It's been a while since we've had a room makeover to reveal! I am excited to finally share Marshall's new bedroom. This project started brewing in my mind almost as soon as we found out we were pregnant with our second baby boy, and I could not wait to start working on it. Except, I had to be extremely patient because there was a looooong list of other projects that needed to happen first, before this one could. Patience is not one of my finer virtues!
This room has seen many arrangements over the last 10 years that we've lived here, but most recently it was my beloved home office. I was quite spoiled to have an entire room with a large dedicated work station, craft supplies, a comfy reading corner and a TV. It also doubled as a guest room when needed. Here's a look at the before. You can read more about my home office and the awesome desk we built.
We always knew that if we needed it, it would become our third bedroom (as it was intended). There's no one I would rather have enjoy this space than our soon-to-be big brother, Marshall. At 2.5 years old, he is so fun and sweet and high energy (with a side of crazy). I wanted to make his room fun and functional with some of his favorite things.
We left the paint color the same, a tan/taupe with a hint of gray, which was the perfect neutral for my simple color theme of navy blue, red and gray. I started with the bedding and found a navy blue comforter with a reversible gray side. I knew I wanted to keep the red chandelier (minus the beads and baubles), as well as the beautiful hand-made red alphabet quilt that my friend Nicole made. Marshall likes firetrucks so I thought they would be perfect for bed sheets.
Finding the right bed frame was one of my favorite parts. I picked up this maple frame from our local charity garage sale for $8. $8 people! I couldn't wait to paint it. What I really mean is, I couldn't wait for my darling, patient, helpful husband to paint it. He did the most beautiful job! Here's a look at it before (with some light sanding). It wasn't in bad shape at all but it had some wear and tear. I really wanted it to make a pop of color in the mostly tan and wood room.
I just love it!
I kept the shelves that were already on the wall and styled them with a few fun things I already had. The little red lantern matches the bigger red lantern on the night stand - I love when coincidences like that happen! I purchased these adorable vehicle prints from a shop on ETSY. Marshall was so excited about them. I wanted to tie in a few touches of firetrucks to match the bed sheets. So cute.
I switched out the curtains in our living room so Marshall could have these gray and white ones to add visual interest and pattern.
I found the perfect spot to hang this sweet "I love you more" sign that was gifted to me by my friend Heather, from Reclaimed Palette. It goes so well with the wood accent wall in the room!
I wanted Marshall to have a desk that he could grow into, and this is the one from my bedroom growing up. It's also the very first furniture project I did that launched my blog 8 years ago! We moved it from the kitchen and switched it with another piece. I made a cork board and a magnet board with large frames that I already had. We also had a bookcase that fit nicely in the corner.
Of course, Marshall's tee-pee had to have a spot in his room. He still loves running in and out of that thing, which was a gift on his first birthday. Along with his basketball hoop.
I searched for quite a while for the right dresser and found this one on Craigslist. It was probably the most expensive piece in the whole room (at $50). I like how the light wood compliments the wood accent wall. There is a mix and match of furniture in here, but I know it will be well-loved and I'm not worried about it getting "beat up".
I'm so happy with how everyting turned out and came together. More importantly, Marshall is enjoying his new "big boy" room. It makes me so happy (and sad at the same time), to see him growing up, but I love each new stage and watching him learn and grow. I hope you love your new room, Marshall, because it was made with love just for you!
One DIY project from our master bedroom makeover, was to make new curtains for our oversize window. I guess you could say I'm pretty picky when it comes to curtains. I usually have a hard time selecting ones that I like or I don't want to pay regular price for them. Window treatments can be quite expensive. Plus, this window is an unusual width and height, since the ceiling is lower on that side of the room.
Here's a look at the window BEFORE. We made a wooden cornice and covered it with batting and fabric, but I was ready for a lighter more airy look.
I wanted something with a pattern that was modern, yet not too trendy. I usually look for anything large enough that might work for curtains, such as table cloths, duvet covers, by-the-yard fabric, or in this case, shower curtains. I found this ink blue Ikat shower curtain at Target. I got two when they were on sale for $18.99 each.
There were two modifications I needed to do. 1. Add a lining of blackout fabric and 2. Figure out how to hang them. Either with rings/clips that I already had or add new rings.
I discovered 1 inch round plastic snap together grommets at Joann Fabrics. They come in a variety of colors, and I used bronze, which matched my curtain rod perfectly. They came in packs of 8 for $10.99. I needed two, so I used two 50% off coupons. ALWAYS use a coupon there.
I measured and cut the blackout fabric and pinned it to the back of each curtain. I didn't have enough blackout fabric to go the full length, but the bottom 10 inches or so didn't matter because the windows aren't that tall. I sewed both fabrics together, at the top and down both sides, leaving the bottom open.
I used the circular measuring tool that came with the pack of grommets to space out each ring on the back of the curtains. Then I simply cut a circle of fabric out for each one and snapped a ring in place around it. Easy cheesy. I will note, the plastic rings aren't super heavy, so be careful when snapping them together, so you don't chip an edge.
They fit perfectly on the curtain rod and created the effect I was looking for. They are easy to open and close and do a good job of blocking out the light. You can turn any fabric into a curtain with rings this way.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to window treatments, before dropping hundreds of dollars on ready-made ones.
For more ideas, check out the shower curtain I made from a table cloth.
Hello friends! I am a bit behind on sharing a few recent projects that have to do with our bedroom makeover. One of which, I was pretty excited about. This pair of mismatched nightstands. I found the white one on the side of the road (trash night), therefore it was *FREE*. It was in rough condition but the shape was so pretty. It just needed some love! I found the wood one, of similar size and style, at the flea market last summer for three dollars. $3!
They both sat, untouched for over a year until I decided I would make them pretty and use them in our bedroom. They definitely needed some sanding, new paint and a pop of color.
At first, I tried bold blue, but it just wasn't right. I kept seeing beautiful coral night stands on Pinterest and that's was I wanted to incorporate into our bedroom color palette.
I landed on "Coral Bell" as the winning color. I really like it! Painting them the same color definitely makes them look "less different" and more harmonious. Such a stunning transformation. I'm not afraid of color, as you know from my yellow china cabinet.
Stay tuned for more projects from my bedroom makeover and the big reveal. It's about 95% done.
