My Boys’ bedroom

Its a long story  but my boys {age 6 and 22 months} share a 9 x 10 room because I am too protective to let them sleep upstairs where there is more room..i am weird like that!  And {knock on wood} its working, its actually very convenient to have all of their clothes and sleepin area and one spot and most toys upstairs.  What is really funny is that before i could fully blog the room, i already changed it!  I have painted one wall with vintage green chalkboard paint, changed the art over the crib a zillion times including wallpapering a map on the wall, and repainted the frame around the rhino. and have already changed out the dresser!  Here are some more photos..see if you can follow!

The crib and bed are both white which i think helps with the small space. The walls are Laura Ashley STONE 2 from Lowes, they have been repainted this same color three times over the years!

BEFORE: BLACK CHALKBOARD DRESSER

This shot shows the short cowboy drapes (this fabric is discontinued sorry to say)..i love the length and you notice the rain boots are sitting on a black chalkboard dresser..it is now gone for the gray dresser that WAS in the dining room before the piano arrived!

AFTER: GRAY DRESSER!

 

{photography of my boys was done by Feather Nest Photography..thanks Allison..and the canvas were made by Color Inc..amazing job! we love them!}

I like the gray dresser better but wish it was larger! And after all you can’t have a black chalkboard dress and a green chalkboard wall right..too much chalkboard paint for even me! right?  and i used the chalk marker and it wouldn’t erase anyway…a good reminder to season it correctly!

So the BLACK chalkboard dresser is in the attic awaiting its next mission in life and the gray dresser is being used until i find something longer and the wall is now chalk..follow that? ha!

Not styled. You can’t really see it here but there is a giant linen board leaning above the dresser to display schoolwork etc…

above the crib early in process

Cute monogram art from Small Words but my little man child kept pulling it off the wall!

SO now it is chalkboard paint..i used the cottage living recipe from their idea house (see it posted here on the Lettered Cottage blog!) BUT the Dutch boy color Dry Basil did not work for me… I used Martha’s Saguaro green paint color and just added grout!  works perfect..its the perfect old school look! And i used dustless chalk don’t worry!

The baby blanket has also been altered since its beginning.remember the dahlia print, now it has been resurfaced in Thomas Paul’s OCEANIA fabric…this is a great fabric for boys..it has turtles, octopus, crab, etc…so fun! The cribskirt is from a twin sheet set i bought at target..i use the fitted sheet on Drew’s bed and used the flat to make (and by that i mean have someone else make) a cribskirt..i love it!

The  mobile is from Spare Bedroom Studio and i love that the bookpage birds mirror the bookpage decoupaged rhino over Drew’s bed!

I love how this finally turned out…i tried the wallpaper map and he picked at it and it was too busy visually..i think the chalkboard wall will grow with the boys much better than the map though i still love the look.

You can see here where i used the other part of the sheet set on Drew’s bed..i hot glued burlap to the box spring to cover it!

oh yes i did!

And honestly i didn’t know how well this collage on the wall would “wear” but it hasn’t been knocked off….yet!

Its driving me nuts i don’t have a better photo to show y’all of the frame around the rhino painted a muddy FARROW AND BALL sample pot color (Charleston gray) Finally a use for the zillion sample pots of paint i have collected..use them to paint frames and other knick knacks that need “tweaking!”

So can you see the difference? its a fuzzy photo but the rhino frame looks so much better the greige color than the sick yellow don’t you agree? This may be confusing but illustrates how it really takes time and effort to get a room just right, or at least close enough you can live with it!..sometimes you have to repaint frames, and walls and change out dressers before things work! The details drive me crazy but make it work too!

Last but not least the light!  I used a pendant from Barn light electric and it looks so boyish and just completes the eclectic vibe i wanted to go with…they  have such a great selection and help you get exactly what you need to fit your space and install!

So there it is….imperfect, poorly photographed but lovingly executed and highly “used” by two rowdy boys…and all close in location so their mama can check on them in the night!

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Comments

  1. jennifer says

    Love every inch of it!!!!~chalkboard wall, rolling Dr. Pepper box, turtle fabric, hotglued burlap box spring – every bit!

  2. I love the chalkboard dresser! But I understand it would be too much with the chalkboard wall.

    The colors in the room are beautiful. Well done!

  3. kathryn says

    Where did you get your crib and single bed? Looking for something similar!!

