These 7 Jaw-Dropping Bedroom Makeovers from 2025 Will Make You Want to Buy a Can of Paint
A bedroom that needs updating will never feel as relaxing as it could be. Sure, you’ve probably slept well enough in a less-than-stellar space, but you’ve also probably daydreamed about improvements. After all, when a bedroom has intention — as in, a balance of style and function — then it becomes much more likely that rest will come easy. Apartment Therapy has published countless bedroom transformations that meet this standard, and many of them were done without breaking the bank.
When you want a bedroom that’s as pretty as it is practical, it’s best to seek out inspiration. And in the last year, our readers have shared many examples of how their bedrooms have gone from so-so to so good. Bottom line? Paint and wallpaper can set the scene, while cozy and beautiful accessories bolster a nighttime routine. Read on for the seven best bedroom before-and-afters of 2025.
A custom headboard and limewash set this bedroom up for a new chapter.
Karis Samuelson Idowu (@karisalexis) and her husband, Jarvis, didn’t think their bedroom was a disaster; it just didn’t reflect their current phase of life. Jarvis raised the ceiling and added skylights prior to her moving in, and both agreed that the room could be softened and better matched to its new adjoining bathroom. They limewashed the walls and completed an IKEA hack for the nightstands, but perhaps the most eye-catching detail is the custom headboard. Jarvis cut the wavy shape himself, and Karis selected the fabric. Team effort all around!
Meticulous prep for green limewash walls gives this bedroom so much texture.
Juliana’s San Francisco apartment was filled with white walls when she moved in, but she wanted to give the bedroom more color and texture. So she chose a mossy green limewash by look alone — no samples! — and was meticulous about the prep work to create an ideal finish. Juliana kept a lot of the same furniture, but with a newly verdant backdrop, she says that it feels like a whole new space.
A color-drenched paint job in a divisive color is proof that you should honor your style.
DIYer Imani Keal’s (@imaniathome) rental bedroom was originally painted beige, and given that she loves a moody backdrop, that just wouldn’t do. Her apartment in Washington, D.C. is more than a century old, so Imani took her time with the preliminaries: sanding the walls, scrubbing the baseboards, and cleaning the windows. Her choice of a mustard-green shade for the walls and ceilings may not be for everyone, but Imani loves it. And since this is her bedroom, that’s all that matters (the same applies to you!).
Dark green walls and coordinating wallpaper make a bright bedroom much cozier.
DIYer Danie Berger (@diyinprogress_) wanted to give her sister-in-law’s bedroom a makeover, and she opted to take it from bright and airy to moody and dramatic. She drenched most of the walls in an alpine green, and installed a leafy peel-and-stick wallpaper on one as an impactful accent. Alongside the matching linens, curtains, and accessories, this bedroom now feels like a cozy retreat.
Custom storage gives this kid’s bedroom more space for fun.
Sophia Nickolaides (@1894home) decided her daughter’s bedroom needed more storage, so she came up with the idea to install IKEA’s PAX wardrobes on either side of a window. That work meant adding crown molding and MDF strips to the sides to make them look built-in, plus custom doors for a seamless finish. But since she painted them in a sweet pink, added a bespoke seat and desk, and finished everything off with accessories, the room now has storage and style to spare.
A mural and sky-like paint make this bedroom feel like a permanent vacation.
Michaela Hillman’s bedroom was once an all-white space, but after a trip to Portugal, she decided it needed much more color. Enter: A mural of a hillside landscape, which Michaela installed alongside newly limewashed walls. She added new-meets-thrift furniture, and finished off the velvet headboard with an LED light to make it feel like a boutique hotel. Now Michaela sleeps in a bedroom fit for five-star reviews.
Bright colors and a furniture edit make this primary suite so relaxing.
When designer Sarah Storms, the founder of Styled by Storms, was hired to renovate this primary bedroom, it required construction — she relocated the door to officially make it a suite. Once that was done, Sarah nixed a hodgepodge of furniture and streamlined everything under a teal and rust color palette. The biggest takeaway? Deciding on a set of colors makes a bedroom feel pulled together.