At T-Minus 1 week until the One Room Challenge big reveal, we’re checking off the last remaining touches of the playroom makeover. Like the windows that looked like this up until a few days ago…
If you’ve missed any of the updates so far, you can click the previous weeks to follow the makeover from the beginning here:
Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four
UPDATE: See the full playroom makeover reveal here!
We did our usual song and dance with our DIY window framing. (In related news, this was the LAST WINDOW IN THE ENTIRE HOUSE TO FRAME! Sorry for shout-typing… I’m just excited.)
But after framing them, they still looked naked. The original plan was to use navy burlap curtains, but it wouldn’t be a room makeover without me changing my mind at the last minute.
I wanted something more light and playful. And then I saw these pom pom curtains at Pottery Barn Teen and fell in serious like. Buuuuuut they cost $210 per pair. Then, I found these similar ones at Anthropologie for $196. Nope. Not happening.
I figured I could whip up a pair of pom pom curtains on my own for way cheaper than the designer ones.
This one called for a good ol’ IKEA hack.
Supplies Used: (Affiliate links are provided below for convenience. For more info, see my full disclosure here.)
- IKEA Matilda curtains
- 11 yards of pom pom fringe trim
- Heat n Bond hemming tape
- Straight pins
- Fabric scissors
- Iron & ironing board
By now, it’s no secret that IKEA is my favorite place to buy curtains. We have the Ritva ones throughout most of our house, and they look way more expensive than what we paid.
The Matilda ones only cost $20 for the pair and have a sweet and simple embroidery detail that seemed perfect for the playroom.
I laid one of the panels out on my ironing board and started from the bottom of one side to pin the pom pom trim to the hemming tape and curtain hem.
Once the entire side hem was pinned, I pressed the trim and hemming tape with an iron set at medium heat (no steam) to adhere the trim. Then just removed the pins and repeated the pinning/ironing process on the other side.
Soooo easy! The whole project took all of an hour to complete and ended up costing $26.68 per panel. Beats the pants off of $109 per panel, huh?
And I think they look every bit as designer-y. I might eventually hem the bottom so they don’t have the puddling action going on. The jury’s still out on that one.
Since the curtains are a little sheer, they make the room feel much more light and airy than the navy burlap ones would have.
We’ll be placing some of Olivia’s bigger toys underneath this window so it won’t look quite so lonely and simple later.
Those little pom poms add so much cheer to this side of the room. (Get it? Pom poms? Cheer? I’ll see myself out.)
I’ve been working on some finishing touches for styling the shelves too. I’m still moving things around here and there.
And also… do you see the sofa switcheroo?! We ended up selling our old tan sofa for $200 on our local Facebook buy/sell/trade group and picked up the IKEA Ektorp (that so many of y’all had rave reviews about in my last post), so with using the money recouped from the old sofa, it was definitely a reasonable purchase.
Here’s where we are on the trusty playroom to-do list now:
- DONE: Install built in bookcases
- DONE: Paint and install desks
- DONE: Paint walls
- DONE: Find a great colorful rug
- DONE: Install ceiling fan
- DONE: Install reclaimed wood wall
- DONE: Frame and paint window
- DONE: Paint wood crates
- DONE: Replace sofa with a slipcovered one
- DONE: Hang curtains
- Make oversized storybook art (almost finished)
- Finish decorating shelves (almost finished)
- Implement and organize a toy storage system (almost finished)
- Add knobs to built-in cabinet doors
Have any of y’all made any fabulous designer knock-offs lately? Or done an awe-inspiring IKEA hack? Or made your own curtains worthy of a cheerleading squad routine? I’m just flipping out that I can finally show y’all this entire playroom next week!
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A really fun addition to the curtains. It really livens them up and adds … no, I won’t say whimsical…a playful element to the room.
I love those Pottery Barn curtains, too! But wow, your idea is great. I might just have to try this one. Thanks!
Love the curtains and the fact hat hey are no-sew curtains!
Love the way your playroom is shaping up, and the Pom Pom curtains are perfect! Great choice!
Do you really find the iron on tape to be satisfactory? The one time I used it, I had trouble. it didn’t stick well in some areas and where it did stick, it felt stiff & not pliable like fabric should be. I pulled it off, which left a troublesome stiff residue. For me, after pinning, it really is easier to run a simple straight stitch on my sewing machine.
Maybe I should try iron on tape again– maybe what I used was the wrong product or something…
Thanks for all the inspiration!!!
Thanks, Shelley! The tape was stubborn at first, and I did have to go over it twice with the iron, but it’s not budging now. It does end up a little stiff, but it didn’t really bother me for curtains.
Love the curtains. I also congratulate you on how relaxing it is to read about your ORC. Last year when I read about some of them you could feel their anxiety about being behind and losing sleep. Thanks for being organized and efficient.
Aw thanks, Nancy! I dove into this with a game plan and a time line and all of my purchases for the room already in storage, so that was a lot of help. We’ve had a lot of room makeover practice at this point. 🙂
Super cute! I love pom pom fringe!! It’s coming together so well Lauren! Can’t wait to see the reveal!!
Very cute, but I was wondering if there is enough fullness to cover the whole window with just two panels? Perhaps sewing/fusing two panels together and adding the fringe would give a fuller look.
