How to makeover a child’s bedroom in a weekend

Is your child's bedroom looking a bit uninspiring? If you're keen to do some updating, our easy kid's bedroom makeover will help you create a fabulous new space in no time - in fact, one weekend is all you need to make a total transformation.

Recreate the room above by following the six simple steps below. But don't feel you have to do the entire makeover - if it's just the star wallpaper that grabs you, for example, do a spot of wallpapering, then stand back to enjoy an instantly more characterful room. Or perhaps you just need some better storage, in which case there are a couple of helpful suggestions here. Updating bedding can also have a huge effect on a bedroom scheme, so your weekend update might involve just a super-quick trip to the shops. See, we told you it was easy!

1 Hang up hooks

Keep coats, bathrobes and gym bags off the floor with a neat peg rail. Storage is such an important part of a kid's bedroom makeover - you can have the most amazing-looking decor in the world, but if there are things strewn chaotically about the place, it will never looks its best. A few hooks will make all the difference and a peg rail offers an appealing look. Not keen to mark the walls? Hooks that can be mounted over the door are another great option.

Get the look
Buy now: SP2 peg rail, £41, Scumble Goosie

2 Add handy storage

Of course, you will want more than just a few hooks. A sizeable unit for storing toys is a real blessing in a child's bedroom and the red cabinet here is ideal. Made of hardwearing metal, it will stand up to knocks and scrapes, and its bright colour will liven up any space. What's more, the cabinet is the perfect height. Even relatively small children will be able to reach it, so there's no excuse for not tidying things away. Genius.

Get the look
Buy now: PS cabinet, £70, Ikea

3 Create a soft spot

Mark out the play space with a rug that almost fills the room - choose one that is kind to kids' knees. Rugs are especially great in a room with wooden floorboards, which can be a bit hard for children to play on. The bonus of having rugs rather than carpet is that rugs can be more easily cleaned - plus rugs are are also simpler to swap when they're truly past their best.

Get the look
Buy now: Smoke and Cornflower rug, £390, Vanessa Arbuthnott

4 Use a subtle wallpaper

If you want to update the walls, pick a wallpaper pattern that'll be loved until your children leave home: stars, spots and stripes are all foolproof and will work for any age group, from tiny tots to teens. Wallpaper is great for injecting personality into a space and a pale blue and white design like the star pattern here offers a versatile backdrop for introducing colourful furniture and bedding.

Get the look
Buy now: Galerie Deauville Stars Sky Blue G23104, £29.95 per roll, Wallpaper Direct

5 Make windows pop

Resist cartoon-character curtains and keep updates easy with a repaintable option such as the shutters here. Bright red creates a focal point in this relatively neutral room, but if you're not up for such an impactful look, white shutters will look amazing, too. The fact that they block out the sun's rays is also brilliant if your little ones are prone to waking at the crack of dawn.

Get the look
Buy now: solid-wood shutters, from £249 per sq m, California Shutters

Inspired to do another weekend decorating project? READ: Weekend project: wake up to coastal style

6 Mix and match bedding

The duvet sets in this room are double-sided, so it's like having two different looks in one. Ideal for a shared bedroom, double-sided bedding means kids can have different patterns, but both match the decorating scheme. Even if the room has one bed, a double-sided option means your child will never get bored, as they can turn the duvet over whenever they fancy a change.

Get the look
Buy now: Cool Patchwork duvet set, £11.99, Dunelm

This article originally appeared in Ideal Home, July 2017.

Image credits: David Brittain