More than two years after moving into our first family home, we finally added some colour to the walls, starting with Noah’s room. He loves blues and greens, football and LEGO, so I used those as my guide when styling the space. I still can’t believe how his room looked when we first moved in — the before-and-after photos are striking. He’s thrilled with it, and it’s lovely for him to have his own space, even if it’s a bit small.
When we first moved in, Noah’s room felt grimy: off-coloured walls, dark wood and an awful carpet that looked about 30 years old. It was the first room we stripped and painted the weekend we moved in. Putting white paint on the walls and giving the carpet a good clean made a huge difference.
During the first year we replaced the carpet with a grey one from Carpetright. We picked an offcut that worked for both Noah and Isla’s rooms, and my husband and his dad fitted it for us. The grey looks so much fresher. I also bought blackout curtains from Dunelm and painted the cupboard doors with Frenchic Al Fresco paint in Greyhound.
More recently I wanted to add a pop of colour and mark out where his new desk would go. I used a tester pot of Frenchic Smooth Operator wall paint to paint a circle around the mounted TV and a matching blue rectangle above the desk, stretching the colour from one wall to the other to frame the workspace.
The desk is from Little Folks Furniture — we chose the storage desk and retro chair bundle. It’s made of good-quality wood with smooth edges, perfect for a small kids’ room. I love the clean, Scandi-retro look, and Noah does too. He stores football books and LEGO manuals in the desk, builds his LEGO there, and uses it for homework. It’s the right size for him and ties the room together, bringing his favourite things into one place.
I like furniture that’s easy to build but sturdy, and this took about 30 minutes to assemble and feels very secure. The instructions were straightforward. You can also buy the desk and chair separately if you prefer.
We added large IKEA shelves to display Noah’s LEGO creations — I’m excited to see his collection grow over the summer. I also chose a geometric bedding set from Dunelm in blues and greens to pull together his favourite colours and the room’s palette.
Noah’s bedroom now feels brighter and more personal. A few well-chosen pieces and a bit of colour really transformed the small space. Keep an eye out for our summer renovation plan reveal.
