Big Boy Room Update

Almost three years ago to the day, I wrote about some updates I tackled in Sebastian’s room (check out this old post).  At the time, we had been in our house only six months and Sebastian had just turned three years old.  Clearly, it was EXTREMELY bare and very much a blank slate.

Back when we moved to this home in 2013, I made the conscious decision to reuse all of his baby/toddler bedding and decor knowing that around the four year old mark we’d redecorate his room so there was no sense in doing it twice.  I rationalized that three year olds don’t care what their rooms look like anyway….and I was about eight weeks pregnant with our third son, Jackson, so yeah…I had minimal desire to do anything more than what was absolutely necessary. ;)

Well, shortly after he turned four, it was obvious he was developing his own preferences, so I started a Pinterest board to collect items I thought he’d like.  I knew right out the gate that our American flag/fire truck/rescue vehicle loving boy needed a red, white, and blue themed room but I was careful to select larger ticket items (like the bedding and window treatments) so they would have lastly power if he outgrew his loves.  In other words, I kept those more expensive items void of flags, trucks, etc. and rather just stuck with the color palette I was after.

First, I found his bedding on Overstock.  I liked that it was a quilt that could be kept as is for summer months or I could add in another blanket in between when the colder months settled in.  I also picked up some thicker 1” diameter oil rubbed bronze curtain rods from Target which feel nice and substantial (more so in person than pics!).  Last, I picked up four 96” long navy blackout panels – a life saver for his east facing room in the mornings -- from Home Depot.  I’m a big fan of hanging curtains high and wide to trick the eye into thinking the ceilings are taller and windows larger than they really are.

I splurged and surprised Sebastian with some rescue vehicle sheets and pillow cases which, in hindsight, was a waste of money.  They are only okay-ish quality and sort of silky which is comfortable feeling, but they’re kind of slippery so his middle blanket and quilt tend to slide down towards the foot of the bed.  I wasn’t thrilled with the price either, but at the time there were ZERO stores selling fire truck or rescue vehicle sheets.  It was almost comical.  I checked everything from Target to Kohls to Pottery Barn Kids to Land of Nod to Overstock to Walmart – basically anything and everything Google led me towards, but the closest I could find were toddler bed sheets.  I caved and got the Amazon set since it was the last piece of the puzzle before I could put the whole room together.  #impatient

I then hunted around for some downloadable art on Etsy to keep costs down in the accessory department.  I found this $1 (!!!) American flag print here and this $5 ‘Follow Your Dreams’ print here.  I splurged a little bit on nine actual printed pictures (versus me downloading and printing myself).  They were $19 but still a good deal in my opinion since there were nine in total and the quality of the paper and printing was amazing.  I added in an inexpensive red clock from Target to round out the mix. I also grabbed this navy striped fabric bin from Target as well to hold our overflowing collection of Nerf guns.

I found these adorable red chevron baskets in the dollar section at Target.   They were actually $3 each, but still quite a steal in my opinion.  I know chevron is making its graceful exit from the décor scene, but they’re a small accessory in his room and obviously I’m not going to (nor could I afford to!) constantly change décor every time a design trend changes.  I’m usually a few years behind anyway.  :)  And honestly, I still think they’re cute and not too in your face so they’ll stick around.

I found the wall decals on Amazon.  I love that they’re movable and they stick very nicely, but I’m not a huuuuuge fan of them.  That said, they were bought for a very specific reason.  Sebastian’s dresser was hand built by Eric (crazy, huh?!) when I was pregnant with him.  To accompany the dresser, Eric also built a matching crib that converted to a toddler bed (see first photo in this post!) which also converts into a full size bed complete with a headboard, foot board, and wood side rails.  Well, our youngest, Jackson is using the crib currently; HOWEVER, once Jackson is done with it, it will return to Sebastian’s room where he’ll finally have his headboard, foot board, and side rails.  Knowing that, I didn’t want to start making nail holes in the wall until the headboard is in place since it could affect what art I hang, where I hang it, etc.  All this to say…the wall decals were relatively cheap, they’re easy to remove, and he likes them well enough even if they aren’t the hippest design trend. :)

But back to that hubby of mine….can you believe he built that gorgeous dresser?  OH, and he built that unfinished desk chair, too.  And like 15 other pieces in our house (literally).  I suddenly feel very lazy…   ;)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Thursday, friends!