Ever since we posted a photo of the kids’ bedding we picked up at HomeGoods in the podcast show notes for Episode #69, we’ve wanted to share a fuller room update. Over the past few months we refreshed our daughter’s bedroom — new paint, a thrifted antique bed found on Craigslist, and a few small styling changes that helped the space feel a little more grown-up without losing its playful charm.
Why Update Her Bedroom?
Kids change fast, and our seven-year-old wanted a room that didn’t feel quite so young anymore. We kept it kid-friendly, but pulled a few elements back from the nursery vibe so it reads as a space for a growing girl. You might remember the earlier stages of this room, from when she switched from a crib to a daybed and then later to a larger bed. After living with a canopy for a while she eventually asked to take it down — and when that happened we noticed the raindrop mural along the canopy’s line looked oddly unfinished. She called it “too babyish,” so we sanded, primed and repainted the wall.
We covered the raindrops with two coats of White Heron by Sherwin-Williams. It covered the old markings completely and left the wall feeling smooth and fresh. Simple paint can do a lot of heavy lifting when you want to calm a space down without erasing personality.
A small, funny aside: she now prefers the purple side of her comforter, which immediately felt right with the rug. I admit she’s a better stylist than I am — she chose what works. We may swap the curtains someday, but overall the room feels more finished and cohesive now.
It’s come a long way from the original setup we started with, and this update keeps her tastes in mind while making the room more adaptable as she grows.
The New Bed
The headboard search took a while, but we finally scored an antique spool bed on Craigslist for $90. It came complete with side rails and a footboard; the seller said it’s roughly 100 years old and still had holes for winding rope to support a straw mattress. Similar new pieces can cost well over $1,000, so this thrifted find felt like a real win.
The full footboard felt too heavy in the room, so we decided to keep the headboard and plan to repurpose the footboard later in our son’s room. To hang the headboard independently, we attached a simple cleat to the back so it could be mounted on the wall, which gives the room the charm of something old without taking up too much floor space.
I love how the pom-pom trim on the comforter mimics the spool shapes in the headboard; the bedding was from HomeGoods and the fun llama sheets are from Target. Those small matches make the room feel deliberately put together.
The white nightstands are from Target; their lighter look helps balance the darker wood headboard so the space doesn’t feel heavy. The pink touch lamps are a hit with kids — flipping them on and off never gets old — and the drawers get used for practical toy storage and tiny treasures.
The Paint
We chose White Heron (Sherwin-Williams) for the walls because it’s a warm, soft grey-tan that coordinates nicely with the rest of the upstairs palette. The trim remains a bright white, the ceiling keeps a soft pink, and the closet door stays bold and playful. The overall effect is subtle and layered: a neutral “vanilla” base that lets the ceiling’s strawberry pink and the white trim read clearly.
The Storage & Art
We kept the DIY toy and book storage we built a few years back and refreshed the artwork around it. Our daughter insisted on keeping a pair of little silver antlers for hanging her dreamcatcher keychain, which now lives on the shelf. The bookcase often becomes an imaginative playhouse, and we left room for that to keep the space feeling child-centered.
I added some gold frames to create a gallery feel while layering in silver accents from the antlers and a small mirror. A tiny silver dog figurine — once a drawer knob — now sits on a frame and acts like a little guardian of the photos.
The Dresser
The changing-table-turned-dresser across from the bed is still doing great after nearly eight years. Above it, the inlay mirror adds a classic touch. I spray-painted a yard-sale moose lamp a soft gold to help it stand out more; in photos it looks a little odd, but in the room it’s a subtle metallic accent that plays with the other warm finishes.
The curtains are lightweight Ikea panels I dyed pink years ago; they’re an easy, inexpensive element to swap out later when we want a more substantial option.
The Closet
The closet was reworked when our daughter outgrew the homemade dollhouse that used to live there. She wanted a place to draw and write, so we installed a small Ikea vanity that fits perfectly into the nook and provides storage. A spare dining chair became her seat, and the vanity’s flip-top compartment is handy for pencils and supplies. It’s a cozy, personal space she can use in the mornings before her brother wakes up.
Get the Look: Updated Girl’s Bedroom
To summarize the palette and some of the key pieces used in the room: the walls are White Heron (Sherwin-Williams), trim in a bright white, the ceiling a soft pink, and the closet door a bold accent. The room mixes thrifted vintage pieces (like the antique spool bed) with accessible finds (white nightstands, Target lamps, HomeGoods bedding) and simple DIY touches like the mounted headboard cleat and gallery wall. The result is a layered, personal room that can evolve as her needs change.
This won’t be the last evolution of the space — at some point she’ll likely need a dresser with deeper drawers and perhaps a larger desk — but for now it balances grown-up style with kid-friendly function. They really do grow up fast, so it feels good to have a room that can grow with her.
P.S. If you want more kids’ room projects and tutorials, we’ve shared many updates and DIYs in our archives.
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