It's officially classroom makeover season... and we are SO back! This summer, our Schoolgirl Style team traveled from all over the country and reunited in Michigan (our home state!) to surprise our first makeover winner of the season, Jamie, a second grade teacher in Fenton!

Armed with our brand-new 90s Teacher collection, we set out to create a classroom that feels playful, practical, and packed with all the nostalgic school memories that made us fall in love with learning in the first place. From vintage-inspired school supplies to colorful details around every corner, this classroom is one giant throwback—in the very best way.

Ready to relive your favorite school memories? Let's take the tour!

90s Teacher Classroom Makeover Reveal

The Spaces That Make Learning Shine

Whole Group Area

Every classroom deserves a gathering space that feels welcoming from the moment students walk through the door, and this whole group area instantly became the heart of Jamie's classroom!

Cozy Gathering Space

Keeping the Charm
One of our favorite parts of this makeover wasn't actually something new—it was something old! Jamie's original green chalkboard had so much character that we couldn't imagine replacing it. Instead, we refreshed it with a fresh coat of chalkboard paint, preserving its nostalgic charm while making it feel clean, polished, and ready for another generation of learners.

A Simple Design Hack
Above the Smart Board, we added our Apples Door Topper to hide cords and technology hardware. It's one of our favorite classroom design tricks because it instantly creates a cleaner focal point and gives the entire front wall a more finished, intentional look! We added our apple topper cutouts to the top of the screen as a finishing touch!

A Space to Reset
One corner of the chalkboard became the perfect spot for a calming corner and affirmation station. It gives students a dedicated place to pause, reflect, build confidence, and practice self-regulation—all while making use of a space that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Finishing Touch
Our "Second Grade Is Sweet" bulletin board set ties the entire space together, creating a warm welcome that sets the tone for the classroom from the moment students walk through the door!

Small Group Area

Small group instruction happens constantly in second grade, so we wanted this area to feel organized, inviting, and easy to use throughout the day!

An Easy Budget-Friendly Upgrade
One of our favorite transformations in this space was adding a table skirt (find in our Amazon storefront). Using simple Velcro strips, it was easy to install and instantly elevated a standard classroom table while creating hidden storage underneath for teaching materials, manipulatives, and supplies!

Keeping Students Organized
Our Teacher Waiting Room system is one of those resources teachers quickly wonder how they ever lived without! Students simply take a number instead of lining up at the teacher table, allowing Jamie to keep her small group lesson going while the rest of the class continues working independently. It's a simple system that protects valuable instructional time, helps everyone know exactly whose turn is next, and keeps the classroom running smoothly.

Teaching Resources at Your Fingertips

Behind the small group area, IKEA cubbies provide the perfect storage solution for seasonal read-alouds, guided reading books, and small group resources! Coordinating classroom labels on book bins give everything a designated home, making it easy to rotate materials throughout the year while keeping everyday teaching essentials organized and accessible!

Student Desks

The student desk area was designed to encourage collaboration while giving every student their own personal workspace. Every detail helps support teamwork, organization, and smooth classroom routines.

Designed for Collaboration
Instead of individual desks, we chose larger table groupings that make it easy for students to work together while still having plenty of personal space. The layout also keeps clear pathways throughout the classroom for easy movement!

Everything Within Reach
Each table features a supply caddy in the center, giving students quick access to shared materials while keeping desks organized and clutter-free. It's a simple way to encourage independence and make transitions between activities seamless.

Color-Coded Organization

Every table group was assigned its own color, with coordinating lanterns hanging overhead and matching pencil toppers cutouts identifying each group below. Whether Jamie is calling the Red Group, Pink Group, or Green Group, students can quickly find their spot while adding another fun layer of color and classroom management to the room!

Calendar & Morning Meeting Area

This cheerful corner is where so many classroom routines begin. Designed to be both interactive and inviting, it's a space where students gather each morning to build routines, learn together, and start the day on the right foot! The Back to School Bulletin Board Set fits perfectly in this space!

A Space to Gather
A second Washables by SGS™ classroom mat creates another cozy gathering place for morning meetings, calendar time, and classroom discussions. Adding a second flexible seating area gives students more choices throughout the day while helping different learning spaces flow seamlessly together.

Making Calendar Time Fun
One of our favorite additions is Weather Pups™ and the adorable Weather Pups Clubhouse Bulletin Board Set! Students can explore the weather, months, seasons, holidays, and even discuss what clothing is appropriate for the day's forecast, turning everyday calendar routines into an engaging, interactive learning experience they'll look forward to.

