Shared Grandkids Guest Room Makeover On A Budget
Hi friends, you've been hearing me talk about the grandkid's guest room makeover over the last couple of weeks and some of you have asked when I'll be sharing the reveal. Well, today's the day! As you know, we've been spending our homebound time painting every room in the house. I'm embarrassed to say that it's been almost twenty years since some of the walls have been painted and boy did it show. Goodbye butterscotch taupe and hello pretty light grey!
Of course, I couldn't stop at just a fresh coat of paint and have been tweaking each room as we go. Working with a small budget has meant that I've had to put my creative cap on and DIY many of the new elements in the rooms. We started in the grandkid's sleepover bedroom because the walls in this room were in the worst shape. Not from the grandkids but years of giving this room different functions and switching wall decor took its toll. Also, our grandson is five years old and about to start kindergarten and we still had him in a toddler bed. That had to change.
Here is what that corner of the room looks like now after the makeover. At last, he has a big boy bed! He hasn't seen the new room yet and I can't wait to see the expression on his face. His Spencer the bear is keeping watch over the room until then.
In case you missed it, I made the large canvas art above his bed. You can see how I made them in my Buffalo Check Plaid Kids Room Art and Fun Kids Room Light Bulb Art Canvas posts.
We had a black curtain rod and decided to switch it out with the brushed nickel one in my office. Considering the bed doesn't get used on a regular basis, we purchased an inexpensive pine IKEA Neiden twin bed frame.
I painted the bed frame a dark grey Behr Premium Plus Paint & Primer in the color Mined Coal (PPU-18-18).
Here's the opposite side of the room before. You can really see in this photo what terrible shape the walls were in.
...and here it is now after painted Behr Toasty Gray (N320-2). We are so surprised how much this paint color brightens the room. It was hard to capture the true color on camera but it's a lovely soft muddy grey and I just love it.
The white IKEA Billy Bookcase is new too and I painted the back the same Mined Coal color as our grandson's bed.
This was the sightline from the hallway, directly across from the main bathroom. It was so embarrassing having guests see the shape of those walls.
...and here it is after. I'm not embarrassed anymore!
The charcoal grey blackout curtains used to be in my home office. When we moved them into the kid's room they needed to be hemmed. I shared an amazing no-measure hack to shorten drapes that you don't want to miss!
We've had the lamp tucked away in our storage room for a couple of years. Thank goodness we kept it because it's perfect for this room. My husband has had the small drawer unit since childhood and it was being used in my office. It's perfect for a night table between the crib and bed and serves as a dresser for things like pajamas.
I bought two twin duvet sets and altered one to fit the crib blanket and eventually toddlers bed for our granddaughter.
Less than a week after purchasing the bed and bookcase, IKEA closed the store. Talk about good timing! The storage baskets on the bookcase were purchased at IKEA and JYSK. The toys...well there's a lot more on shelves in the closet. 😏
Every kid's room needs a chalkboard, right? I turned part of a vintage dresser into repurposed mirror frame chalkboards. We attached a metal pen holder from my office to the base to hold sticks of chalk and a chalkboard eraser. I may make a cute label for it with my Cricut Maker and black vinyl, I just haven't decided what I want it to say yet.
This room makeover came closest to our maximum budget of $400 because of the furniture purchases. The rest of the rooms (coming soon) we either DIYed, upcycled, reupholstered, or repurposed the furniture and fell well below budget.
Here is a cost breakdown of the grandkid's guest room makeover. We managed to squeak just under budget by less than $10.
$ 79.99 IKEA Neiden Twin Bed Frame
$ 55.00 IKEA Billy Bookcase
$ 99.99 Twin Foam Mattress
$ 24.99 Twin Sheet Set
$ 39.98 Dandelion Duvet Cover (2 sets)
$ 12.00 Twin Duvet (clearance)
$ 10.39 Medium/Small Grey Weaved Basket Set
$ 7.99 Large Grey Weaved Basket
$ 12.99 IKEA Angelagen Kids Basket (set of 3)
$ 16.99 Stretched Art Canvas (both)
$ 5.99 Oldenor Light Bulb Decor (top of the bookcase)
$391.30 Total Cost
Chalkboard (had on hand)
Lamp (had on hand)
Night Table (had on hand)
Drapes (had on hand)
Princess Sign (had on hand)
So back into the room came the toddler bed that was formerly used by our grandson in this room before the makeover (see before photos). The dark brown color no longer worked in this space so I gave the toddler bed a makeover with the same dark grey Mined Coal (PPU-18-18) as I did my grandson's new bed. This is what the room looks like now.
Like I mentioned earlier, the grandkids haven't seen their new room and I can't wait for them to see it when the world returns to normal.
If you have any questions about this room makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!
If you enjoyed this budget-friendly shared kid's room makeover, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your kid's room ideas board on Pinterest.
I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.
