Designer Jenna LeBlanc of Jenna Sue Design has a talent for creating statement-making designs on a budget. Recently, the designer unveiled her Tampa, Florida, playroom, which features floor-to-ceiling custom storage with DIY Shaker fronts and fluted paneling on IKEA Sektion cabinets. The best part? The fluting adds a high-end look for just $25 per panel. In lieu of spending thousands working with a contractor, her DIY not only saved money but is highly functional, ideal as she’s the parent of a toddler. (Hello to plenty of toy storage!) “This was definitely one of our more involved projects, but I think it’s my favorite IKEA hack yet,” she says. Get the step-by-step details here. 

Now, the 400-square-foot playroom, which was once a dingy attic, includes a built-in desk, impactful wall-to-wall mural, DIY’d feather chandelier, and is the ideal family space. 

Child-friendly Not Childish

Sarah Sherman Samuel transformed her son, Archie’s, bedroom into a color-rich, patterned paradise with DIY arched bunk beds made from MDF and plywood and a credenza with SSS Quarterline fronts, a modern spin on the traditional shaker. For the credenza, she utilized a Besta frame as well as two Quarterline doors in Agave. The storage center pairs well against the trendy green bunks, striped ceiling and Justina Blakeney tiger rug, and is another example of how easily a Besta unit can be transformed into fabulous storage.

For her daughter, Clover’s, room she once again went for a storage option using Quarterline fronts, but this time in blush. You’d never guess that the sophisticated piece was cost-friendly and perfect for storing toys, books, and stuffed animals. 

Design With Kids in Mind

When it came to Jessica Jones’s Northern California renovation, she knew she wanted a light, bright, and highly functional kitchen. Originally built in the 1980s, its compact layout with little storage left a lot to the imagination. In with clever built-ins, DIY Shaker fronts, a central island with Chris Loves Julia Cove fronts (she even included toy storage within for her young daughter) and calacatta gold countertops. To make the kitchen design even more child-friendly, Jones created a dedicated zone in the pantry, the “baking corner,” where she makes delicious treats for her family and can get her daughter involved along the way. 

Storage Made Easy

This media console hack is the best for keeping mess at bay. Velinda Hellen transformed a family’s East Los Angeles home into storage central thanks to a Besta units and DIY Slab fronts. The couple, who are both chefs, wanted a Scandinavian-meets-farmhouse look with both open and closed storage to conceal their child’s toys. “The slab fronts elevate it,” says the designer. 

Upgrade Unused Square Footage

An underutilized laundry/storage room has become an aesthetically pleasing workstation with the help of designer Casey Mason. Once long and narrow, the 20-by-5 layout was an eyesore but has transformed into a beachy office filled with storage options. The L-shaped desk was the ideal shape given the unusual floor plan, while built-in drawers, white tongue-and-groove paneling and blue geometric floor tile have led to its dramatic transformation. While the design wasn’t carried out with children in mind, this simple setup would be perfect for a work-from-home space, homework area, or teenage study zone.