ABOUT THIS BEFORE & AFTER
HOUSE TYPE: House
PROJECT TYPE: Children’s room & baby room
STYLE: Colorful
SKILL LEVEL: DIY
RENTAL FRIENDLY: NO
There are countless beautiful makeovers for nurseries and baby rooms, but the truly brilliant ones are versatile in design and can change as the kids grow and change. In other words, they are not set to a specific age or phase a child goes through. When Natalie Park (@parkplaceabode) redesigned her two daughters’ shared playroom, she wanted it to “grow with them for at least the next decade.”
“Before, it was boring, characterless and had no real purpose,” Natalie says of the room.
“The whole room was just painted white and had an old-fashioned painted fireplace,” she adds. “I didn’t like that the toys were all visible and constantly looked messy.” Natalie’s goal was to add color to the room and combat clutter, and that’s what she did during the One Room Challenge in spring 2023.
“The transformation of this playroom took four main stages,” explains Natalie. First, she addressed the old fireplace in the room. She cleaned it and removed the old mantelpiece. She then covered all the bricks with cement board, filler and Roman clay. Finally, she built a new narrow mantelpiece “to give it a cleaner and more modern look overall.”
The second phase of the project was perhaps the most noticeable change: the checkerboard accent wall. “I used my laser level to draw the grid and then used lots of painter’s tape to mask off the squares before painting the pink squares,” Natalie explains. She chose Pink Shadow by Sherwin-Williams, and the fun pattern can serve as a backdrop in a room for any age.
For pieces three and four, Natalie drew on green paint colors (Green Onyx by Sherwin-Williams and Peale Green by Benjamin Moore) and IKEA products to create a cool corner desk and an expensive-looking arched cabinet. For the desk, Natalie used an ALEX drawer unit and IKEA countertop and IKEA cabinets to turn it into a waterfall desk. She added a shelf on top, attached with simple L-brackets.
For the dark green cabinet that stores extra toys, Natalie used an IKEA KALLAX as the base. “This one required the most DIY, as I bent plywood to form the arch and also made brand new arched and shaker doors,” she says, and it’s the DIY project she’s most proud of in the space. “It looks so high-end,” she says—not to mention it’s timeless and ageless. In fact, many adults love this style of dresser, too! (Natalie’s version cost about $475, but if you want to forego the DIY project and still get the high-end look, you can find a similar green beauty with an arch at Urban Outfitters)
Bending plywood was a DIY first for Natalie, as was the entire Roman clay treatment of the fireplace, which cost about $300. Her secret to success? Watching YouTube tutorials. “When I do something DIY, I just jump in and try it,” Natalie says. “And if I make a mistake (like breaking the arch on the first try), I just try again!”
Natalie’s best DIY tip is: don’t be afraid to just start. “If you’re redoing an entire room, break it down into smaller projects and tackle one project/phase at a time,” she advises. “You’ll be surprised at what you can achieve and do if you just try!”
Natalie completed her daughters’ room with seating from Lovesac, a rug from Loloi, and fun prints from Etsy. “I love the vibe and feel of the room now,” she says. “It’s fun, playful, and inviting now!” she says. Pretty perfect for a playroom!
This project was completed for the One Room Challenge Spring 2023in partnership with Apartment Therapy. See more of the One Room Challenge before and after pictures here.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.
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