If your little one is begging you for a bedroom makeover, don’t panic. It doesn’t have to be an expensive or overwhelming task. DIY queen and Dulux Colour Ambassador EVIE KEMP says small changes can make a big impact. She walks us through her eight budget-friendly ideas for a bedroom makeover your kids will love.
Evie Kemp has had a long interest in art and design and runs her own creative and design studio. She’s also Dulux’s Colour Ambassador and so is an expert in using colour cleverly. These are her top low-stress, low-budget tips for transforming your child’s bedroom from princess palace to teen sanctuary based on Dulux’s new 2025 Colour Forecast, which includes the hottest new colour trends and more timeless hues.
Evie’s top tips for clever bedroom glow-ups
Use neutrals with accent colours
Paint the walls in a lighter, more neutral shade that will stand the test of time (and changing tastes) and use accent colours to update and refresh the look. Dulux Clay Pipe, from the Still palette, is a beautiful soft neutral with a pinky undertone that offers interest and warmth while looking fresh and bright.
Paint your own ‘headboard’
Paint a ‘headboard’ on the wall behind the bed to make a statement – go freehand, or create a curve. To paint an arch tie one end of a string to a pencil, fix the other end to the wall with a tack at the desired centre point, stretch the string tight, and move the pencil in a circular motion while keeping the string taut. This should give you a perfect curved line to use as a guide!
Create a mural
Create a simple mural in accent colours to make a playful and fun feature – think stripes or simple geometric shapes. These can be painted over in new colours as tastes change without having to repaint the entire room. To keep it joyful but not garish, opt for mid-tones with slight grey undertones rather than super bright colours. Some of my favourites at the moment would be Dulux Puhoi half – a classic pale blue, Dulux Kereta – a sandy, golden yellow, and Dulux Piglet – the perfect, piggy pink, all from the Emerge palette.
Create a gallery wall
You can make a gallery wall using thrifted frames that feature your child’s art and change or add to these over time. Paint frames to update them – again these are easily changed to a new colour. Combine kids’ art with bought pieces to really make them feel special and like a legitimate artist!
Go thrifting!
Thrifting is a great way to find unique storage solutions – crates, baskets, and old suitcases can all be repurposed to provide handy but attractive places to hide all those toys. You can update all of these items with paint or get creative and use a stencil to personalise them.
Hunt for quality secondhand furniture
Furniture in children’s rooms tends to get thrashed, so look for quality, solid secondhand pieces (especially desks, bedside tables, and drawers) and give them a fresh look with something like Dulux Aquanamel and some new handles. Not only is this better for the planet, but they’ll last a lot longer! Solid wood is the best thing to look for here, and new handles really can make all the difference!
Go old school
Old school desks and chairs are practical but also look gorgeous in kids’ rooms at almost all ages. They’ll usually need a bit of TLC, but take the opportunity to give them a modern look by sanding and oiling the wooden parts and using spray paint on the metal legs for a bold finish. The bright gloss of the frame against the freshly oiled timber is a classic combo that will always look stylish.
Try a lamp makeover
While we’ve got the spray paint out – don’t overlook lighting. A metal desk light can be given a makeover using spray paint like Dulux Duramax in a bright pop of colour like Grass Court or Hot Lips. Use bright colours like these echoed throughout the room.
You can check out the palettes and learn more about the Dulux 2025 Colour Forecast here.
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