Of course, I couldn't stop at just a fresh coat of paint and have been tweaking each room as we go. Working with a small budget has meant that I've had to put my creative cap on and DIY many of the new elements in the rooms. We started in the grandkid's sleepover bedroom because the walls in this room were in the worst shape. Not from the grandkids but years of giving this room different functions and switching wall decor took its toll. Also, our grandson is five years old and about to start kindergarten and we still had him in a toddler bed. That had to change.
Shared Grandkids Guest Room Makeover On A Budget
Here is what that corner of the room looks like now after the makeover. At last, he has a big boy bed! He hasn't seen the new room yet and I can't wait to see the expression on his face. His Spencer the bear is keeping watch over the room until then.
In case you missed it, I made the large canvas art above his bed. You can see how I made them in my Buffalo Check Plaid Kids Room Art and Fun Kids Room Light Bulb Art Canvas posts.
We had a black curtain rod and decided to switch it out with the brushed nickel one in my office. Considering the bed doesn't get used on a regular basis, we purchased an inexpensive pine IKEA Neiden twin bed frame.
I painted the bed frame a dark grey Behr Premium Plus Paint & Primer in the color Mined Coal (PPU-18-18).
Here's the opposite side of the room before. You can really see in this photo what terrible shape the walls were in.
...and here it is now after painted Behr Toasty Gray (N320-2). We are so surprised how much this paint color brightens the room. It was hard to capture the true color on camera but it's a lovely soft muddy grey and I just love it.
The white IKEA Billy Bookcase is new too and I painted the back the same Mined Coal color as our grandson's bed.
This was the sightline from the hallway, directly across from the main bathroom. It was so embarrassing having guests see the shape of those walls.
...and here it is after. I'm not embarrassed anymore!
The charcoal grey blackout curtains used to be in my home office. When we moved them into the kid's room they needed to be hemmed. I shared an amazing no-measure hack to shorten drapes that you don't want to miss!
We've had the lamp tucked away in our storage room for a couple of years. Thank goodness we kept it because it's perfect for this room. My husband has had the small drawer unit since childhood and it was being used in my office. It's perfect for a night table between the crib and bed and serves as a dresser for things like pajamas.
I bought two twin duvet sets and altered one to fit the crib blanket and eventually toddlers bed for our granddaughter.
Less than a week after purchasing the bed and bookcase, IKEA closed the store. Talk about good timing! The storage baskets on the bookcase were purchased at IKEA and JYSK. The toys...well there's a lot more on shelves in the closet. 😏
Every kid's room needs a chalkboard, right? I turned part of a vintage dresser into repurposed mirror frame chalkboards. We attached a metal pen holder from my office to the base to hold sticks of chalk and a chalkboard eraser. I may make a cute label for it with my Cricut Maker and black vinyl, I just haven't decided what I want it to say yet.
This room makeover came closest to our maximum budget of $400 because of the furniture purchases. The rest of the rooms (coming soon) we either DIYed, upcycled, reupholstered, or repurposed the furniture and fell well below budget.
Here is a cost breakdown of the grandkid's guest room makeover. We managed to squeak just under budget by less than $10.
Kidsroom Guest Makeover Cost Breakdown
$ 25.00 Paint$ 79.99 IKEA Neiden Twin Bed Frame
$ 55.00 IKEA Billy Bookcase
$ 99.99 Twin Foam Mattress
$ 24.99 Twin Sheet Set
$ 39.98 Dandelion Duvet Cover (2 sets)
$ 12.00 Twin Duvet (clearance)
$ 10.39 Medium/Small Grey Weaved Basket Set
$ 7.99 Large Grey Weaved Basket
$ 12.99 IKEA Angelagen Kids Basket (set of 3)
$ 16.99 Stretched Art Canvas (both)
$ 5.99 Oldenor Light Bulb Decor (top of the bookcase)
$391.30 Total Cost
Chalkboard (had on hand)
Lamp (had on hand)
Night Table (had on hand)
Drapes (had on hand)
Princess Sign (had on hand)
Update June 2020
We quickly learned that our granddaughter hit more milestones in her development since we last saw her before the Big C of 2020. The first thing she did when entering her new room was trying to climb into the crib and nearly toppling it over on herself. Goodbye portable crib, hello toddler bed!So back into the room came the toddler bed that was formerly used by our grandson in this room before the makeover (see before photos). The dark brown color no longer worked in this space so I gave the toddler bed a makeover with the same dark grey Mined Coal (PPU-18-18) as I did my grandson's new bed. This is what the room looks like now.
Like I mentioned earlier, the grandkids haven't seen their new room and I can't wait for them to see it when the world returns to normal.
If you have any questions about this room makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!
If you enjoyed this budget-friendly shared kid's room makeover, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your kid's room ideas board on Pinterest.

I share my projects at these inspiring link parties.

Great makeover Marie, I know the kids will love it and want to spend lots of time there. The colors are so fun and soothing all at the same time. I say thank goodness for Ikea!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary! It looks SO much better than it did before and finally are grandson has a bed more appropriate for his age. Yes, thank goodness for IKEA and thank goodness we went before everything shut down.
