Some of you might remember that back in January Sherry mentioned picking up these wood chairs from Target for “a side project we’re working on that we’ll share after we complete the bathroom.” The bathroom took longer than expected (you can see the finished product & full budget breakdown here), and along the way this big thing changed things up for us too.
We’ve been enjoying this newly repurposed room for a few months, and we’re finally ready to share the full update. Here’s why we transformed this space and how we did it.
This space used to be our guest room, which had barely been used for years. Around the time we were planning a redo of another bedroom at our beach house, we realized we had the same problem at home: an entire room sat empty most of the year. The big couch in our bonus room doubles as a bed for visitors, and family prefers that space because there’s a TV and more room to spread out. So the guest room rarely got used.
We could always have the kids share a bedroom for occasional guest stays, which is what many families do, and when we suggested turning the unused guest room into an art room the kids were thrilled. In January — before our move-to-Florida plans developed — we decided to make the room more useful for daily life. It couldn’t have come at better timing, especially once the kids started being home more due to school closures. We’re so glad we made the change.
Besides making the upstairs room far more functional, the art room eased some pressure on our downstairs home office. For years the kids worked at a small DIY door desk in that office, but they’ve outgrown the tiny chairs and cramped surface. Because the wall in the office couldn’t support a larger desk with standard-height chairs, their crafts and creations were creeping into the rest of the room.
The kids love drawing, cutting, gluing and taping — lots of taping — and we realized that an entire unused room upstairs could become a high-use, hardworking space. We sold the bed and side tables, leaving a blank slate that was easy to convert. A solid door gives us the benefit of hiding the mess when needed, and it’s not the first room you see when entering the house, so that helped sell the idea too.
Here’s how we executed the plan.
The Oversized Art Desk
Priority number one was an expansive workspace. For eight years the kids used a small desk we made from an old door, which worked when they were toddlers but was too tight for older kids. We went wall-to-wall with a desk to give both kids ample, well-separated work areas plus extra surface and drawer storage.
The desk base is made from three IKEA ALEX drawer units. They originally came on casters, but to reach a comfortable desk height we replaced the casters with metal sofa legs. We used three sets of 5″ black legs to raise the units to proper table height, an easy hack that turned them into ideal desk bases.
For the desktop we chose a lightweight, affordable, and durable option: IKEA’s EKBACKEN faux-marble laminate countertop. It looks great in person, wipes clean easily after marker or paint, and felt like the best balance of cost and durability for a kids’ workspace.
We used two six-foot pieces to span the three drawer bases. That leaves a seam in the middle, but it’s mostly concealed by supplies and the counter is secured to the bases by removing some top drawers and screwing up into the underside of the countertop. That keeps the pieces tight and stable.
The ALEX drawers have been perfect for organizing supplies. We used plastic drawer organizers to separate materials inside each drawer, and Sherry secured most organizers in place with 3M command strips so they don’t slide around. A few organizers remain removable so the kids can carry them to the table or floor when they’re working on projects.
The Display Space
We wanted a place to display the kids’ artwork, so we brought that function into the new room. Instead of re-creating our giant DIY cork board, we tried IKEA’s SKÅDIS pegboards in a cork-like finish. They’re lightweight, do less damage to the wall, and are easy to move — features that feel especially useful right now.
The pegboards hang on a rail that requires only two holes each and include pegs that let them float slightly from the wall. We kept the display simple with white clips, which make it easy to swap art in and out as the kids create new pieces.
We also repainted the room in a lighter shade (Behr Irish Mist) to brighten the space — it had been the darkest room in our home for years. Lighter walls and colorful art make the room feel open and inviting. The kids even helped paint, which made the process faster and added a fun family activity to the makeover.
The Floor Space
We intentionally left most of the floor open, aside from a rug, so the kids would have room to build box cities, spread out projects, or create large cardboard constructions. Their favorite activities often involve sprawling layouts that need ample floor space.
We also added two affordable bean bags for lounging and reading. They were a HomeGoods find at about $25 each and have been used constantly — they’re coming with us to Florida along with the desk and chairs. Because nothing is built into the room, it’s portable and easy to recreate in a new home.
Turning the guest room into an art room has paid off: the kids use it for hours each day and it solved several functional problems in our home. We did ask ourselves whether it was wise to convert a bedroom right before selling the house, but the house sold quickly anyway and we included a photo showing the room staged as a guest room for buyers who wanted that option. In the end, it feels great to have created a space where the kids can make, display, and spread out with their projects — googly eyes and string lights included.
P.S. For other kid-related projects and spaces we’ve done, there’s a whole archive full of ideas and a collection of crafting and art-related projects to explore.