Designing a "Big Boy Bedroom" for Our Son
The time has come for our kiddo to transition from a nursery style room to a “big boy” room! He’s almost 3.5 years old and while he continues to happily sleep in his crib, I think he’s ready to make the change to a twin bed and that means we need to rework his tiny room!
Not much has changed since we moved into our home about 3 years ago (crazy how fast time goes by, right?) and you can get a sense for what it currently looks like in the photo below. You can also take a peek at the Cozy Modern Nursery Reveal - 2.0 post for the full view! We’ve since swapped out the rug, moved the chair into the corner, and swapped out an ugly fan for a cute little star flush mount, but otherwise the setup is the same.
In order to make room for a twin bed, we’re going to need to do some shifting. This little bedroom only measures about 11’x7’ in the main space, but it’s big enough for a twin bed and dresser! Here’s what I’m thinking for the layout:
It’s just big enough to accommodate his current dresser, a twin bed, and nightstand. At some point I’d love to rework his closet (shown with the double doors) since the doors don’t work very well and the closet system isn’t set up very well for him. We’ll get to that down the road though!
I want this to be a room that can grow with him, so I’m using a lot of solids and patterns, and adding in some fun, kid-appropriate wall decor for flair. Thankfully he doesn’t have a lot of strong opinions (yet!) on what his room should look like, so that means mama gets to take the lead on the design direction. :)
I love kicking off a project by finding inspiration images that have a similar look and feel to what I’m going for and I thought I’d share a few.
Big Boy Bedroom Inspiration
That blue bookcase is what really caught my eye here. I also love the classic plaids and stripes, and the general color palette of blues, greens, and whites/ivories.
It’s hard to go wrong with a neutral base plus pops of color. I’m leaning toward painting the room blue, but likely something lighter - BM Wales Gray (that’s what’s pictured in my design board at the bottom of the post), but I’m also contemplating something a little more saturated like SW Delft or BM Water’s Edge. We’ll see how adventurous I’m feeling!
The rug we have in there is kind of a moroccan style in grays and off-white, and I like how it plays with some classic design elements in the photo above. This image also has an important element I’m planning on including - the wall art! The focus is on car portraits here, but we’re going to go the route of construction vehicles for my son. He’s been obsessed since he was tiny and can name just about every one out there!
I think I’m committed to painting his room rather than wallpapering, but gosh, isn’t this wallpaper so good?? We’re going to get a little bit of that star element in the ceiling fixture though, which I already have in there. I found it on Facebook Marketplace earlier this year for a steal - just $50. I couldn’t believe my luck!
Seeing this traditional Persian style rug in here makes it tempting to do the same in my son’s room, but I think I’ll stick with what we have for now. I can always change it in the future.
via Beijos
This cute room has more of a true coastal feel than what we’ll have, but I do love the lighter woods and the blue-green paint color of the wainscoting. There’s such a great mix of blues in here!
Blue, Green, and Gray Boy’s Bedroom Design Board
Here’s a peek at the design board I’ve come up with so far for this space. I’m guessing a few things will change in the coming weeks as I finalize it, but I’ve also already ordered some of the pieces, which is exciting! One major element I haven’t bitten the bullet on yet is the mattress. Pretty crucial, yes? I’ll get there though!
I’ve linked the sources for everything you see here below the design board. Follow along as I get started on bringing this design to life in the next month or so!
Gray Twin Bed | Moroccan Style Rug | Blue Patterned Sheets | Muslin Duvet Set | Green Throw Pillow | Blue Lumbar Pillow | Round Rattan Side Table | Table Lamp | Natural Wood Dresser with Leather Pulls | Construction Vehicle Prints | Custom Name Banner | Linen Blackout Roman Shades | Star Flushmount (not pictured)
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