This Bedroom Makeover Has the Best Hack for Making IKEA BILLYs Blend In

published Jun 29, 2024
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Pink kids room with wood floor
Credit: Emy Stenudd

As kids grow up, it’s natural for them to want their bedrooms to reflect their stage of life. Homeowner Emy Stenudd’s (@emysrenovations) daughter, Adina, had a similar experience when they were renovating her room in their uber-colorful home in Sweden

Credit: Emy Stenudd

“She [Adina] was getting a big room, so I wanted to have it all in there,” Emy says. “A small walk-in closet, good storage space, a desk, and some cozy spaces as well.”

Credit: Emy Stenudd

The room’s original layout had two closets that took up valuable real estate. So Emy and her partner, Joakim Johansson, decided to remove one and save the other for hanging clothes.

Tearing the additional closet out allowed them to learn more about their home’s history. The couple discovered water damage behind the closet, but luckily, the previous homeowner fixed it. 

Credit: Emy Stenudd

Removing a closet didn’t take away from Adina’s storage space, though. The couple took IKEA BILLY bookcases and transformed them to look like built-in shelving. “They fit all of her things, and it looks great,” Ely says. 

Credit: Emy Stenudd

The IKEA bookcases look like built-ins because they’re painted the same color as the wainscoting, doors, and crown molding (which are painted in Jotun’s “Industrial Blue”).

A white textured pattern on the glass doors blends seamlessly into Fargkungen’s “Newbie” wallpaper, too. 

Credit: Emy Stenudd

What was once a somewhat boring space was transformed into a bright, eclectic room that’s perfect for Adina. Ely is likely proud of her and her husband’s work, too, and being able to make memories in the room with her daughter. 

Credit: Emy Stenudd

“I love how cozy it is with the place by the window where she can sit and read or play with her stuffed animals,” Ely says. “And also her hanging chair. She still likes to play a lot, but she wants me to be near. So sometimes I’m sitting by her desk or laying in her bed while she is playing with her Maileg mouse’s house.”

The room is complete with a bed that came with the house and a secondhand desk and chair.

Credit: Emy Stenudd

And Adina’s room isn’t the only colorful room in this home; vibrant hues are the norm. To see more of the splendidly colored space, visit the full house tour on Apartment Therapy

This post originally ran on Cubby. See it there: Before & After: A Once-Bland Kid’s Room Is Transformed by Striking Blue Paint