One thing I like about IKEA curtains, besides price, is that they are long and go all the way to the floor from most ceilings.
These are purely for looks, so I’m okay with them not completely covering the window, but you could definitely do two panels on each side. 🙂 I like IKEA curtains for that reason too. It’s hard to find ones long enough that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
Super cute! The whole room is looking beyond amazing! Keep up the hard work 🙂
Oh my goodness! SO fun!!! Cannot wait to see the reveal next week!!!
I love those!! I don’t want to say “adorable” because it’s not just a kids room, but they’re adorbs! I tried the tape a while back too and it’s didn’t really adhere all that well for me.
Thanks! The hemming tape was a little stubborn for me at first. I had to go over it with the iron twice for it to really stick.
Love this so much and the expense , too of course.
Blue pom-poms are a really fun detail to the white curtains. I would maybe put them only on one side of the curtains instead of both though. Thanks for the idea!
Those curtains are adorable!! And I totally get what you’re saying about finishing off window frames. We have 4 of our windows done and I can not wait to wrap them up (someday). I can’t wait to see your finished room!!
Loving it! Those pom poms 🙂 Can’t wait to see the big reveal next week!
Lauren, those pom poms are the cutest!!! This room is looking amazing! One more week! (slightly hyperventilating) We got this, right?
Haha! It wasn’t that bad, was it? Okay, maybe a teensy bit stressful. 😉
Those curtains are awesome! After reading your post, I’m realizing that I need to do more looking around! Are you looking at Pottery Barn and Anthropologie on line? hard copy catalogs? go to the stores themselves? Do you go to Amazon.com and search curtains? I need some research tips for finding ideas, please! It can wait until after the reveal! Which I can’t wait for!
I’m purely an online shopping girl and hit up the designer brand sites for inspiration. Usually when I go shopping in person, I have a rambunctious 4 year-old with me. I am definitely not taking her to play in Anthropologie. Haha! Always a nightmare.
The curtains do soften the room very nicely. I’ve used that sew free hemming tape on various craft projects and love it! I’d shorten those panels though and add more trim to the bottom. I think it would make it look for polished. Also, I’m assuming you put panels up for softness, not functionality? (meaning 2 panels certainly won’t close and cover that window, right?!) Nicely done, giving that room some color!
Thanks, Kristine! Yeah, these were really just for looks. They’re sheers anyway, so they don’t have the function of a blackout or anything.
Pom pom curtains are my favorite! Love these!
Thanks, Emy!
I love this! I really do! I think that I may have to try this on my daughter’s curtain. It’s a swag, but I think it would look equally as nice and it’s no-sew so it’s something that I can easily do in one hour! Thanks for the inspiration!
Kate | TheOrganizedDream.com
Absolutely! It would be so cute as a swag. 🙂
You are so talent and creative. I love your style of design. Simply gorgeous.
Thanks so much, Ivory!
Pom poms really do make everything look just a bit better!
We have these exact curtains in one room and I did eventually slice off the extra length (they make them long enough for the very tallest of tall windows) and used the off cut to give a tired, thin old scarf a makeover. Waste not want not!
Good idea! Thanks, Julie. 🙂
LOVE IT! I have the matilda curtains on my laundry room door and love the texture. Don’t rush into hemming them because they shrink when washed and dried. I think I lost 5 inches or so when I washed mine, which made them the perfect length.
Oh good to know! Thanks, Angela!
I love these better than the expensive ones! Great job!!! When you bought the Pom Pom trim on Amazon, was it the direct link you provided? Did you get 12 yards? The description is confusing – it says 6 yards at 6 inches.. that trim is not 6 inches! Lol Thanks so much!! Xoxo
Thank you, Meghan! I bought mine at Joann’s Fabric’s, but when I checked online there, they were out of stock. They might have it now though, so you could try. The one I linked to on Amazon is the exact same trim though. Maybe that description is a typo? That’s really weird. Maybe it meant to say 6 yards of 1 inch trim? Because I know it’s 1 inch.
You always have outstanding designs no matter how large or small. This ideas is fabulous
Thank you, Ivory!
Love the idea. I thought of doing mine with pompons but not sure wich color would go with my decor. Still thinking about it. Thanks
Love the curtains! Do you put the hemming tape on top of the Pom Pom, not between the pom Pom and curtain?
Thanks! No, I put the hemming tape between.
So glad I found this tutorial! My mom just helped me finish up these curtains with grey pom poms for the nursery. The grey were a little more expensive than the blue pom poms you used, but still a fraction of the anthro version I was tempted to buy. They look SO amazing in the nursery. This is the second tutorial I’ve followed from you. Thanks again!!
can you wash these easily if need be?
It is not recommended to put these in the washing machine. Maybe you could take a soft tooth brush with little water and brush the needed area clean. Let me know if you find this works for you.
Love this! We are trying to do something similar with the book cases. How did you wire your tv so you couldn’t see any wires?
Hi! Well, for this specific shot, I was in a hurry to get it done so so the cord is tucked behind the TV in these shots. Oops, haha! But we drilled a hole in the top of the built in with a hole saw bit, and we ran the cord through that to access the outlet in the middle of the wall behind the shelves. Hope that helps 🙂