-end.

It felt SO good to get all of my boys’ books organized on a few shelves. I tried to organize it somewhat by type of book but I know it won’t stay that way for long! I searched lots of different stores for the perfect basket but they all were too wide and hung out over the edge of the shelf. Again, I decided to go shopping in my house and found a few baskets that fit perfectly. The bins hold most of his LEGOs and I left a few shelves open for LEGO displays.

Because Thomas loves dinosaurs, I added this fun dino planter that I found on Etsy a few years back.

Dresser

When we moved from Denver, we sold Thomas’s dresser and never bought him a proper new one. Here is what his dresser area looked like 8 weeks ago.

And here it is after the challenge! It is so much better! We bought the dresser from IKEA and I have had the mirror for about 10 years now. It was a little roughed up but I used a black sharpie and it looks like new! It feels so nice to finally have space for all of my sons’ clothes.

This lamp was so fun to fix up! I plastered the lamp base and replaced the shade for a fresh new look.

Additional Decor

I may be biased, but I kind of think my son is the coolest kid ever. It was so fun adding his personality into the space with his LEGO creations and designated areas for his hobbies.

Thomas recently began collecting rocks and I love that he has so many options for where to display this fun collection.

I am a sucker when it comes to decorating for nostalgia, especially in a bedroom! This Ted Wiliams artwork hung in his daddy’s bedroom when he was growing up and I love that Thomas gets to showcase the same artwork in his bedroom. Thomas loves the dog butt hook too which reminds him of his lab, Lizzy.

Boys Bedroom Source List

• Wall Color: Sherwin Williams Alabaster
• Bunk Bed
• Bamboo Blinds
• Quilt
• Sheets
• Pillows
• Sconces
• Bookshelf
• Desk chair (similar)
• Small black desk lamp
• Desk – thrifted
• Moonbeam clock
• Harry Potter Series / Magic Treehouse Series
• Harry Potter Legos
• Dresser
• Mirror – owned
• Dresser Lamp
• Black Painted Lamp

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Thanks for following along and cheering me on as I finished my second One Room Challenge. I love the community of ORC and the motivation it provides to finish a lingering project at my house! Don’t forget to check out the progress from all of the other OCR participants on the One Room Challenge blog!