Learning with Personality
Our Days of the Week pieces and the nostalgic School Is Cool Bus Statement Piece (or printable version found here) complete the space with colorful visuals that support everyday learning while adding plenty of vintage classroom charm. It's the perfect blend of function, personality, and fun! The Days of the Week from our pocket chart calendar set makes it easy for students to build daily routines while reinforcing important calendar concepts in a fun, interactive way. It's the perfect blend of function, personality, and fun!

Classroom Library

The classroom library is one of the coziest spaces in the room! It's a place where students can slow down, get comfortable, and fall in love with reading. Every detail was designed to make books easy to access while creating a space students will naturally want to spend time in.

A Library They'll Love
Our Classroom Library Labels and Posters were the perfect finishing touch for this cozy reading corner. We displayed the posters in simple acrylic frames along the tops of the IKEA shelves to create a warm, welcoming library feel, while the coordinating labels on each book bin help students easily browse, find, and return books independently.

Made for Reading Adventures
Every classroom library should feel like an invitation to slow down and get lost in a great story. We used IKEA shelves to create built-in bench seating and plenty of book storage, then layered in cozy classroom pillows  for warmth! We also love how this space flows into the morning meeting area, making the nearby Washables by SGS™ classroom mat another comfortable spot where students can spread out with a good book.

The Perfect Finishing Touch

Our oversized vinyl READ banner (also available as a printable Walgreens style banner) makes a bold statement above the library, instantly drawing students into the space and celebrating a love of reading! We added our adorable Apple Topper Cutouts peeking over the top of the banner for an extra playful detail that ties the entire reading corner into the nostalgic 90s Teacher theme!

Teacher Desk Area

Teachers spend so much time creating beautiful spaces for their students, but they deserve a workspace they love too! We designed Jamie's desk area to be equal parts functional, organized, and inspiring—a little corner that's ready for everything from lesson planning to that much-needed morning coffee!

A Workspace You'll Love
We dressed up the front of Jamie's teacher desk with one of our coordinating personalized banners and layered bulletin board paper and borders behind the desk to create a polished backdrop that makes the entire space feel bright, cheerful, and put together.

Comfort Meets Function
A Washables by SGS™ classroom mat adds a cozy touch under the desk, making this space a little more comfortable for long planning sessions and busy school days. It's one of those little details that makes a big difference!

Everything Has a Home
From our Pocket Chart Calendar to the labeled Teacher Toolbox and Daily Bin Labels, every supply has a designated place. Keeping daily essentials organized means less time searching and more time doing what matters most.

Planning Made Pretty
We finished the space with one of our favorite teacher desk mats and a coordinating planner to keep lesson plans, paperwork, and daily to-dos organized—all while bringing a little extra joy to everyday teacher life! 

In the Spotlight

There are so many little details throughout this makeover, but these are a few of the standout pieces and design tricks we can't stop talking about!

Door Decor Displays

Banners That Make a Statement

We hung our Welcome to Our Class Banner on both sides of the glass above Jamie's classroom door, creating a cheerful welcome that greets students in the hallway and continues the warm, inviting feel as they step inside!

No bulletin board? No problem! We transformed the empty wall above the hallway lockers by hanging bulletin board paper with mighty Mavulus Tape, framing it with borders, and adding our oversized School Is Cool Walgreens Banner printed at Walgreens. It's one of our favorite easy, budget-friendly ways to create a huge focal point anywhere in your classroom!

Smart Storage

Table Skirts Beyond the Table

Who says table skirts are just for tables? One of our favorite makeover hacks was using them as classroom curtains! It's such an easy way to soften a space, add color and texture, and bring even more personality into the room while staying budget-friendly!

Border Combos We Can't Get Enough Of

If there's one decorating trick we'll never stop using, it's layering bulletin board borders. Mixing coordinating patterns, colors, and textures adds depth, frames displays beautifully, and gives the entire classroom that finished, professionally styled look!

Wrapping It All Up

This classroom makeover is everything we hoped the 90s Teacher collection would become—a space that's full of nostalgia, bright colors, vintage school charm, and practical ideas teachers can actually use!

From refreshing an original chalkboard instead of replacing it to hiding Smart Board cords with a calendar topper, every detail proves that thoughtful classroom design isn't about filling a room with decorations. It's about creating spaces that help students learn, explore, collaborate, and feel excited to walk through the door each morning.

Thank you, Jamie, for letting us transform your classroom and kick off another incredible makeover season with us!

If you're dreaming up your own classroom makeover this year, we hope this tour gave you plenty of ideas to make your space both beautiful and functional.

And if you create your own 90s-inspired classroom, don't forget to tag us on our socials or using #SchoolgirlStyled! We can't wait to see all the nostalgic magic you bring to life!