  4. This is such a great room Holly! I love your mixture of vintage, little boy, and modern. Perfection!

  5. Love it!

  6. I totally understand changing things out until it feels right 🙂
    Such a cute room with all the right touches. Your attention to detail paid off.

  7. I love it! I have two boys just about the same age. These images are getting the wheels turning to do their rooms at our new house!

    Jennifer

  8. One of my all time favorite boy’s room! Love it all! Thanks for Shari g all your ” magic ” tricks.

  9. Love it! Thanks for sharing. It’s comforting that it takes a designer a while to get all the details right, too. Sometimes I have the illusion that you must pick it all out the first time and it just comes together like magic. Lots of hard work,too, it looks like.

  10. Love all your changes. My two boys share a room and you’ve given me some great ideas!

  11. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    Oh Holly! What a great room! Love everything about it! What lucky little boys!

  12. I am totally “stealing” the burlap box spring trick. Maybe for our master too! I have been using fitted sheet upside down but the texture of the burlap is more what I need. Genius, girl, genius.

  13. I love it!! You did an amazing job. I love all the details!!

  14. I love the curtains!

  15. Holly, I LOVE it. You can tell that actually little boys live and play there and I think that’s amazing. Amazing details…beautiful as always! : )

  16. Holly, you have outdone yourself…this room is special!! Janell

  17. how sweet is this!!! I LOVE the gray dresser!! way to go!!

  18. Tiffany says

    I love it Holly, I’m sending to my sis who has two boys!

  19. With two little boys of my own, I loved seeing how you decorated their rooms. How blessed they are to have such a delightful mother to make their home so cozy! I took the plunge and moved by older boy up to our “bonus” room so the two could have their own spaces. It’s helped because my three-year-old torments my six-year-old by demolishing lego and imaginext creations. It’s saved us a lot of controversy to give older boy a place to keep toys set up without interferance from little brother. Oh, and we have sister in the middle!

  20. camille says

    It’s FANTASTIC, Holly! Worth every moment you put into it! And long live the hot glue gun! And tester pots..and chalkboard paint…..

  21. I love this boys room! So cute and the details are just perfect. This post also could not have come at a better time. I have a three year old son who has an antique twin spool bed (in a walnut stain, not yet painted) very similar to your older son’s bed. We just purchased a jenny lind crib in antique white for a baby to share his room and seeing this post makes me want to paint my older son’s bed to be more cohesive with the crib.

  22. Janice Ratliff says

    Girl, you have the GIFT!!!! That room is so perfect in EVERY way!!!!!! Love the vintage curtains…..or is that current fabric?? I am so inspired every time I check out your blog!!!

  23. Rachel Spin says

    I love the Thomas Paul’s OCEANIA fabric! The room looks great.

  24. Absolute perfection! This might just be my favoirte little boy room ever. The green chalk wall was such a great idea. I’ve never had anything hang behind my boys’ cribs b/c I knew they’d pull it down. Love everything about this room, espeically the cozy way it feels! Do they know how lucky they are??!! 🙂

    xo,
    Tessa

  25. One of the best boys rooms I’ve ever seen!! I don’t know what is my favorite but if I had to pick I suppose it would be the curtains!!

  26. LOVE!!! Their room is precious and just perfect. Maybe you’d like the rhino frame in a mossy green? xoxo

  27. LoVe it!!! Burlap on the box springs-oh, yes you did, and it’s wonderful! The cranes, the wire baskets, the bedding and drapes. Oh my, it’s all so sweet! What a perfectly blended room. and I totally totally agree, it does takes time to make a room come together. And various furniture in our home has made the rounds from room to room upstairs and down and all around!

  28. Amy Dean says

    It’s too bad the DP crat went under tha bed. My husband is addicted to DP so I must ask where you got it! I NEED one! 🙂 And I have been eying the Small Words art for some time! LOVE. Now I just need to find a place for some of it in my casa!

  29. I have two boys, 4 months and 23 months and they will be sharing a room soon. I love what you have done with your boys’ room and will be using it for inspiration.

  30. You have amazing ideas!!
    I am with you on tweaking things until you get them right. Sometimes I wait so long to get it right… I need to start over with another plan ha! My hubby loves that.
    Your boys have the “perfect” (for now-until you come up with more great ideas) room!!
    xo

  31. Holly!! Your photography is getting good! The shot of the birds & the soft pretty shots of the room! I adore their room. Adore it. Every piece. Really love the green chalkboard too. Miss ya! I’ll be coming your way sometime this month:)

  32. this is the cutest room i have ever seen! i love it all!

