Melissa dreamed of a toy- and kid-free corner where she could paint and finish writing a children’s book, but fixing up the bedroom was at the bottom of her and Dave’s priority list. The furniture consisted of castoffs from friends and family. The lamp sat on a pine bench that served (poorly) as a bedside table, out of her reach and too low for Dave to read by. “The room really didn’t serve our needs,” she says.

Since space was tight, the underachieving bench was relocated in favor of a slim modular desk (Melissa’s new writing corner) that doubles as a nightstand. Dave’s too-high dresser was moved to the far wall and replaced by a low, clear Lucite table that accommodates a lamp — his very own, at last — an alarm clock, and his vintage Motorola radio (so he can drift off to Cubs games). New bed linens, curtains, and a rug gave the room a cosmetic lift. “It’s such an oasis now,” says Melissa. “It gives me what I call the ‘hotel feeling,’ like I’m in a place where everything’s perfect and I can have coffee without noticing everything that’s broken.” And that multitasking desk? It’s also just the place to set a tray when Dave and kids Ruby, age four, and Beck, two, serve Melissa breakfast in bed.

Furniture

Melissa’s desk hides an extra work surface that wheels out when needed; the chair pulls in flush and out of the way. On Dave’s side of the bed: a disappearing Lucite table. Hold Everything Carroll Desk, $199, www.holdeverything.com. Ikea Ingolf chair, $60, www.ikea.com.

Rug

A new cotton rug adds a pattern to the painted floor and echoes the stripes in the drapes. Dash & Albert Meadow Stripe rug, $388 for 9 by 12 feet, www.dashnalbertrugs.com.

Curtains

Sleep comes easier since the old white curtains, which let in too much light from the street, were jettisoned for silk taffeta lined with heavy cotton. And the stripes of color keep the white iron bed from fading into the background. Restoration Hardware Mélange Stripe drapes in Silver Sage, $169 for 84-inch-long panel, www.restorationhardware.com.

Bedding

A linen cover transforms a plain down comforter. On its own, the lightweight cotton quilt layered under it will serve as a summer coverlet. Indochine queen-size duvet cover, $350; Euro shams, $130 each; bed skirt, $130; and reversible quilt, $200: all from Lauren Home, Ralph Lauren, www.polo.com.

Lighting

Dave reads magazines by his Anglepoise-style lamp or directs it toward the walls to softly illuminate the room. Melissa focuses hers on the desk when she’s working on her book, then adjusts it to read in bed. Metal Pivoting Retro/Mod Desk Lamp by Thomas O’Brien for Target, $60, www.target.com. Loop Lucite table by Umbra, $132, www.umbra.com.