A pair of sisters from Long Island, New York recently gave their mom’s bedroom a major makeover while she was away on a business trip — and captured the heartwarming moment that she burst into tears when she saw the finished space for the first time.
Caitlyn Sullivan’s parents got parents divorced last year, but her mom Debra, 59, is still sleeping in the bedroom they shared throughout their marriage — which no doubt makes it hard for her to move on.
So when her mom went away for a recent business trip, Caitlyn, 26, and her sister Jackie, 22, transformed the bedroom, repainting the walls, replacing the bed, and generally cleaning up, all to give their mom a happy surprise when she got back.
Starting from here: A pair of sisters from Long Island, New York recently gave their mom’s bedroom a major makeover while she was away on a business trip
Sleeping space: 26-year-old Caitlyn Sullivan’s parents got parents divorced last year, but her mom Debra, 59, is still sleeping in the bedroom they shared throughout their marriage
Something new: She and her sister really put in the hard work — and some cash — to transform the space, painting the walls and decorating
Sparkling: They also cleaned up, sweeping and mopping the floors and cleaning the walls
Sweet Zzz’s! The young woman bought their mom a brand new bed and mattress
On camera: Caitlyn (pictured with her mom) documented the whole makeover process and her mother’s homecoming on TikTok
Caitlyn documented the whole makeover process and her mother’s homecoming on TikTok, where her video with the big reveal has earned nearly a million likes so far.
‘My parents divorced last year. Their bedroom has stayed the same since,’ she explained.
The old bedroom was well lived-in but not exactly pretty or homey: It had white walls, old brown furniture, a faded comforter, and no artwork or decorations on the walls.
It also was in need of a good cleaning.
‘It’s been hard for everyone. We love our parents so much. It was really emotional redoing the bedroom.’
She and her sister really put in the hard work — and some cash — to transform the space.
Comfortable: They added homey touches, which the room was lacking before
Favorite: Their mom loves the game Animal Crossing, so they added Animal Crossing things everywhere
Woohoo! They captured the moment her mom came home and saw the room
Heartwarming: She got emotional, tearing up as she viewed the space
First, they dumped the old mattress, dragging it down the stairs and leaving it for trash collectors to pick up.
They then moved the furniture out of the room so they could take care of the basics: sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing the walls with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Next up was a new coat of paint, this time not in plain white but a pretty bluish-gray color to give the room some character.
That part completed, the girls brought in a new bed frame and built it together, topping it with a brand new mattress an a pretty new comforter.
They used most of the same furniture in the room but rearranged it, putting everything away to keep it neat and pristine.
Perfect! She was clearly quite touched by what her daughters had done as she viewed the photos and art on the wall
Cozy: She also saw the new bed, plus a new comforter and throw pillows
Pretty: Everything was neat and clean and there was even some wall decor
That’s love: The girls included a framed photo of the three of them together
Good night’s sleep! Caitlyn said her mom slept well on the new mattress
She wrote: ‘It’s been hard for everyone. We love our parents so much. It was really emotional redoing the bedroom’
They also added decorations, hanging artwork and photos and even light-up mason jars with faux flowers.
There was a special personal touch, too: Their mom loves the game Animal Crossing, so they added Animal Crossing things everywhere.
Finally, they got to the moment they’d been waiting for. Their mother returned home and walked in the room to discover what they’d done.
She was immediately in shock, holding her hand to her face in surprise. Overcome with emotion, she cried as she explored her re-done room.
Caitlyn said her mom ‘loved it, and slept on her new mattress so well.’