Turn a Closet Into A Castle For Less Than $100!

Converted closet to castle complete with Sleeping Beauty!

We recently moved back into our old house (my Father-In-Law's house) to help him with cooking and cleaning and keep his marathon training schedule in check after a series of strokes he suffered. This move was a bit of a surprise for our family (an even bigger surprise for everyone else!) and we had promised the kids that they could decorate their rooms however they wanted, within a budget :).

Our spicy little Ally announced that she wanted a castle bed with a door, and a window, and a bed she could jump on, and purple walls.  We began perusing Craigslist, Pinterest, and Google for ideas.  EVERYTHING we found was WAY out of our budget....even the DIY stuff was coming in at $300+.

So we got to thinking... convert the closet.  This would be a GREAT use of a corner in a child's room, a preschool spare space, a spare closet in a play room.  This is SO inexpensive and easy that it could transform just about any space into a castle playhouse in a day.  Here is how we did it.

This started as a 40" x 100" (approx 3ft x 9ft) closet with sliding doors.  We wanted to save money and space so we determined that not having to purchase materials for sides and a back would be a great budget option.  AND her room really wasn't big enough for it and have enough space to walk around it.  For a closet, we converted a television armoire by adding a rack for clothes where the television hole was (but that's another "how-to" post for another day!)

We removed the doors and painted the inside the same purple as the walls.  A couple gallons of paint is all it took for all the walls and the closet space. (Lowes - $20/gallon) I already had this paint from a previous project (daycare/preschool walls) so I didn't have to incur this cost.  But even so, the project would have come in at 100$.

We purchased one 3/4" MDF 4'x8' sheet from Lowes - $34.98 and one 1/2" MDF sheet from Lowes - $28.96.  

The 3/4" MDF was used for the front (the part with the door) and the 2 tall tower sides.  We used the 1/2" MDF for the shelves inside the tower.  We chose MDF for it's smooth finish that makes for a VERY easy paint job at the end.

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For those who may not know what MDF looks like. It looks like particle board, but much smoother. It's incredibly heavy, so have someone load it for you...just dress up a bit and ask :) (Oh don't act like you've never done that before...pah'lease! or send the hubby like I do!!)

#2 - The tower walls measure 12" wide by 75" tall. We painted these after cutting them out. They did take 2 coats, but the finish was perfect. I used a white"ish" paint that I had on hand. It took far less than 1/2 gallon to complete.

#3- These little shelves were cut out of the 1/2" MDF and measured 12"wide x 24" across. I wanted to use them for dress-up shoes, crowns, make-up, books, etc. AND I wanted her to be able to reach it from either side, so we decided to allow the tower to remain open with neither a front or back.

#1 The front castle wall measures 45" across and 60"tall. Make sure to arrange your 3 main pieces (front and tower sides) so that all three of these come out of the same piece of 3/4" MDF. The tower walls measure 12"wide by 75" tall. After cutting out these three pieces you can begin cutting out the "castlley" stuff. The first cuts made are the door and window. The door measures 24" wide and 48" tall at the peak. The trick to the arch is to first measure the doorway as a rectangle. Then take a pencil with a string attached and a washer attached to the end of the string. Place the washer at the top-middle of the door. Stretch the string down to the exact middle of the doorway. Now use the washer like a compass at school to make the perfect archway. Use a jigsaw to cut it all out. We kept the doorway piece and I plan on placing it on the floor of her room with ribbons attached like a "draw-bridge. The top of the castle front also features what I call "turrets." I think that's right, but I could be off on that!! The crown-like-thingy on top is also cut out with a jigsaw and is 3"down and 3" across all the way across the top of the front castle wall.

We attached the castle front to the closet walls with one 2x4 running the length of the front for support and to anchor it to the wall. My hubby also pre-drilled all the holes for the shelves to keep the MDF from splitting. He also ran a 2x4 piece of wood along the back sides on the left and attached the castle front to the board, then the board to the wall for strength and security. The tower was attached in the same fashion with a 2x4 board running the length of the side along the closet, attaching the tower wall to the board, and the board to the wall.

The decor was super DUPER cheap and easy.  I cut a lace panel (just one) lengthwise and used those to create the swag at the top and down the left side.  I attached these to the inside of the closet with screws in the wood on each far side and a rubber band gathered at each end to hang over the screw.  I layered the lace panel with a purple panel (again just one cut lengthwise)  I purchased (for a dollar at Dollar Tree) a bunch of purple violets that I took apart and used to hide the rubber bands.  The finishing touch was the Christmas sparkle lights.  The newer ones are low heat and you don't have to worry about them being against fabric.  They also make a fun night light for Sleeping Beauty :).  This entire project cost us less than 60$, since we utilized paint and fabric on hand, but even at retail prices, you could get away with spending $100-$110 and make a dream castle for your little princess too!

I wish you well and hope you get to play today.

-L

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