Boy’s Room: Progress Report

By Kate Riley June 17, 2010

valspar paint Thank goodness my boy is a patient little fellow when it comes to the makeover in his room – cause good golly, I’ve sure been dragging my feet on this one.  

Actually, being four, I’m not sure the critter is really aware of what’s going on, he’s just happy to have his toys scattered all around the room, much to the dismay of my toes when I step on mini Lego guys in the middle of the night – aaargh!   We’re working on that ‘clean up your toys before bed’ thing.

Anyway, we’ve managed to paint the room and closet doors a completely fantastic shade of slate blue with just a hint of turquoise called ‘La Fonda Villa Fountain’ by Valspar.   And last month, I revamped a chalkboard table and chairs for him, but then the makeover came to a halt as I ran into a design dilemma with wall decor and lighting. 

            

But yesterday, I was inspired again !  I was returning a mistake fixture to a Lamps Plus store, and as I meandered through the shop, I spotted the perfect light fixture for his room  – crisp, white, and modern !  So I ordered the fixture right there on the spot, and as soon as it arrives, will enlist the hub to help me install it.

boys room inspiration

I’m also awaiting this rug from Dash & Albert – I love its calming yet beachy blues and greens.  I’m simply smitten with this Annie Selke fabric – I’m thinking pillows, and perhaps a border along his white window panels.   Some ‘North Beach’ Nautica pillows from BCF, and this organic Cortland coverlet from Company Store also complete the slate blue/white/apple green medley.

I really really wanted to paint a giant abstract on canvas above his bed, but Mr. CG insists on some motorcycle wall decor for the lad.  

vintage posters

OK, I’m cool with that, as long as they are vintage !  

I’m on the hunt for a good dresser, currently drawn to these styles, not necessarily the exact colors:

hemnes dresser ikea Ikea Hemnes Dresser

 

walden dresser Walden Dresser

 

But maybe I’ll find one on Craigslist and work a little DIY magic  . . .

. . . perhaps a pop of green ! 

green dresser country living

Definitely fun and fresh !

Finally, I’m desperate for a storage solution for all those trucks, motorcycle, trains, and Legos – oh yes, they must have a place !  

I suppose it is to teach the little lad some organization, but selfishly, it’s for the sake of my toes in the middle of the night  . . . 

smiley

 

   .

38 comments

  1. Looks great!!! If Liam had his own room I would put the Ikea Expedit bookshelf in there…on its side and use great fabric covered bins for the different toys and books (with labels done in chalk board of course!) Can’t wait till we have a house big enough for the kids to have their own rooms as well as a guest room. Right now its one or the other…but I’m not complaining! :)

  2. Love the green dresser, but I might be partial. Mostly because I finally found a dresser I want to paint green. I’ll just have to wait till we move.

    I love the concept of the room, can’t wait to see the finished product!

  3. LOVE it!! can not wait to see the finished product. I would LOVE to put a chandelier light up in my boys bedroom but it gets sooo hot here we HAVE to have ceiling fans. AND I am sooo not a “fan” of ceiling fans ;-) I saw a light fixture almost identical to the one you ordered – it was at Overstock.com- they have some of the best prices on lamps and chadeliers. I purchased one a few months back -I was worried about the quality but I have to say I was quite impressed!

  4. I have the Hemnes dresser in white and love it. Right now, it is my entertainment center and it takes a lot of abuse. If you end up getting it, you will probably love it too. I love what you are doing in the room. Great colors!

  5. I have my son’s Lego’s in baskets, sorted by color. He has a bookshelf with two shelves, 3 baskets on each. (think Pottery Barn or land of Nod)

  6. I raised three boys and had my share of Legos, Constructs and Lincoln Logs :D The BEST way to store, sort and carry (cause the kids never stay in their room with their toys :) are to use Fish & Tackle boxes. I bought the “Tambouri” I think…it’s been a while…brand and still have all their original legos in storage now for my grand-babies! They would pull out a tackle box and open up the step-up-trays and play for hours. They never complained about picking up because they’d keep the boxes between them and help each other find that special lego for their creations. The boxes fit inside most of the IKEA cubbie shelves if you want a way to store them in their room. Hope this helps, fondly, Roberta

  7. That looks like the makings of a terrific boy’s space! I’m drooling over that tealish paint color. Can’t wait to hear more about it!

  8. I think the Hemnes dresser is a perfect piece for a little boy’s room. It I know mine, it would get beat on pretty well in daily use. For the price, my head wouldn’t explode if we had to replace it in a few years ;-) The Idea board looks great and the room seems like it will be so calming. Can’t wait to see it finished.

  9. OOOH! I just love the light fixture (and the rug)! Do you happen to know if the height of the light fixture is adjustable? I would order one right now if I knew it could be adjusted. I need it to hang only 4 inches from the ceiling. Do you think it can be installed that way? PLEASE PLEASE email your thought to me. Right now I have a wire with a light bulb hanging in the room because I haven’t been able to find a fixture I like until reading this post. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    Leigh-Anne

  10. Love the color choices! And I think the vintage motorcycle prints are fantastic. Karla@It’s the Little Things That Make A House a Home turned her sons closet into the neatest storage area for all his toys…you should check it out.

