DIY Makeover: Princess Bedroom On A Budget

by Janny Jackson

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At the time that we completed this DIY room makeover we had been in our house for about a year and a half. I don’t know about you, but it takes time for us to be able to complete projects in our house, not just because of financial reasons, but also because I have to have a cohesive vision to be able to move forward with it.

We moved into this house with nothing but the necessities. We sold everything with our previous house because it was a cross country move. Not only did we not want to travel with a lot of big furniture but we had not yet purchased a house when we decided to move (the housing market at the time was insane) and would not have had anywhere to put all of the furniture.

So really the first year of us being here was slowly accumulating all of the necessities for our house again, and trying to figure out storage solutions. Did you see the very first project I did in this house? I converted the downstairs coat closet into a homeschool storage closet. That was of utmost importance when we first moved here so that we could continue to homeschool with minimal interruption, and is still one of my favorite projects so far.

When we finally got to a point where we could start doing major room-changing projects I prioritized getting the kids rooms done first. With big projects like those it first takes A LOT of planning. We completed my son’s Lego themed bedroom first, and now it was my daughter’s turn to get a room makeover, personalized just for her!

Prep

The first step was to talk to my daughter about what she wanted her room to look like. She decided on a princess theme. To be honest, it was not at all what I would’ve chosen for her, but I care more about her being comfortable in and loving her room more than what I would have preferred.

Once we agreed upon what the room would look like, I started my research. I let my daughter pick her own wallpaper and curtains, then I came up with a color scheme and made a list of items needed, from wood panels and trim, to paint and decor, etc. I like to create a mood board using the free version of Canva to make sure everything looks cohesive together. Along with making the list of items, I researched pricing and from where we would purchase the items on the list so that I could create a budget for the entire room makeover. As I save, I collect the materials needed for the room, slowly but surely. Once we’ve collected everything we think we need for the room we can finally get started.

Big DIY projects like this take A LOT of mental and physical energy from both my husband and I. All of our extra time, including nights and weekends, was spent working on the room makeover. It was a slooow process (took us two months to complete this entire room!), with many, many interruptions and breaks due to responsibilities in and outside of the home. It was incredibly taxing and exhausting, BUT the finished project and smile on her face once it was complete made it all worthwhile.

Work

This was the start of her bedroom. She had bunkbeds in here that were moved to the boy’s room, which meant that she needed a new bed, and one that matched her princess theme, obviously. These are the blackout curtains she chose.

This is the wallpaper she chose. Again, not my preference, but also not my room. She loved it, so she got it. I honestly had no idea this was the Magic Kingdom castle until my husband told me, haha.

I get REALLY impatient when supplies start arriving for projects and want to get started immediately. I started this room one evening by myself. My husband discovered me working on it and came in to help. It took us about two hours to install this peel and stick wallpaper. It was not my first time installing wallpaper. Overall it was an easy and straightforward process, perfect for a beginner. I purchased the large size and cut off the excess so that it would cover her entire wall.

The next thing I worked on was framing out this window. I did the exact same design in my son’s Lego room. It’s one of the easiest ways to make a room feel a little more home-y and personalized. I love how different a room feels once the window is framed out.

Look at that difference! It’s beautiful! We also installed brand new closet doors. We had disposed of the closet doors that were in this room when we first moved in because they were in awful condition, and she had been without closet doors since. Oops.

After I primed and painted the window white, my husband and I used our table saw to rip down Hardboard (Eucaboard) boards into 6″ strips for a faux shiplap look, because let’s face it, textured walls are ugly, and real shiplap is expensive as heck. Also, this is a kid’s room, we don’t need anything fancy and expensive in here. This took a lot of time and mental energy as we navigated making cutouts for the outlets, doors, and window.

Look at that tight fit! My husband spent an entire day framing out the window with the “shiplap” panels. It was definitely a labor of love. He did great!

I’m not even joking when I say it took me weeks to paint this bed. I found it on FB marketplace. It was a cream color but it had some wear and tear and I wanted it to be a color that fit better with the colors in her room. My husband sanded down the entire bed for me and I used my paint sprayer to paint it this beautiful blush pink color (Sweetheart, by Behr). I was very intimidated by this project, having never painted furniture before, and often felt stuck and overwhelmed. It’s not perfect, but it didn’t turn out horrible. Not bad for my first time, and I can now say I have gained some wisdom and experience with painting furniture.

SO close to being done! We had to fill in and sand down all of the nail holes, then we primed the walls.

Finale

It’s done it’s done! The relief of being able to put the finishing touches on and move the furniture in makes the entire process worth every single trial and tiring moment. I was blown away at how well the pink bed went with the blue/purple color of her walls (French Colony, by Behr).

I also hand built that little bookstand on her ottoman. I found the exact same thing on an online website selling for almost $100 and I built it for free with scraps from my garage.

This bedroom turned out WAY better than we could have expected. We accomplished the most beautiful princess room for our little princess. Everything meshed together so well, while remaining simple and minimal. The canopy above her bed was a birthday gift to her from my husband, and the toy basket in the corner was from Hobby Lobby.

I can’t forget the one thing that kicked the room makeover off to begin with, the sunburst light! I found the gold sunburst frame at an antique shop, it was actually a mirror. I removed the center of it and found a small flush mount light that would fit in it. It’s kind of like the cherry on top! One of my favorite details out of the entire room.

Her bedding is from Beddy’s. I love that it doesn’t technically “match” with the aesthetic and colors of her room, but its neutral enough that it doesn’t clash with it all either.

These LED strip lights just scream big kid, right? It came with the exact length we needed to be able to completely wrap her room around the top and bottom. It was a nice finishing touch. They have a bunch of different colors and settings, and have led to lots of dance parties!

The over the door mirror was found at a local store where I live, but I found this one that is similar in size and price, and it has great reviews. There are gold touches all over her room, the light, curtain rod, and mirror are all a gold color. Perfect for my princess!

I love every single corner of this room!

We had purchased some little hanging lights from a local store months ago, and she decided to wrap them around her headboard. Looks good to me!

So cozy, both with natural light and in the evening with her LED lights on.

A last minute addition that we didn’t expect to add, but couldn’t resist, was this faux rabbit fur rug we found at another local store. I’m not even exaggerating when I say this is the softest rug I have ever felt in my life, and I knew I had to purchase it the moment I picked it up. It doesn’t shed at all and can be vacuumed when needed. EVERYONE that walks into this room lays down on this rug. The kids love to sit and play on it.

One thing I did not get around to doing, because of indecision, was adding her own artwork to the walls. That is something I will do soon and will update this post as soon as I do.

What’s your favorite part about this room makeover? I love that when friends and family walk into this room they all say “Oh yeah, that’s definitely her room!” Everything in here fits her taste and personality, and I love that she is proud to call it hers. Let me know your thoughts below, and as always, thanks for being here!