Things have finally wrapped up in Evie’s new toddler room! While we haven’t quite switched her from her crib, her room has seen massive changes in terms of style and storage! If you are new to our blog, you can find the inspiration behind the space and our nursery redesign post here! We had the pleasure of working with the team from Pottery Barn Kids to put the finishing touches on this project and I’m so pleased with the way it turned out! Everything pictured is 100% kid-friendly and was really the solution to finding storage for our growing daughter.

I’ll try to share as many details behind the process as possible, but for more detailed information about the DIY built-in bench check out my Instagram Story highlight, “Evie’s New Room.”

The before & after

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Built-in DIY Bench

This entire project started from an inspirational photo I shared in the initial post. I really wanted to make the best use out of this space, and doing so meant creating storage on the wall. Most people who embark on a home project involving built-in anything tell you how pricey it is for professional or custom-made cabinetry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something we had in our budget, so I turned to Ikea for a less expensive solution. After researching different pieces, I landed on the Besta media cabinet. I purchased the frame and door separately, and all total spend just under $180 for the shaker-style doors, soft-close hinges, and frame, which is considerably cheaper than anything on the market.

The “shaker-style” doors from Ikea made for the Besta media cabinet are called the HANVIKEN and run about $20 per door. Honestly, I was very impressed with the quality and just how nice they looked in person. If I didn’t already have the rattan for the insets, I might have thought twice about DIY’ing the doors! The second point to these doors is that they are installed flawlessly! I’ve toyed with other Ikea furniture in the past and have had issues with the hinges not aligning. However, the soft-close hinges* are awesome and totally worth the extra few bucks, especially if you have a toddler who has an affinity for slamming doors!

I’ll do a separate DIY post on how I assembled the rattan doors for the IKEA Besta cabinet. It was a great way to achieve the look of similar higher-end pieces for a fraction of the cost!

*(I also wanted to add that the reviews for these hinges are terrible..I honestly don’t know why! I almost didn’t buy them because of it - so thankful I did!)

How to achieve the “Built-in” Look

I think the single piece that genuinely gives a standard storage piece a built-in look is adding a toe-kick or base frame. I had my dad make this toe-kick for space and ended up going with his solution of making it slightly more narrow than our bench seat and flanking storage pieces. Creating a toe-kick is pretty straightforward (with the right tools) and typically only requires 2x4 to create ladder-like support for the furniture to sit flush on. Once built, we painted the frame to match and attached it to the wall to ensure it was safe to secure our other furniture.

With both the Ikea bench and the Callum Wall Set being white, the transition between the two was pretty much seamless. There’s no question that the Pottery Barn Callum Shelves are super well constructed. The shelf height is perfect for growing kids and helps Evie get into the habit of putting away toys or books when we’re done with them. You can see a visual of how they stack for optimal storage below!

Paint & Beadboard

Another key piece of the design of this room was the beadboard. It was something I knew I wanted from the get-go, but again, another project I had my dad do! I’m fortunate to have a dad who loves woodworking! We opted for a simple, wider trim piece that would look like the beadboard in a more classic style. I didn’t want anything too fancy and felt that a simple chair rail was exactly what this room needed.

For our paint, we wanted a light sage green. Her room gets great light in the daytime but only relies on the light from one window. Because of this, we knew anything that was even just a shade darker wouldn’t give the space the bright feeling were we looking to achieve. So the shade we ended up on was Jojoba by Behr, in a flat finish.

Toddler Room Additions

One of my favorite things to add to the space was new decor pieces that could function for both style and purpose. Since Evie is no longer an infant, we could bring in more elements that would support growth and a few new decor items that we didn’t need to worry about (like a faux plant and glass lamp!) The wall hooks were another addition that pulled at my heartstrings. To me, they are cute and serve a purpose while adding whimsy to her space.

The Sherpa Everywhere Chair from Pottery Barn is hands-down one of my favorite additions. It also just so happens to be Evie’s as well! Whenever we’ve had friends or family members with kids, they automatically head to sit in the chair, and it’s pretty darn cute! I know what some people may be thinking, “a white chair for a child is brave!” Well, to rest your nerves, the Everywhere chairs come with a machine-washable slipcover that zips off for easy cleaning.

I’d also like to say to this point that our home is very family-friendly, and I don’t steer away from white or cream shades in the fear that they will get ruined. Unfortunately, stains, spills, and accidents are bound to happen, and it’s just a fact of life. Just get yourself a great stain remover and move on!

How does the room function for Evie?

As I mentioned previously, we wanted Evie’s room to be a space she could play and sleep in. We wanted it to be a place she felt comfortable in as well. So often, we forget that kids, too, are creatures of comfort, and they also tend to like to be surrounded by things they love. I wanted her to be able to grab stuff off her shelves, climb on the bench seat, sit in her chair and fully utilize the space that is her room. I also wanted to make sure whatever items we brought into her room served the purpose of functionality while also being stylish (can you blame me?)

I think books serve a double purpose in this space and bring in an additional color that our initial pallet may lack. While I don’t expect the rainbow bookshelf to stay color-coated forever, it is a great way to help Evie learn her colors. In addition, she can now always spot her favorite books, and I know she can easily place them back when not in use. It’s a win-win for both of us!