How to upcycle your tween’s bedroom to a teen dream
We love our little ones but the fact is, they grow up fast and outgrow their bedrooms too! Gone are the fluffy toys, in come the teen years…
If your tween wants a bedroom makeover with teen style, you don’t need to spend a fortune on a complete overhaul. With some creativity, some clever ideas, and help from White Knight, you can go from this … to this, in a day!
This week I lent a hand to 12-year-old Ava and her mum Margaret, who asked for my help in creating a tropical teen-themed bedroom. Ava’s room was so sweet, but she had outgrown it. So… it was out with the pastels, bunting, and butterflies – and in with some serious style. But to keep the project on a $500 budget, we up-cycled as much as we could. With White Knight’s amazing specialty paints, you can transform anything – from timber to plastics, metals, and ceramics. There’s really no surface, accessory or furniture piece that you can’t transform.
Here are my 5 furniture hacks for Ava’s room, with ideas you can steal for your up-cycle projects;
1. BED REFRESH
Teenagers love their sleep, so the bed was the #1 furniture piece that I knew I had to get right. It’s time for Ava to stretch out in a double bed, and I found a fab metal bed in the garage that was perfect – almost! With its swirly playful shape, the bedhead and base were lots of fun, but the metal was a bit grown up… So, I used White Knight’s Squirts to give it a new lease on life in flamingo pink.
It’s a paint and primer in one, so that means you don’t need to apply a separate coat of undercoat, it’s already in the product. It’s really hard-wearing and bonds well with metal, but also plastics, wood, and a lot of other surfaces too.
2. desk do-over
Every teenager needs a study desk, and Ava’s existing one was in great shape. I removed the shelving from the top and gave it a good clean and again used White Knight Squirts to spray just the top with a pop of yellow.
Tip: to get an even finish, use a sweeping motion with several light coats. And to make sure the paint doesn’t drip, hold the can about 20 centimetres from the desktop surface.
3. CHAIR TO MATCH
It’s not just existing pieces that you can up-cycle. Sometimes you’ll find a perfect piece that’s not working with your new theme, like this black Acapulco chair that I picked up from Kmart for just $ 39.00! Again, I used White Knight Squirts to tie it into the desk and start to build on the theme. You can do the same with your accessories … ornaments, shelving, lamp shades etc… the list goes on.
4. COLOURFUL cubes
Storage is a big must-have in a teen room, and off the shelf units like Ava’s existing one are great ‘catch-alls’. To liven it up, I’m spraying the backs using White Knight Squirts in alternating shades of pink and yellow, to match my other furniture hacks. I purchased an additional three of these units from Kmart and mounted them above the desk to maximise storage and floor space. White Knight’s Squirts is fast and easy to use and it’s a good thing it’s touch dry in 10 minutes. 
5. CHALKBOARD
A teen’s life is a busy one, so it’s a good idea to create a message and reminder zone. I picked up a piece of MDF from Bunnings and painted it with White Knight Chalkboard paint. You could use this on most smooth timber surfaces or even metal if it’s primed. 
Mixing old and new is the key to this fun eclectic style, and up-cycling your old stuff with the great range of White Knight craft & decorative paints, has never been easier. So, that’s it … a really affordable, teen room transformation. This space cost just over $500, proving that if you’re smart and work with what you’ve already got, you can save a lot!
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
| BOOKCASES ON WALL | KMART | $19.00 | 3 | $57.00 |
| ACAPULCO CHAIR | KMART | $39.00 | 1 | $39.00 |
| LIGHT BOX WITH LETTERS | KMART | $15.00 | 1 | $15.00 |
| A3 FRAMES | IKEA | $19.99 | 3 | $59.97 |
| MAJGULL CURTAINS | IKEA | $59.00 | 1 | $59.00 |
| WALL CLOCK | SPOTLIGHT | $34.99 | 1 | $34.99 |
| ROUND DAISY JUTE RUG | EBAY | $60.00 | 1 | $60.00 |
| PINEAPPLE CUSHION | COASTAL CUSHION COMPANY | $22.00 | 1 | $22.00 |
| FLAMINGO CUSHION | COASTAL CUSHION COMPANY | $22.00 | 2 | $44.00 |
| PINEAPPLE CUSHION | COASTAL CUSHION COMPANY | $22.00 | 1 | $22.00 |
| BED FRAME | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| BED LINEN | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| DESK | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| DESK CHAIR | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| DESK LAMP | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| CHEST OF DRAWERS | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| BLUE FRAMES | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| TROPHIES | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| LETTER A LIGHT | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| BOOKS IN BOOKCASE AND ASSORTED ACCESSORIES | HOME OWNER’S | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| WHITE KNIGHT SQUIRTS | BUNNINGS | $7.80 | 4 | $31.20 |
| WHITE KNIGHT STROKES | BUNNINGS | $10.00 | 1 | $10.00 |
| WHITE KNIGHT CHALKBOARD PAINT | BUNNINGS | $14.10 | 1 | $14.10 |
| WHITE KNIGHT GLOW IN THE DARK | BUNNINGS | $49.50 | 1 | $49.50 |
| MDF (for Chalkboard) | BUNNINGS | $20.00 | 1 | $20.00 |
| $537.76 |
You didn’t include the cost of Taubmans Paint and the cost of the wall prints. What is the total cost with those included? Thanks.
Hi Marcia, the wall paint was supplied courtesy of Taubmans. To paint a room this size (2 coats, in two colours) you would add approx $60. C x
Hi,
I love the clever shelving. How did you secure the cubes to the wall.
Thank you Natalie