  11. I feel your (toe) pain, girl! I stepped on a Polly Pocket accessory last night and had to muffle the very bad word that escaped my lips. Thankfully, I didn’t wake Natalie up, but she is sure gonna clean up that room. ;)

    LOVE the direction you’re going with Boy’s room. Can’t wait to see what you decide on with his dresser. :)

  12. That’s going to be a pretty snazzy little 4 year old! He won’t even know how good he’s got it. Can’t wait to see more.

  13. I absolutely love his room plans and your color choices. I think that the modern accents and the vintage art will balance each other nicely. I would love to do a room like this one day. We just need a boy to put in it. :)
    We definitely have our share of pink here with three little girls!

  14. I am partial to these colors. My baby was gonna have a surf theme but we are gonna move so I get to “redo” the colors. maybe I will do beachy instead of surfy…hhhmmm.

  15. Great colors! Looking forward to seeing the finished product. I’ve got 2 boys rooms to do. We did a basic paint job in their rooms prior to moving into our new house 2 years ago, and I really want to do something special with their rooms. The problem is, I can’t decide what to do!

    Kacey

  16. It’s going to be fab! Can’t wait to see what you do. AFter I finish my back patio, I am hoping to start working on Adam and Eli’s room.
    I’ve been working this summer and haven’t been out in blogland as much. Sure do miss you all!!!
    Traci

  17. Love the color scheme you have going on, and LOVE the motorcycle prints. very cool for a little boy! I desperately need to make over my children’s bedrooms! Esp. the boys room, it gets hard incorporating design and function for a 1 1/2 and a nine year old who have to share a room.

  18. Love it, can’t wait till it’s finished.

    Please stop by and give me your opinion on our front entrance decision – the more input the better.

    Help.

  19. I have the best Lego solution for you. I have a son obsessed with Legos. I purchased bins large enough to hold his Legos. I then purchased a flat sheet (you could use a decorative fabric if it will be seen, mine is behind doors). We dump all the Legos on the flat sheet. this makes it clean up a snap, my son gathers the sheet together and lowers it into the bin. He also can spread all of his Legos out on the sheet so he can easily find the pieces he needs. No more Legos in the carpet. Bliss.

  20. I love the feel of the colors and textures your using in this room. What a lucky 4 year old! This room will really grow with him and has a sophistication about it. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together. The chalkboard table was fantastic.

  21. I love both the color choices and the vintage artwork. I love that you’ve found a way to make both the Boy and You happy. Super smart!

  22. Very nice! Love the color, and the vintage posters. I’m pokily doing up my daughter’s room, trying to figure out what rugs to put in there. How are the Dash & Albert cotton rugs? There are a couple I like, such as the Tangerine Dream, but then I think I might just get an oval rag rug in yellow. Are they really thin? I guess I should find a store that carries one. And I’m planning on moving my old Bonde bookcase (like the Expedit, just with thicker edges, it works as a room divider) up into her room for storage, with Target Liberty boxes for small things.

  23. Love that paint color! I’m looking to repaint with blue and greys and I like the one you’re using. I might have missed it somewhere in your blog but what type of paint do you recommend for rooms? Satin, semi-gloss, flat…??? Thanks!!!

  24. Love all your ideas, and love these colors you have chosen. My 7 year old boy has his own ideas (despite my intent for a pulled-together, magazine-finished look). He chose a nice sky blue paint for his walls (very soft and subtle). He also chose a white Flexa loft bed (a gift when he got a baby sister and had to give up his bed). He also chose a football field rug that has “Ohio State” emblazoned on it. Most of his furniture pieces are white. He is hoping for “locker furniture” which I find cheap looking (not to mention expensive and useless). He was going for a sports theme…but not vintage of course (and not just one sport, 4 of them!). So we’ve got football, basketball, baseball and soccer represented not to mention the Lakers (purple and yellow) and OSU (scarlet and gray). Throw in the multi-colored Spongebob Sports Sheets, 2 bean-bag chairs, and you see where I’m going with this. I finally gave up. He has some nice things in his room, but there is nothing cohesive about it. I don’t know how to go backwards to pull it together. How do you put a room together (getting what you want) but also giving them their own space and freedom to decorate the way they want?

  25. I was wondering if the top pic is you painting your son’s closet doors? I am also re-doing my 4 year old son’s room and was hoping to paint over the stock standard white closet doors he has…do you have any pics of what you did (if you did)?

  26. I love the color we just picked this for our 6 yr old and our dining room/kitchen! Actually we picked it for our dining room and our son was insistent that that was the color he wanted! SO since we have extra it will save us money as well. GREAT COLOR!!One idea for storing the legos, trucks, trains, etc is a bookcase turned sideways with shelves put in to make cubes so you can have baskets for each catagorie. If you turned the bookcase on its side it would be best if you added feet as well, and the shelves on the inside wouldn’t be too hard with shelf pins and melamine or other wood. I can see it in my head… I want to do it for my sons room that we are redoing. We also put a loft bed in so we could use the space under the bed. We used a free platform bed from a friend attached it to the wall and put a chain from the ceiling into the corner that is unattached. Then built a ladder and simple railing staining the whole thing ebony. Looks and works GREAT. Happy decorating! LOVE YOUR SITE I am on it all the time! Kristy from http://www.apronsandapples.blogspot.com my crafty blog

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