When your teen suddenly develops a love for cars — and not just any car, but Porsches — you can either panic… or grab a paintbrush.
After giving his brother’s room a full personality-packed makeover last year, our son Kelton was eager (and let’s be honest, a little impatient) for his turn. He wanted a room that felt like him — something that reflected his passions but also felt stylish, a little grown-up, and not like the Hot Wheels aisle exploded.

Challenge accepted.

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kelton, teen boy room, light blue walls, cloud ceiling, clouds, teenager, leather bed, porsche, car room, guitar, red nightstand

Starting Point: Bringing the Outdoors In (Without Actually Going Outdoors)

We already had a great foundation:
A few years back, during the viral TikTok “cloud ceiling” trend, we built one in his room with Govee LED lights. It’s still one of his favorite features — and honestly, it worked perfectly for a car-themed space. Driving outdoors under a moody sky? Yes, please.

cloud ceiling, LED lights, clouds, bedroom, gray wall

Originally, we had painted just his main wall in Thunder Gray by Sherwin Williams as an accent. But for this transformation, we decided to color drench the entire room to make it feel bigger, more intentional, and a little more dramatic.

For the new color, I pulled inspiration from a Porsche art piece we chose to hang over his bed — the car is a light, greenish-blue that feels fresh and classic. We went with Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams for the walls, trim, and doors, creating a light, sky-like backdrop that immediately made the room feel airy but grounded.

Working With (and Upgrading) What We Had

Since this was more of a refresh than a full do-over — and we wanted to stick to a budget — we kept most of Kelton’s existing furniture except the bed.
His old bed had seen better days (read: teenage growth spurts are no joke), so when the Article Cigar Leather Storage Bed went on sale, I grabbed it. It’s gorgeous, practical (hello, huge hidden storage drawer), and just masculine enough to feel teen-appropriate.

red nightstand, porsche art, striped bedding

We also made some budget-friendly tweaks to save even more:

Instead of replacing his nightstand, I repaired the broken drawer with Gorilla Wood Glue (my go-to for furniture fixes) and spray painted it bright red to match the subtle “car garage” vibe we were building.
His old wall shelves? We kept the shelves themselves but painted the metal brackets red for a pop of color that ties back to the Porsche art without screaming “race car bed.”

Small Changes, Big Impact

One of Kelton’s top requests was a comfier spot to crash in the corner to chill. So we ditched the stiff leather butterfly chair in the corner and replaced it with a giant Ultimate Sack bean bag chair(4000 size, in bright red).
Best. Decision. Ever.
He actually uses it now — reading, doing homework on his laptop, or just flopping into it to nap on the weekends.

For bedding, I went with a subtle striped duvet cover and added throw pillows in yellow and dark teal to complement the new wall color.

Personal Touches That Made It His

The goal wasn’t just to make it look good — it was to make it feel like his.

speed limit sign, porsche emblem, shelves, cars, desk, kelton, teen room

Some of my favorite details:

We rearranged his shelves to showcase his LEGO car builds, especially his prized Porsche model (with working headlights — yes, seriously).
Decluttered old books and knick-knacks, and made room for his tennis medals, academic awards, and trophies.
Hung two guitars — his prized Gibson he inherited from his great-grandfather (and a newer one he bought himself) — using affordable Amazon guitar wall hooks.
Installed a rug that hints at roads and movement, tying back to the car theme with soft swirls and muted blue tones.
Added a real Speed Limit 30 street sign — a fun gift from our youth minister at church — which Kelton insists is “more of a suggestion than a rule.”
And surprised him with an authentic Porsche hood emblem, framed in a simple shadow box from Amazon.

The Porsche art hanging above the bed?
I created it myself in Adobe Illustrator, pulling from several Porsche images to create a custom size and horizontal orientation (30″x 40″) piece that feels personal, timeless, and perfectly scaled for the wall. Pro tip: always go big on art!

The End Result?

A room that feels personal, tasteful, and ready to grow with him.

Kelton loves it.
I love it.
And maybe most importantly, we successfully pulled off a car-themed room that doesn’t look like a race track exploded.
(Parents everywhere, breathe a sigh of relief.)