DeleteI love your sleepover bedroom Marie! It looks like it's made with the things kids dream of, yours would be the place where they always get excited to go the grandma's house!! I hope that one day I will have a grandchild that I can create a little slice of heaven for like you did!
ReplyDeleteTania
Thank you, Tania! It's the first place they both run to after taking off their shoes. LOL
DeleteI love it Marie! I am sure I am going to need a place for the grandkids to sleep once this is over, it might be a drive by drop off! LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL that is too funny Susan! I'm sure this room will be occupied as soon as life resumes to normal.
DeleteWow Marie this is adorable. Nice and light and love the colors. Whenever we can see our grandkids again I know yours are going to love this room. Happy Weekend.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Kris
Thank you my friend! I can't wait to see them run straight for their room to grab some toys and see the surprise waiting for them. That day can't come quick enough.
DeleteI love the room but I think you need to take that extra $10 and buy toys! From one Grandma to another, you might want to rethink the glass lamp after you save up a little money. You are blessed to have a LITTLE Princess. I have six grandsons. Love them all but just saying.....
ReplyDeleteLOL, oh Vicky, you should see their closet! Floor to ceiling toys with just a wee little corner for spare clothes. You'd think they lived here! The lamp looks like glass but it's actually plastic so theres no worries about it getting knocked over. Wow, six grandsons, they must keep you hopping!
DeleteWhat a beautiful makeover!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much 😊
DeleteGreat makeover! The kid will love it! Thanks for the share and inspiration! I can't wait for the world to return to normal to see my son and grandkids and my mom also. Hubby is an essential employee, so I get all the emotions. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Jozy! Isn't not seeing our kids and grandkids so incredibly hard? I can only imagine how hard it must be seeing your husband walk out that door every morning. My DIL is an RN and I worry about her every.single.day. My thoughts go to your husband along with my appreciation for what he does. Stay safe! xo
DeleteOh Marie I absolutely love the makeover in the grands sleepover room!! The colors are so bright & cheerful. I'm sure they are going to love it. Your lightbulb & checkered hangings turned out great. Love the bookcases from Ikea, the baskets look great! I'm impressed with everything you did for such a low cost! They don't call you the Interior Frugalista for nothing, right??
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sweet comments - you made my day! It was a challenge staying under the $400 budget but frugalista is my first name and determination my middle. LOL
DeleteNice, bright, fresh little room! I am sure the older one will be quite excited at the change.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra
EyeLoveKnots.com
Thanks Alexandra! I can't wait to see both of their little faces when they see the room and it can't happen soon enough.
DeletePerfect grandkids room, Marie!! They will love it, but I'm sure if it was still the same as before, they would still love it because they would be at Grandma's house either way!! My grandkids are between 16 and 24 now, so not too many sleepovers any more and I so miss those days!! My granddaughter is 24 and every now and then, we have a whole day together including overnight and she still sleeps with me when she stays!! Just like when she was little, she always would rather sleep with me than in the room for her!! I didn't care because they are little for such a short time...hence, she's already 24!! Just being at Grandma's house is what they love!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, spending time with grandparents is the most important thing! We tried the sleeping with us thing but our grandson sleeps horizontally taking up the entire queen size bed. Having his own bed and sharing a room with his sister works to ensures we all get a good night's sleep. LOL This is the first room they run to after taking off their shoes at the front door!
DeleteOh YAY!!!!! It feels like I've been waiting forever to see the final room :D Love the colors you chose Marie, especially since its a gender neutral room. Have they seen the pictures? What do they think? I bet you're missing them so much.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle, I'm so in love with the colors. It took a lot of time and stress to finally narrow down the colors. The kids haven't seen pictures of their new room, we want it to be a surprise. Yes, I'm missing them so much that it hurts and the day they can come over can't come fast enough.
DeleteThis room looks great, Marie! I know you are looking forward to your grandchildren being able to visit to enjoy this room.
ReplyDeleteThank you Paula! You're so right about looking forward to our grandbabies seeing their new room for the first time. That day can't come fast enough!
DeleteI hope you can catch pictures of their faces and post them for us! I can picture your grandson going from item to item, just so excited! You did a wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Kathy! Great idea! I think I'll do a video because that kid is such a ham, I know it'll be funny.
DeleteThis room turned out so cute! I love the colors you chose!
ReplyDeletePamela ~ DIY Vibes
Thank you so much, Pamela!
DeleteWhat a great transformation! Your Ikea purchases are spot on perfect. I am so in LOVE with the chalkboard!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Allyson! They should have a lot of fun with that chalkboard. They sure like to use the chalkboard wall we have in the kitchen.
DeleteThank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pin and share, Marilyn! xo
DeleteThat chalkboard! What can I say? This room will be a life long memory for your little ones. I am sure he will remember his big boy bed when he's all grown. So much creative love in this room, those little ones are so lucky.
ReplyDeleteThe day can't come soon enough for those two to run up the stairs and bee line it for their room (like they always do) and see the surprise waiting for them. I think I'll do a video because my grandson is such a ham that it's sure to be entertaining. LOL
Delete