bunk room in a beach house — inexpensive and cozy!

I’m back with another room transformation from our beach house in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and is up on pilings, so there’s not an option to expand the living area. Instead, we decided to turn one of the bedrooms into a bunk room with a pair of bunk beds. We wanted a style that would work for kids or adults, and we wanted to maximize the space.

When we bought the house, the room looked like this. (The house was sold furnished.)

I love all the visual space, but the full beds didn’t maximize the number of people who could sleep in the room. Plus, we wanted to update the style.

Throughout the house, our first step was to donate most of the furnishings, then repaint everything (even ceilings) Cloud White by Benjamin Moore. We used a paint sprayer, and it was a super messy project. I had paint flecks in my hair for weeks!

After that, we paid a company to remove the carpet throughout the home and replace it with luxury vinyl plank. (Everything instantly smelled better, which is kind of gross when you think about it.)

Then, it was time for the fun part. We ordered two sets of bunk beds from Plank & Beam, plus twin mattresses and pillows. I hoped to buy these adorable buoy sheets from L.L. Bean, but they were too expensive and never went on sale. I was happy to stumble upon these shark sheets by Target — same ocean theme and a great price! We snagged some cozy, light navy blankets from The Company Store on a big sale, and I found some solid blue pillowcases at Target that set off the sheets and the blankets perfectly!

I really wanted to have a reading light for each bed, but for a while that didn’t seem possible. There aren’t many electrical outlets in the room, and I didn’t want to tie up four outlets with plugs to wall-mounted lights. And hard-wiring the lights would have been super expensive. In the end, we decided to use the Magic Light Trick from Nesting With Grace. We glued battery-operated puck lights into cute yellow sconces and simply attached the sconces to the wall. To turn on the sconces, guests can press on the light inside each sconce or use a small remote control. Can you imagine how excited some kids will be when they realize the remote control turns the lights on and off?!?

We added a few fun stuffed animals to make the beds feel even cozier. I ordered an orange lobster and a blue whale, both from Walmart, and I used a campfire pillow that I found in a box in our house. The campfire isn’t 100% on theme, I guess, but it’s still cute.

We brought a dresser from home — I think this is a piece I originally found on the side of the road on trash day! At the beach, I painted in blue using my favorite Fusion paint and then added new gold pulls. On top we added a red rotary phone I found in a thrift shop plus a yellow wicker-type mirror. I think the primary colors make it perfect for kids, but the pieces are suitable for adults, too.

My favorite part of the room is the bookshelf. We have SO MANY kids’ books from when our kids were little, and I can’t bear to part with them. (In fact, we had these same books in our other Airbnb and when we sold the place along with all of the contents of the house, I noted in the contract that the books were not part of the sale.) Besides my emotional attachment to these particular books, I also think it’s very welcoming and homey to have an assortment of books in a rental house. On a rainy day or at bedtime, parents or kids can select some of our much-loved books and enjoy them together.

The bookshelf itself is a Target find that my mom primed and painted for us. We used this same style bookshelf in our other Airbnb, and I was very happy with it. You can find cheaper options, for sure, but I think the finishing details on this one look higher end.

We also added a few fun art pieces on the wall — you can read here about how I painted the mats to match the artwork — and my talented mom made a new seat cushion for the window seat. I wish I knew how to sew!

The step stool came with the house, and I painted it the same color as the dresser. I can imagine little kids using it to clamber onto the window seat and check out the view.

We added a fun checkered rug, and then the room was ready! What do you think? Would your kids enjoy staying here?

I’m always happy when we accomplish the look we want without spending too much money, and I think we did that here. I hope our guests love it and feel cozy and welcomed.

What house projects are you working on? Let me know in the comments!