Bedroom Makeover: A Cozy Beach Retreat

After years of video games, air hockey, and basketball, this bright blue playroom was transformed into a cozy master retreat. See how designer Jeni Hilpipre-Wright took this room down to the bare bones and into a beachy paradise.

Beaded board on the ceiling, grass cloth on the walls, and painted faux studs were the perfect formula to create this Cape Cod feel. Jeni wanted to brighten up the room by using white furniture paired with soft blue and mushroom-color fabrics. Pops of bold red accents give the beachy color scheme a modern twist.

The room's focal point is the bed where the color scheme is in full bloom. A painted wood headboard with an upholstered panel carries out the beachy theme. For a new look, the headboard can easily be reupholstered or flipped to the other side, which features distressed beaded board in warm cream tones.

Quick tip: To give a traditional room a modern touch, use linens with a mix of colors and patterns, like these pillows which feature a strong floral look mixed with bold stripes.

A trio of vintage bird prints framed in old rulers creates a classic and unique focal point above the headboard.

Make it yours: Search local flea markets and antique stores for classic vintage calendars that can be turned into quick and easy artwork.

To give the room a little more personality, a distressed sea blue chair, found at a local antique store, takes the place of a bedside table and adds to the room's beachy cottage feel.

This one-of-a-kind bookshelf was created by enlarging vintage travel ads and decoupaging them to an unfinished wood shelving unit.

Savvy storage: Wicker baskets, like the ones used in this bookcase, offer stylish storage for keeping everything in its place.

Personalized chairs at the end of the bed give this master bedroom a personal touch everyone in the family can enjoy. The folding lifeguard chairs are light enough to keep the room feeling spacious and can be moved throughout the home for additional seating.

A grid of painted 2x4s adds to the cabin-like look and doubles as dramatic display space for beach-themed accessories.

Get the look: Simply attach to your wall grid together as one large unit. Then attach it to the wall. Make sure part of the grid is built into the studs for stability.

To make room for this large dresser, the closet's bifold doors were replaced by patchwork curtains. To tie everything together, the panels are made from all the fabrics used in the room.

Save big bucks: Reuse and recycle pieces of fabric used in the room to create new accessories, such as the curtain panels, pillows, or chair covers.

Hidden behind the patchwork curtains, a custom shelving system was installed to allow for maximum storage space.

An attractive blue and cream stripped chaise offers comfortable seating in the master bedroom. The drab carpet was replaced with new distressed hardwood floors in a light finish, to keep with the rest of the 1929 home.

The once kid-themed bathroom also got an overhaul with nautical touches.

To achieve a sand-and-sea look, the old linoleum was replaced by natural stone floors and iridescent ocean-blue glass tiles that covered the walls and ceiling. A glass block window was installed to allow plenty of natural light to filter into the small space.

A single sink was replaced with double sinks mounted on stone tile-clad box. Dual mirrors pivot to reveal hidden shelves.

Make it yours: The sink counter and the shelf beneath are boxes made from plywood, attached to the wall, and then covered in the same stone tile as the floor.

To carry the beach theme through the bathroom, seashells were hung from the shower curtain rings with ribbon.