This Bedroom Makeover Makes Brilliant Use of Every Square Inch

Sarah EverettHome Projects Editor
Sarah EverettHome Projects Editor
I organize the Before & After series and cover DIY and design. I joined AT in October 2020 as a production assistant. I have an MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Journalism from Belmont University. Past editorial stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and local magazines in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
published Oct 5, 2025
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When DIYer and designer Johanna Obst (@tuttifruttiapartamento) plans colorful spaces — like the entirety of her apartment — her first destination is Pinterest, and her second destination is “a good paint shop.”

In this bedroom makeover, she and her husband added paint to small surfaces that make a big difference. She says the project “was luckily a very nice and easy DIY project” realized in two steps: First, addressing the corner storage by revamping the closet and adding curtains, and second, adding color with a daybed and shelves.

Credit: Johanna Obst
Credit: Johanna Obst

The closet offered good storage but needed some work. 

Johanna says “the old wardrobe was a ‘nice gift’ by the previous tenant. They were too lazy to remove it themselves, so we were the lucky ones to come up with ideas on what to do with this huge white scratched and ugly monster.”

But she did like the organizing system on the inside of the closet and the size. “It fits perfectly into the corner,” she says. “Some paint and fabric later, this beauty came to life.” Johanna used a sky blue paint for the closet doors and used two coats and a varnish to seal it. “First we cleaned the surfaces and started by sanding the doors,” she says. 

She and her husband added even more concealed storage up top with a track and curtains. Her advice is to look for fabric for DIY projects secondhand.

Credit: Johanna Obst
Credit: Johanna Obst

The shelving and bedding add more pops of color.

Speaking of storage, Johanna and her husband also added shelving and also painted the bookshelves in the corner green. 

They gave the daybed some pink plaid new covers that she made herself. “We found the perfect fabric on a small market in Marrakesch,” she recalls, though in hindsight she says she might hire an expert to sew them. “It is not fitting perfectly,” she admits.

But she loves the room’s colorful new lease on life. “The after is bold and colorful and eclectic — just like the rest of the apartment!” 

And speaking of the rest of the apartment, the bedroom now has a new threshold that better connects all the spaces (that involved some DIY demo), “but that is another story,” Johanna says.