Little Man's Big Boy Room Reveal
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Moving and unpacking are always stressful events. Having a kid tag along for the ride is even more challenging. This is our third move with little man and we always try to minimize any potential hiccups with him by setting up his room first. This time around, he is older and has more belongings, but we had to start afresh since his new room didn't have any storage units. It took us some time to get everything in place, which allowed us to take inventory of what kind of storage he needs.
His room isn't as large as the one at the old house, but it feels bigger with 9-ft. ceiling and wall-to-wall windows (that Mommy loves). Considering he also has the adjacent room as his playroom, I would say his bedroom is plenty enough.
I wrote about inspirations for his bedroom almost a year ago, and originally wanted colours inspired by a union jack rug (red, navy, and white) for his room. Instead, I decided to use those colours for the playroom, and kept his bedroom serene with a palette of white and soft grey with touches of navy.
He's had robin's egg blue walls in his nursery, so this time I left the wall colour a lot more neutral. I was obsessed in searching for a soft grey that's not tinted red, blue, or green. I finally found one that lots of decorators rave about - Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl. To make it the soft gray that I was after, I had the Benjamin Moore rep lightened it by 50%. It came out in exactly the soft gray I was looking for!
We took advantage of the tall ceiling and got little man a sleigh bed. The high back makes for a comfy lounging spot where he would read (for a bit) on weekend mornings.
For his bedside table, I wanted something of a warmer colour to balance the cool tones of the room. Something simple with a drawer would be perfect. This one from Target fits my criteria and the chrome legs are a nice contrast to the rustic wooden top. As an added bonus, it was on sale when I purchased it!
To add a bit of contrast to the white and soft grey, we installed an industrial-feel metal wall shelf that also helps to balance the height of the room. It has some great cubby space to display his treasures!
Thought I'd try to wrap the shelf with some mini lighted garland I hogged over Christmas. Little man likes it turned on as his night light as he drifts off to sleep.
There was a time when little man would bring home these melted beads "artwork" from school. What should I do when he couldn't part with them? I tried to save them all, but these are all that I have left... so I made a short garland out of them as a temporary display until he's sick of seeing them.
When little man helps with chores, eg. dusting, he gets a buck (or toonie $2) in his Darth Vader bank. I think it's time he uses his allowance for his Star Wars mini library so I can free up some budget for my coffee table books!
It's funny when I see little man trying to get creative with decorating his cabinet. I guess it's every boy's dream to be a superhero (or sidekick), driving a red convertible?
Baskets, you can never have too many of them. Spiderman needs a spot to hangout when his job as sleeping buddy is done, and Mommy places the cushions that were stuffed in here to take pictures =)
On the wall at the foot of his bed, I would eventually want to hang up his sports jerseys in some sort of shadow box frames. But for now, this banner I had printed for his FC Barcelona birthday party would serve as wall art. The photo was taken by our travel buddy when we visited FCB's stadium, Camp Nou. My photo here doesn't do it justice.
In making this a big boy room, and keeping it theme-free, I hope it will last little man a long time as he grows into it. There're enough cubby space in the wall shelf to change up his obsessions as he grows, and decent storage space in the IKEA cabinet for whatever secrets he may eventually want to lock up.
I'm glad I chose a neutral backdrop for his room, and I love how his belongings fill the room with personality and colours. When you enter a room, it should convey to you its owner's personality. My VIP client here is easy going (sometimes) like the room's neutral white and grey palette, casual (track pants) lover like the relaxed industrial modern furnishings, a little bit edgy like the Sputnik light fixture, and definitely opinionated as to what he likes (a sports fan, Marvel know-it-all, and die hard little Star Wars fan).
I think I've nailed it with this one. Now if only I can get my client to make his bed with those cushions that are forever stuck in the standard goods basket. Ya think?
