In my new (old) house, there was a very, very blue room: blue carpet, blue walls, blue ceiling (the photos here don't show how blue the paint actually was). With stepkids in the house part-time who needed their rooms to be a little less "old lady," we went for an overhaul on the cheap. Shown here (and below the jump), our quick and easy results: a light, bright fun room with lots of further possibility. Read about our problems, process and products below the jump:

The problems:

• Plywood pieces under the carpet (no nice hard wood here)


• Awkward angles


• Small budget


• Only a few days to get it finished

The process:

• Pulling up old blue carpet and all of the staples that held it down
• Removing a big, old, energy-sucking a/c window unit
• Paint the ceiling (the angled challenge), then walls, then floor

The products:

• Leftover ceiling and light grey paint from our newly painted master bedroom
• Leftover bright yellow paint from old apartment
• Purchased white floor paint
• 2 twin beds, side tables newly purchased from IKEA. Old IKEA Lack shelves from our last apartment.
• New IKEA rug from as-is section for $1! (because it was "dirty," said the IKEA employee)
• Red plastic lamp from our home's estate sale (before our move-in)
• Old world map saved from a dumpster
• Hubby-made yellow console, previously in master bedroom but now wouldn't fit.