From a walk-in closet to a children’s room: Mira and Eetu’s creative transformation topped off by a showstopping mural
When Finns Mira and Eetu Tammenoksa reorganized their 1980-built detached house layout, they managed to stay under a thousand euros. Moving a wall made the walk-in closet a functional children’s room. Mira finished the child’s room with a stunning wall painting, and even the parents’ bedroom wasn’t spared from the makeover.
How did you come up with the idea for reconfiguring the space?
The long, narrow walk-in closet behind our bedroom wall was impractical. We ended up using it as storage. As our youngest child was nearing the end of the infant stage, we wanted a separate room for them. Because the closet had a window, we toyed with the idea of converting it into a kid’s room.
This is what the walk-in closet looked like before the renovation:
How did you approach the planning?
Because the wall between the bedroom and the walk-in closet wasn’t load-bearing, we decided to carve out a little extra space for the new children’s room from our bedroom. Eetu took measurements, and I sketched out all the functions on graph paper. We moved the wall by 50 cm (20 in), which gave the children’s room a couple of extra square meters (about 22 sq ft) while still leaving plenty of space in the bedroom.
Where did the mural idea come from?
Off-the-shelf solutions didn’t inspire me, and paint let me create something more personal. Our child is interested in animals, so the theme was easy to pick. I also wanted to include a memory of Eetu’s dad, their grandpa, who passed away when our youngest was only a month old. He was into hunting, so the moose helps remind us of him. First, I sketched the tree trunks on the wall freehand, then used Canva, a graphic design program, to finalize the plan.
How did you go about the painting?
I sketched the picture on the wall with a pencil, then painted it using regular interior paints. I planned the schedule and order of tasks in advance, since each color had to dry before moving on to the next.
Did you renovate your bedroom at the same time?
Yes, we angled the wall near the bedroom door to keep the entry open and airy, and the solution works well. We removed the old wallpaper, patched the wall, and primed it before painting. After applying the final shade of gray, I added a little “fairy dust” with Taika Glace paint.
The parents’ bedroom before the renovation:
Paint or wallpaper?
Definitely paint. I don’t use wallpaper anymore because I’ve spent too many renovations peeling it off, which is a huge chore. Paint allows more variety and personal expression.
Did you stay on budget?
I was surprised by how accurate my calculations were. During the planning phase, I set a budget for the entire renovation, factoring in waste and leftovers, and it worked out perfectly. The total cost ended up being 950 euros.
What’s next?
I need to plan new fixtures for the bathroom because we converted our generously sized cleaning closet into a functional walk-in closet. Now I need to find storage space for our cleaning supplies.
