My Mom Turned My Childhood Bedroom into an Art Studio She Totally Deserves
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My mom always tells me that even when I was a kid, I loved spending time by myself in my room. So much so that instead of sending me to my room as punishment, she would force me to spend time outside. Put simply, my room was my sanctuary. I always loved to escape into my imagination, and I never had an issue playing by myself with my toys.
The house I grew up in was originally built in the 1920s, and the only bedroom that could be my own was a tiny annexed space at the back of the house’s second floor. It had a slanted ceiling, a small closet that was only there because my parents knocked out the bathroom’s linen closet on the shared wall, and a double louvered door (because it was the only kind that fit in the small doorway).
From a Small Annex to a Personality-Rich Sunny Bedroom
When I was 12, my parents extended the house, and my tiny sanctuary became the beginning of their primary bedroom. I switched rooms, and my parents’ former bedroom became mine.
At first, I didn’t know what to do with all of the space I had. But as I grew up, my room shifted to reflect my creative personality and extracurricular activities — like sewing, embroidery, fashion, and art. My mom, Jennifer Smelker, and I often reminisce about the transition into my new space.
“In high school, my daughter’s bedroom was a pretty, neutral palette of pale blue and gray that allowed her to show her personality in all the details,” my mom explains. “Her window seat was full of plants, the built-in shelves full of her books and found and collected objects, and her desk wall held all of the images, quotes, and postcards that inspired her.”
My mom owns Tandem For Two, a small business showcasing her artwork and art licensing projects. She began drawing in various software programs on her iPad, but in recent years, she’s started painting and exploring different mediums that required an actual art space.
Non-Traditional Empty Nesters and New Life Stages
Instead of the gradual transition parents might expect when their kids leave home and continually visit for months at a time during college breaks, my parents had a much more “abrupt departure of both kids in 2021.”
My older brother found a stable job and his own place in town, and I had just finished my freshman year of college and knew that I would be moving to NYC permanently. So I purged and packed the rest of the belongings I had left behind in my old room.
“She removed so much of the personality from her room,” my mom says. “She would come back to this room during her future visits, but it never felt completely like her.” So everything happened at once for my parents, and both of their kids left home permanently.
But even after I officially moved out, my mom still considered the room my room. Originally, her art space was a desk shoved into the corner of my brother’s childhood room-turned-guest bedroom.
“It took me a few years to repaint and repurpose their bedrooms,” my mom notes. “And it took even longer to give myself permission to use an entire room just for myself.”
From Art Desk to Art Studio
Halfway through my college career, my mom moved her desk from the guest bedroom to my room, with my bed still there. “Even though it was crowded, it was still her room,” my mom admits.
But when I graduated from college in 2025 and visited home to remove even more of my things, I truly noticed how much of the room had changed and that it was time for my parents to have their home reflect where they were at in life.
“I knew it was time to take my art table out of the corner of one room and take over the entire room as my art studio,” my mom shares. She called me after I had gone back to New York, explaining the changes she was starting to make and asking how I felt about it all.
It was hard at first, even after accepting that it was time to give back this space to my parents. But I’ve come to understand that I can simultaneously be happy for my mom’s creative joy and sad that my childhood bedroom is no longer mine.
Now, she has space to store all of her supplies and projects in the main room. She can leave paintings out that aren’t completed yet and tack art up on the walls. “I hadn’t expected to want an art studio, but now I love having my own space, dedicated just to me, my art practice, my colorful artwork, and my quirky finds,” my mom says.
Plus, the walk-in closet was the house’s original nursery, so it was large enough for my mom to move my bed into and create an additional space for guests — adding the previous decor from my bedroom.
A Bright Neutral Paint Showcased Her Framed Art
After accepting that it was OK to take back the room for herself, my mom filled all the holes left from my previous artwork and began painting the trim and walls. “I selected a neutral color (Behr’s Marquee Eggshell ‘Whisper White’) so that my colorful artwork and frames would take center stage,” Jennifer says.
Soon enough, my mom filled the gallery wall with her own colorful art in Anthropologie frames, unfinished picture frames from Target that she painted herself, and ceramic finds from traveling. Because it’s behind the desk, it creates a creative backdrop for her studio — ideal business content creation.
Then, on the opposite wall — the one she faces when at her desk — my mom pins recent paintings, like her 100 paintings for the 100-day project. “This visual from my work desk has allowed me to see my daily progress and inspire me along the way,” she says.
“I sourced additional storage baskets and used the built-in shelves from my daughter’s window seat to organize all of my art materials and craft supplies,” my mom explains. “I also used fun ceramics to store the supplies I reach for most often on my worktable, and I purchased a 4-drawer art cart to store paint and paper that I use daily.”
Adjusting to life beyond kids wasn’t tricky for my parents, but adjusting their home beyond kids was. In the end, though, there are no regrets about the timeline of becoming an empty nester. “Everything happens at its own pace,” my mom explains. “While I was sad in the beginning that Lauren wasn’t home as often, I now enjoy crossing the hallway each morning from my bedroom to this light-filled space.”
For me, it was bittersweet to see my mom completely transform my childhood bedroom. Even though the room didn’t look like mine anymore, I still had an emotional attachment to what it once was. But I’m so happy seeing how much joy the repurposed room has given my mom.
“My favorite part is sitting here on a quiet morning, painting while the sunshine streams in the dormer windows,” my mom shares.
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Shop This Before & After
- Paint
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- Amelia Pink Wooden Frame from Anthropologie
- Amelia Green Wooden Frame from Anthropologie
- Amelia Mint Wooden Frame from Anthropologie
- Philippa Scalloped Picture Frame from Anthropologie
- Threshold Wood Picture Frame from Target
- Paper Source Hand-Painted Ceramic Frame
- Set of 3 Wicker Storage Baskets from Amazon
- Threshold Rolling White Cabinet from Target