(Almost) Teen Room Makeover

It’s hard to believe I will soon have a teenager. My son, however, is counting down the days with an entire list of the things he plans to do once he hits the big 1-3.

A new teen bed was at the top of his list right next to extending his bedtime nearly two hours. Yeah, that ain’t about to happen. A new bed ehh now that’s a bit more reasonable. We definitely maximized the use of his bunk bed over the years. I can vividly remember him begging me for a bunk bed in the 2nd grade. I finally broke down and got one. By 4th grade, we removed the bottom bunk and added a futon underneath. We then swapped out the futon for an IKEA desk and chair to create a loft-style. By the end of his 5th-grade year, we added risers so he could work at his desk more comfortably. As middle school approached, my son started to become desperate. It had reached ‘give me a bed or give me death’ levels. I admit all I could think about was the cost of a brand new bedroom set. I tried my best to convince him that all college students had lofts. My favorite thing to say was “This is preparing you for college!” Mom-manipulation. It almost worked.

I guess bunk beds in middle school really aren’t that cool. All of his friends had already gotten rid of theirs. Never the one to keep up with the Jones’ or jump off a bridge because everyone did, I began to create a budget to give my son the room he deserved as he transitioned into young adulthood.

I promised my son we would go shopping for his new bed before the end of his three week Spring Break. I was down to the very last weekend, a hair away from the dreadful Mom-shame of breaking a promise. While checking the mail one evening, I noticed a bed sitting out by the curb for pickup. I carefully looked to make sure everything was there and in good condition- headboard (check), footboard (check), 2 railings (check), 4 bed slats (bonus check). In the middle of my deep inspection, a neighbor started walking towards me. Two words for what happened next – I ran! I don’t know if I was too embarrassed or too prideful, either way I did not want my neighbors seeing me dragging each piece back to my house. I immediately told my son I found a bed someone got rid of, I think we can use it, but we’ve got to wait until it gets dark to go get it!

Now normally my son doesn’t want anything to do with picking up stuff from the side of the road. Trust me, I know because I do it all the time. I was shocked when he agreed to help!

Once it was in the garage, my son took full control in making it his own. I made sure he had plenty of spray paint and rags to wipe it clean. He handled the rest.

A gazillion coats of black paint later, the bed was transformed. Altogether he used Project Source Flat Black Spray Paint and Krylon Chalkboard Paint in Black for the final coat.

Here’s a look at his room before…