The Bedroom Makeover My Son Started by Peeling Off the Wallpaper
This room wasn’t always my son’s bedroom.
Up until summer, it was the twins’ playroom — although if you’re a parent, you’ll understand when I say they never actually played in the playroom. They were always wherever I was, and the room mostly sat there looking cute but not really being used.
Then one day, the twins made a very important announcement: they wanted separate bedrooms.
So that was that.
We cleared out the toys, brought a bed frame down from the attic, and turned the playroom into my boy’s very own bedroom. He was absolutely delighted to finally have a space of his own, and for a while, everything was going great.
Until one day he was a little too quiet.
I opened the door and found him peeling the wallpaper off the walls.
At first I was completely shocked… and then I started laughing, because honestly? It is exactly the sort of thing I would do myself. He is definitely my son.
When I asked him why, his answer was very straightforward:
“It’s too childish for me. And I don’t like the colour. I want green.”
And to be fair… he had a point.
I had originally chosen the wallpaper when the twins were only one, and it suited that stage of life perfectly. But children grow, their personalities change, and suddenly what once felt sweet and playful can start to feel babyish to them. This room needed to grow with him.
So I took him to B&Q and let him choose his own shade of green.
That little moment felt important. I wanted this room to feel like his, not just a room I had decorated for him. Letting him have a say made the whole makeover feel much more personal, and the second he chose that colour, I knew we were heading in the right direction.
The shade he picked was Fiddlehead Leaf by Valspar, and it completely transformed the room. It’s rich, grounding, and playful without feeling overly childish. I paired it with Connecticut by Colourtrend on the woodwork, which added a lovely contrast and stopped the room from feeling flat.
To make the space feel more finished — and also, let’s be honest, to make it a bit harder for him to peel things off the wall from his bed next time — I added MDF wall panelling. It gave the room structure, character, and a more “big boy” feel straight away.
The result is a room that feels warmer, more grown-up, and much more him.
What I love most is that this makeover wasn’t about creating a perfect Pinterest bedroom overnight. It was about listening to what he wanted, making the space work better for this stage of life, and creating something he genuinely loves coming back to at the end of the day.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The room still isn’t fully finished. The other side — where the wardrobes and toys are — still needs to be sorted, but that’s a project for another day. I’ve also ordered a rug from AliExpress that I’m still waiting on, and eventually I’d love to upholster the bed frame in fabric to soften the look and add even more texture.
So there’s definitely more to come.
But even though this is only one finished section of the room, it already feels like such a lovely change. It’s calmer, more personal, and much better suited to the little boy who sleeps here now.
And most importantly?
He absolutely loves it.
Everything I used in the room
Walls & colour
Original wallpaper: Cari Wave Sky Blue/Pebble Wallpaper by Woodchip & Magnolia
Green wall paint: Fiddlehead Leaf by Valspar
Blue woodwork paint: Connecticut by Colourtrend
Panelling
MDF Panelling Kit
Product Code: 1212514
Bought from Woodies
On sale: 2 packs for €25
Furniture & decor
Headboard: Temu. Seller is called GlobalGlamLashes
Bedside table: Foys.ie, Monroe Collection
Wall art: Temu
Cushion covers: TK Maxx and Temu
Dog table lamp: TK Maxx
Rhino wall décor: TK Maxx
Bedding: IKEA
Still to come
Rug from AliExpress (still waiting for it to arrive)
Wardrobe and toy side of the room still to be updated
Plan for future: upholster the bed frame in fabric, add coving and a desk for homework.
Final thoughts
This room started as a playroom, became a bedroom out of necessity, and ended up becoming a little reflection of my son’s personality.
It’s not fully finished yet, but it already feels more settled, more practical, and much more loved.
And honestly, I think he chose the green very well.
What do you think, though?
