Before and After: A Dramatic, Magical Transformation for This Boring Bedroom

When you move into a new build, it’s easy to put off making any changes inside—after all, it’s a brand new house, so everything is in great shape. Brianna Taylor of Bloom in the Black knows that all too well. At her 2017 home, her kids’ bedroom was “a whole lot of nothing,” she says. “Our house was built in 2017 so it’s obviously in great shape, but lacks in character so I’ve been slowly going through room by room, adding our personal stamp to everything.” This bedroom, without Brianna’s handiwork, was just a “cold white box with two mattresses on the floor and some random toy bins.” Plus, the only closet was pretty useless—a single wire shelf at the top and nothing else, which didn’t work for kids’ clothes.

It was obviously time for an update, and Brianna let her daughters help with the makeover the whole way through. The girls decided on a “secret garden at night” theme, so Brianna let her imagination run wild when it came to bringing that to life.

For the “at night” part of the theme, Brianna chose a deep black paint for the walls. She added two new beds, both from Walmart, that have a modern canopy style—just the dreamy look her daughters envisioned. In between, she added a seat from HomeGoods.

Brianna also DIYed a couple of glitzy gold pendant lamps to hang over the beds, and painted glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling for a magical nighttime effect.

Brianna also updated the room’s old laminate shelves using paper grocery bags and glue, which gave them a vintage vibe. But the best part was what she created in the once-useless closet: a reading nook bursting with “secret garden at night” vibes.

After ripping out the wire shelf, Brianna DIYed a cushioned seat as well as a few shallow books for shelves. Then, she hung faux fern panels on the inside and created a DIY wall of paper flower lanterns for the outside. “If you’re designing a kid’s space go all in!” Brianna advises. “Get ideas from the kids who will be using it. Let your mind go to magical places. Your kids will love you for it!”

Brianna’s sure did: After the $1250 update—which includes the cost of all the furniture—they love their room so much that Brianna jokes she hardly sees them anymore. “Honestly, what I love the most is how much my girls love it,” she says. “They have such a sense of ownership and pride over the space.”

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