I absolutely adore how it turned out, mostly because it is so him but also because I think we managed to bring a new, fresh life to many furniture items that we’ve owned for years.
It’s so important to me to be able to share how we move often but recycle and repurpose our own furniture basics because, quite frankly, it would be impossible to purchase major furniture pieces every single time we pick up and go.
You may remember that I designed Gray’s first Big Boy Room in our last house.
At the time, he was three years old. Today he is a grown up man kindergartner who turns seven this Summer. I was happy to freshen up his space with a few key elements that would bring major impact, while keeping it all very true to his personality and passions.
When designing a kid space, I try to keep the large/expensive elements to styles that can fit any decor theme or interest. I know their interests will change constantly and I want their likes and favorites to be reflected in their rooms.
By keeping the large pieces “classic” I can switch out smaller style items as they move on from Pokemon to soccer and from soccer to Harry Potter.
Ok, Gray’s bedroom in House #6 was used as a guest room by the previous owners so we had a blank slate to work with.
Ready to see what it looks like now?
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Gray’s one request for his new room was that it be symmetrical.
God, I love that kid.
Symmetrical design is my jam too, but I thought I would take it a step further than balancing his bed with matching end tables. I spotted this amazing Swiss Cross wallpaper while aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and the design for his room was born.
As I mentioned, we wanted to use every single furniture item from his last room, most of which has actually been his since we designed his nursery.
The rug, dresser and acrylic bookshelves have all been in his room since birth! We’ve owned the leather chair for over a decade and many of the blankets and toys have been around since he was a baby. It’s so fun for me to see how furniture and decor can grow with us as our lives evolve.
Despite the few changes, I think this room feels completely different than his previous Big Boy Room thanks to mixing in new colors and patterns.
The shade of green in his new quilt, paired with the stripes in his pillows, vibrant orange of his knit blanket and strong cross pattern and woven detail of his wallpaper gives the space so much texture and life.
I may be decorating his room big boy style, but there are little elements of his babyhood that just always find their way in. That stuffed tiger was purchased in Maine, by my husband, while we were pregnant with Gray.
The tiger blanket is another throw back from the very first nursery we ever designed for him.
The posters were purchased locally at Archer Paper Goods here in Charlotte and speak to his love of science. I loved the vintage vibe and the muted colors of the periodic table of elements paired with the brighter burst of color from the color wheel.
I framed them with IKEA frames and hung with just a small gap between them in order to keep them from spilling too far over the visual space of the vintage dresser.
I will forever include acrylic bookshelves in my children’s rooms. They’re like every changing works of art to me. I love seeing the colors shift as they change interests and watching the baby books slowly be replaced by big kid books.
As a tip, the acrylic bookshelves are also a great way to fill a unique space. This little bump out in Gray’s room isn’t really the ideal flow (it’s his closet, but is what you see from the hallway/immediately when you walk into his room) but once we filled it with the shelves and books, that awkward spot took on a fun life of it’s own.
While I do love this design in a big way, most importantly, Gray loves his room and feels comfortable here. It is his to decorate, play in and a space to find respite. We’ll see what changes he’ll want to make next but for now, that color wheel is giving him life!
Sources
Wall, trim and ceiling paint color: Wedding Veil by Benjamin Moore
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