Well, first thing I'd do is have my husband change the background on his zoom calls so no one sees the bedroom.

If you want to leave everything as is, it's going to be tough to make it look like it's an adult office. Even daybeds tend to look like beds. You can try using a neutral quilt with some neutral pillows and it might look a little better, but if you want to keep everything as is, change the background on the zoom call and you're done.

If all you want is a back drop for your husband’s calls, invest in a floor screen. Choose one which can either stay In the pink room or one which can compliment a corner in your living room.

Agree.

It’s not so much the sentiment as it is the expense — re-painting the room and new drapes. With an 8 foot ceiling, the drapes are custom to the window. I don’t feel that I can competently attach and hang new drapes so I was hoping there might be a minimal way to convert the room. I can try a screen.

So don't use drapes, use shades. A gallon of paint is less than what a screen would cost. Take out the bed, take down the drapes, hang shades and re-paint the walls.

Or change the background on zoom, which is free. Most of the people on my work calls show fake backgrounds - a lot of them are pictures of offices. I actually have spent the past 4 months admiring the office of a coworker, until I went to change my background and found out that I could have her office, too, because it was a background.

I have 8' ceilings and bought drapes from JCPenney and they fit fine if you want drapes. I got 95" and hung the rod close to the ceiling so they "kiss" the floor.

I hate the fake zoom backgrounds, they barely work, therefore are super distracting.

ok, so IS this permanently an office and no longer a kid's room? paint is cheap. the better quality paints at lowes and home depot is only about $35 / gallon. one thing I noticed for zoom calls is that a dark wall color looks really amazing in the background, such as dark teal, navy or charcoal.

does the room need curtains? a quick / easy change for now is to just take them down and put nothing up until you can find something better. DIY install curtain panels (like from Target or Ikea) are decent and really affordable.

For the bed, find a plain blanket and tuck the edges neatly around the mattress. if it has a box spring, use a plain sheet and tuck the ends under so it's smooth (or look at wrap around bed skirts). put tons of throw pillows across the back to make it look like a couch/daybed. avoid busy patterns if it's going to be seen in the background of a zoom call.

like this but keep the blanket smooth (a thick blanket such as a solid color quilt will stay a little smoother looking):

some other pillow ideas:

example of a wrap around bed skirt:

AVOID this look. it's messy, ugly and boring. too many matching pillows, and the colors clash.

How old is this decor and are drapes needed? Some rooms looks better without them, maybe you can take them down and store them. Alternatively, maybe the drapes would be OK if the wall color and office furniture toned down the floral. Can you post photos and measurements of the room?

IMO we need pics of the space and why is there a bed in there at all since your duaghter is not using this room her bed should have gone with her to her new space or am I not understanding the question and she is still sleeping in this space? If she is using the room then I agree a fake background for zooming.

A photo would help.

Agree that if it's an issue for Zoom, just use a Zoom background.

Thank you so much for all the responses. I had no idea how supportive this community would be. Room design is extremely daunting to me. I just don’t have a knack for me. The room is small. It’s 11x11, has an attached bathroom. Ideally I would love for this to be a cute office that could double as a guest room, if needed. My 16 year old daughter has moved to a bigger room. My oldest son has moved out. My husband is not concerned with the background; of course, I am. He’s a prosecutor and has to “appear” in court. It’s not clear when courts will be back in person. His office is still mostly telecommuting. I’m not sure why I care so much that his background looking professional. Perhaps I really just want to change this room.

I’ve been very spoiled in my life and never painted a room myself. My husband has, but doesn’t love the idea of giving up a weekend day(s) to paint a room he has no problem with. (That’s why I’m hopeful I can leave the pink walls.) But my husband would help me paint it if I ask him. I have a small physical issue (with my arms and chest) that makes me feel intimidated to paint, but maybe it’s time for me to try.

There is a custom made bed and desk that are only a few years old. Made when my daughter said she would never leave that room. As you can see, the desk does not really have enough workspace for a professional. That’s because it was designed for a kid who had a small room and did her homework at the kitchen table. I can move the bed out but was hopeful I could spruce it up a bit (like the pictures above) and leave it..... but the headboard gives me pause. There is also an antique walnut dresser but I think that can stay(?) I can force myself to remove the glider, to which I do have sentimental attachment.

Here are some additional photos of the room

Bathroom door and entryway

Both my DD’s had pink and green rooms growing up. When oldest was going off to college, I her she could pick whatever bedding she wanted, thinking she would go wild. Interestingly enough, she chose a Lily Pulitzer green and pink comforter.

I do have a soft spot for pink and green. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

Back to you. Sigh. This is just a young girl’s room. It needs a total overhaul to become a functional office. That means everything needs to be put in storage and you need to start over.

I would put a large desk in front of the window. It works. Both my daughters grew up with it and now one bedroom is my office.

I would remove all the furniture, remove the headboard. since you want to keep the pink, then yes go gray for the bedding to get a bit more gender neutral,

Honestly though, please consider redoing. . Your DH deserves it. I have friends who work around things just to keep the room intact. But really, even if they come back for whatever reason as a stop over ( mine both did) they probably won’t want to stay in this room if your house has other options. My oldest moved downstairs and we switched the office and her bedroom. Youngest set up camp in our finished basement.

Our spaces need to work for us and our current needs and I think it's great you're advocating for him and considering how you can best use this room. A lot can be accomplished right away just by taking the drapes down, removing the cushions from the glider, removing the rug and changing out the bed cover. Do you have some nice artwork you can hang on the wall behind him for Zoom meetings?

Even if your husband goes back to his office soon, your adult guests will appreciate staying in a room that appeals to a broader range.

There's a lot of sentiment here. To work with that: Think of storing the "little girl" elements, not getting rid of them. Take the curtains down, fold them carefully on sturdy hangers, cover with a sheet, and put them in the closet. Fold and store the bedding and chair cushions. Remove and store the custom bed and its mattress. Then you and your husband can paint the room, starting with a white primer. If you like, a light sunny yellow from the curtain fabric's colors could be your guide to a new wall color. Then in a year or so when your husband returns to his regular office, you can put the curtains back up, add a new white comforter to the bed, and you'll have a guest room. The wood glider and walnut dresser can be arranged so that they don't show up in zoom videos.

Tough love! Thanks for all the ideas.

looks like you have blinds already, so it would be so easy to take down the curtains, paint, and do something about the bed!

that bed is never going to look like a couch if you keep the current frame. a super simple platform bed won't need a box spring, and they're really inexpensive. this one is only $70! since it's in a corner, just put a ton of throw pillows along the back and right side.

or if you do get a daybed frame, there are types that look more like couches:

there are many couch-style daybeds that are also trundle beds -- great if this office doubles as a guest room!

Lots of tough love in order here. Your daughter will never be 4 years old again.

1. Hire a painter and have the room painted white.

2. Put the drapes and anything else little-girly away, and hire an interior designer to help you chose new window coverings and everything else.

3. Your designer can work with your existing furnishings so they will work in the room for its current use.