  33. Holly- it’s so great. Thanks for sharing!

  34. It’s wonderful! The perfect mix of toddler and little boy– and a room both can grow with! Would you mind sharing where you got the little chalkboard signs labeling the storage baskets in the dresser? Would be a great solution for our playroom canvas bins!
    Best~
    Kim

  35. wow it turned out so well. I love it. Love all of the tweaks too. Isn’t it funny how we have to live with something for a bit and then we can see what we want to change. Looks wonderful. Lucky boys to have a Momma who loves them so…

  36. PS Jack and Max have the same bulletin board, I just hide it behind the door so I don’t go “control freak” mom on how it is all put up on it. love that too

  37. Burlap on the box springs – brilliant! I always intend to buy two sheet sets so I can use the 2nd fitted sheet on the box springs, but then I forget …

  38. This really is one of my favorite kid rooms. Shared rooms are tough to design but this one looks effortless.

  39. I do love their room!

  40. Goodness sakes! I’ve been thinking for a week that I’d love your help with the nursery if my sweet little fetus turns out to be a boy. I was imagining an eclectic room with cowboy curtains, mixed stripes, and a painted Jenny Lind crib. Looks like we’re on the same wavelength.

  41. I love everything! I really wish I could have my boys rooms look so collected and organized. I enjoy how all the colors compliment each other and the funky touches!

  42. So fun to see your creative process and evolution of ideas. Now tell us how you keep it looking this cute day-to-day! Wink!

    Xoxo,
    Linsey

  43. holly,
    i like the changes you made! the grey dresser, the chalkboard wall and the thomas paul blanket are a few faves….i love this room 🙂

  44. What a great room … I loved it before your changes and I love it after. I had no idea that cowboy fabric was discontinued … I’ve used it for so many things and I love it!

  45. Well done! I love your idea to cover the box spring with burlap. 🙂

  46. HI Holly! I LOVE the chalkboard wall!! So cool. How did you apply chalk paint and how think is it supposed to be? I am having my painter attempt this tomorrow… Is there any special tricks????
    THANKS

  47. This is a great room!!! You did a wonderful job of coordinating the boys’ beds without making them matchy matchy.

    I have 2 sets of very similar drapes (Waverly cowboy with red background) that were custom made and hit just below the window trim. I also have custom shams and accent pillows. A great set if you know of anyone interested.

  48. I picked out this fabric 5 years ago when I couldn’t find a single cowboy thing in the stores and LOVE it. It’s so nostalgic and classic and I don’t know…just reminds me of a Leave It To Beaver era 🙂 Now, of course, I can find cowboy themed stuff everywhere; isn’t that the way it works? I love the look of the bedspread with it. I had blanket and curtains to made to match, but like your look so much better.

  49. Would you use the same paint color again? Noticed you said you repainted it 3 times with the boys. Im looking for a gender neutral paint color for big boy room.

  50. Holly, Love your boys’ room! I am wondering what grey you used on the dresser (the one that replaced the chalkboard one). I can’t find the right color and I’d like to take a look at the color you used. Many thanks!

  51. Beautiful! I have just found your blog and I am proud to be your newest follower =) I have just finished decorating my own boys room and posted photos andI have to be honest- I agonized for months as to how to decorate it. I didn’t want cartoon characters everywhere yet I wanted a space that was fun yet relaxing. One boys bedroom down and another to go! More agonizing! At least I now have your blog for inspiration now, Sally xx

  52. Love it ALL!!! What is the cowboy fabric and where did you get it?

  53. Holly, you have a great eye and amazing talent!

    I love the light you chose! Would you mind sharing exactly which pendant light this one is from Barn Light Electric? Also, what color of grey did you use for the dresser? I am hoping to paint an antique cabinet I have that same exact color. 🙂 If you have an extra moment, could you please email me those two details? Thanks a million!

  54. Love the room – where did you get the bed? I love that bed but all the Jenny Lind beds I have found look too girly – like Land of Nod.

  55. Love the room – where did you get the bed? I love that bed but all the Jenny Lind beds I have found look too girly – like Land of Nod.

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